Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-10-07
What We nre Teaching the Old
World.

World.
The institutions which have grown out
of the war are as great wonder to visit
ing foreigners as the vast armies which are
lighting its battles. Eminent military
men of all nations are constantly visiting
Washington and other military depots, not
more to see what we are doing than how
we do it. They are generally very OBJ
serving and inquisitive, and are always
free to express their admiration of what
ever combines novelty and utiliy-even
to the minutest article pertaining to camp
or hospital.
Our Army Hospitals are objects of Pc
culiar wonder to them. A Surgeon-Gen-
eral of the British Army was recently in
Washington, and made thorough tour OF
observation. Every facility was given
him, and his report is that, after more than
thirty years service, and acquaintance
with the hospitals of every European
nation, he had seen nothing at all to be
compared with the hospitals of this
country, either in extent, convenience and
system, or in the ample provision made
for the care and comfort of their inmates.
His praise is unstinted and deserved. He
had conceived of nothing so thorough and
perfect, and regretted that, in spite OF
every effort at reform, the routine Of Euro
pean Army Hospitals remained about as
it was a hundred years ago. The exam
pie which our Government has set in this
direction will be of infinite service to the
soldiers of other nations hereafter.
The creative genius of our people has
been wonderfully developed in this war.
No people on earth had less experience in
the art Of war, or knew less, practically,
of what it involved. But during these
three years they have done more to ener-
eize, systemize and humanize the work OF
war than has been done by all the other
nations combined in century. Our
hospital system stands first and pre-
eminent; but minor organizations are no
less indicative of our adaptation to the
necessities Of war as to the arts of peace.
" Camp Distribution" if not Yankee in
vention, its character and management is.
In all its appendages and arrangements,
it looks more like fashionable watering
place than like camp for soldiers. It
has its chapel, its bathing halls, reading
rooms, library, etc., and is more orderly
and tidy than any village in the land.
And yet it is camp for. the distribution
of conyalescents, weary men, stragglers,
deserters, released prisoners, etc., and
although few who arrive here remain
over week, and over 100000 have come
and gone within few months, there is
the most perfect order in every depart
ment. Two weeks ago, when the rebels
visited this neighborhood, three thousand
were armed and sent out from this camp
for duty in and around the defenses.
There are distribution camps in other
countries; but they are ordinarily unruly
and filthy places, indicating neither clean
illness, kindness, nor discipline. Our
example in this, as in other things, will be
copied by. Europe.
The "Preemen's " village" is another
marvel of the war. 1t has population
Of over 2,2oO souls, and like Camp Distrl,
button, is pattern Of neatless and good
order. Any other nation with such a
population pressed upon it would, judging
from the past, have permitted them to
huddle together promiscuously, to sicken
and die. But our authorities have made
these poor people useful and happy: They
live in plain but tidy houses. The men
and women are kept constantly at work.
the children are sent to school, and all are
beneftted-physically, morally and relig'
iously. 1t is, einphatically, Yankee IN
stitution-thought out and applied be-
cause something was necessary to be done,
and given this shape because of the tacili-
ty with which our people, think out the
best thoughts, when called " think at ell
upon practical subjects, And what we
see here upon somewhat mammoth scale
can be seen at a hundred other points
where eontrabands congregate. All this
tends to their elevation, and will prepare
them. for a higher life Of entire personal
freedom. which awaits them. . ...
Our foreign friends also marvel at the
vastness of our armies, at the mammoth
character of our battles, at our navy and
the novel features which we have intro
duced into naval architecture, ETC., and,
on the whole, learn, wonder and admire
and go home to press upon the old togles
of their respective countries the ,propriety
of acting upon what the new world has