The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-10-02

This is ! world OF fashions The sternel
sex claim that II is only the women who
are slaves Of fashion and devotees Of nov.
city, but it II probable that men are just al
apt to follow the bell wcther in their owr
way. The Morus Multicalis fever, the
periodical epidemics of grape culture and
fruit culture, the eagerness that every day
chooses cotton or gold to the last degree up
or down, according TO- the start given by
the knowing ones, and thousands of other
daily occurrences, show that there are
other fashions besidesbiress, and that men
go wild over an idea because it is new to
them.
In the military line it might be very we'll
expected that some great prevailing idea
would grow out of the war now raging, and
take hold of the popular mind. Accord
ingly we find that the Prussian system of
nationality is becoming the lion of the day.
Every man must be a soldier" says the
London Times, and other papers seize upon
the idea, proclaiming it the principle that
lies at the foundation of society. Prussia
makes every citizen soldier. She rigidly
requires this as the primary requisite of
his education there can be no exception.
So at any given moment of weakness in a
neighbor she can hurl her whole masculine
population upon his territory in the shape
of veteran army. The neighbor is pow
erless for the moment, and before Prussia
| let's go his throat she demands and gets
| the titles to large slice of his domains.
By the time this is we'll digested and assimi-
lated with her body proper, she is ready
for another and move vigorous spring.
Now the nations of Europe, in witness
ing the present development of this sys-
| tenn are struck with both fear and admira-
ton. The growing lion may growl at their
door before long. Of course this policy is
not available except as against contiguous
territory. Prussia could not menace Spain,
for instance, if she had to pass her armies
through the neutral borders of France
she could not invade England until she
should have first conquered large mari
time frontier, and with it mighty navy.
But sometimes events go forward rapidly,
and great consdnmation is achieved
way of. So London papers are already
talking of German armies camping in their
parks, and bands of Uhlans ordering din
ner at their most stylish restaurants.
In self-defence, then, they fall back upon
the idea that every man must be soldier,
in order to defend his country on occasion,
and so greatly do they become enamored
of the thought, as it developes before their
crutiny, that they are inclined to place
it in the very first position of both right
and duty. 1t is the most sacred right of
man to bear arms, and his most solemn
duty, the basis of all other virtues, to be
soldier. This may be getting
little too enthusiastic over the system, yet j
here is no doubt that there is much to be
in it if certain nations are to be
Flowed to conduct their operations on the
hat the game of the Roman Empire must s
70 played over again if one is to be wolf S
nd all the others sheep. i
Yet 1t looks like q terrible waste of time
nd labor to make soldiers of men who, in p
ne ordinary course of things, ought never b
D hear the clash of arms. No nation can C
ossibly keep and maintain in the field Z
lore than one good soldier for every sew
MY five or one hundred of its population. :,
he unceasing industry of the rest is neces- O
Try for his outfit, support and transporta- p
on. Why then ought fifty out of the IL
undred to learn the expensive and nom n
reducing art of WARP You say if one c,
tate adopts that principle, all must do it Ii
be safe from her ambition. We think -
DIT. In society all do not have to weight h
emselves down with arms, or become b
Ipert marksmen, because some are cut +
roats and some are duelsts. And the 4.
ason is obvious. Society combines against til
ch individuals, because society is too nc
onomical to follow their example. So ~ T.,
ltions ought to combine against any State
re Prussia, which deifies brute force, low
s with a constant menace over the peace
society and introduces system that OK
oks to strife as the normal condition of bl
an. hi
In the mean time there may still be some W.
ing practical in the idea of every man je,
ing a soldier. 1t would be WELL in an ma
avoidable national struggle, if all the h taa
ople were skilled in the use of arms 1t ey
IS this principally which carried the trt
nth through its astounding struggle with 1,i
erwhelming force and rendered vain the fnl
'dge that six weeks would end the war. tut
V man accustomed 70 neril and sI;l1oa int
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