The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-09-16
The French Soldier.

and England for the invasion of the Cri-
mea, and the forces raised by Russia to
repel that invasion, were enormous, even
by the side of the vast musterings that
took place under the eagles of the First
Empire. Again, the colossal hosts that
were thrown within few weeks upon
the plain of Magenta and against the
heights of Solferino, no less than the lavish
carnage that few hours witnessed on
those memorable battle-ields, testify to
the same fact, and show how numerous
and how crowded are the barracks of
France, Italy and Austria.
So little, however, can q government
depend upon the martial instincts of the
people, upon their innate love of fighting,
that in every country in Europe, with two
exceptions, and those the freest-Great
Britain and Switzerland-this natural re-
pugnance to arms has to be forcibly over
come in a word, the army is created by
CONSUMPTION. In France, Russia, Austria
and Prussia the system is carried out with
extraordinary rigor; and even under the
most favorable auspices is regarded with
CONSERVATION by the predestinated draw
ers of the xunsero noir, or the black tick
ct, which consigns them for the next de-
cade of their life to the hard fare and
abnormal existence of the barracks and
the camp.
Let Us watch for moment the career
of the forced recruit, first in France, and
afterwards in the other principal kingdoms
of the continent In France, when lad
arrives at the age of twenty-one, he ia La
BILE to be drafted in the army. To the
poor, fate is inexorable; to the wealthy
she affords loophole, a chance of escape,
in the shape of substitute. Within four
and twenty hours of its birth, every infant
is carried by the nurse and it's father or
some other relation to the Marie, and
there its name and sex are duly entered
in vast volume in the Registry Office. If
it be boy, it is followed about by the DO
lice all over the country. Jeannot's pa
rents cannot move from one place to an
other without giving notice to the COM
missaire of bis migration and when, af-
ter years of this civic persecution, he enters
the threshold of Manhood, the luckless lad
finds himself invited by the Minister of
War to present himself at military bu-
reau. Too well he knows the meaning of
that ominous invitation, and with beating
heart and heavy step he obeys the sum-
mons. He knew that 1t must come his
mother knew that it must come his sis
ter knew that it must come; Jeanette
knew that it must come; yet none the less
sorrowfrlly he goes and they accompany
him to the bureau, and none the less tear
fully they behold him descending the steps,
with the gay colors pinned to his cap in
mockery of his misfortune.
100000 youths are thus annually
torn from their honestly an imperial de-
cree of 1857, the number was fixed at this
high figure. Previously it was left to the
discretion or caprice of the war.minister,
who raised it or decreaed it according to
the supposed exigencies of the times.
When hosti ities are impending, the num-
Der is augmented considerably; as during
the Crimean campaign, when the annual
consumption rose as high as 100000. To
TINS great evil there is, however, some
mitigation. For example, although the
legal term of service extends to seven
years, the actual TERMS more frequently
six, and sometimes less for, in consider
alton of good cocduct and ability the now
apt-and-ready soldier is permitted to icin
the "army OF the reserve" Again. it
does not always happen that the full com.
plement drawn is required for Immediate
service; when this is the case only a DOR
ton is drafted into the regular army the
rest being sent to depots, where for ak
months they are drilled and taught the
manual and platoon exercises. This last
modification, the necessary corollary of q
fixed yearly quota, is said to be the fruit
of the present Emperor Napoleons expe-
rience and studies in Switzerland. Sub
stitution moreover is, as we have said, al
lowed in the French army. Up to the