, 1870-08-07
Efficiency Of thc French and Prus.
hl1n ArAsEcN,

hlon Armies.
The London 1in'es, in a leading article,
thns compares the strength of the two Eu
soFean powers uow a.zayed aga1net each other:
s.lle chief difference lea in this, tLat
France eringa an army into tbs field, Prussia
only an armed Foople. Fr:nce has her ,lsac-
Teal military scIouls always open in her
African COLONY. Prussis las in recent times
seen no wa5s, except IN two brilliant but short
campaigns. ia which her militia had rather an
opportunity Of displaying their courage thsu
leisure for acquiring experience. Service in
the army is sti1l in Franco to great extsut a
tr5de arazt military duty docs not fall
equally on rich and toor: it leads to little
tho consssipt for long period Of years: It
fosters an esprit De corps, and makes lis bar
rack the so!dier's home. E=trsugel thus from
common life, the soldier can ba turned into o
more efficient fighting machine; and Franco
mustets ncder her standards au army OF Yet
erans Injured to tho hatllships Of actual CAM
paignins. On the other hand, tho Amy in
pEusEia il recruited equally from all orders OF
society. The amalgamation Of high nnl lov
in the ranks raises the tone Of the wkole aor-
vice ; itpree1udes all antagonirzn between tho
country ind It's defenders. Il is not the army,
front lin. in IFussin, or wha. is called the reg
ula1 army, is formed Of raw sotliors but in the
rear otit arc the men Of the reserve and tho
fardwehr, who hare gone through thcar three
yenls' training, and have been Kept up to a
high degree Of efficiency By yearly dsill-men
Ut mature age, whose cool courage is intended
to temper the incousilerata atlor aud impetu-
osity of youth. It has been the fashion 10 cx-
ceet pto1igieH from the dash and lea aalong
fl. : Of moro striplings. But the fact il, that
. true courage, like all ether physical and moral
| faculties, ripens with time, aud the real
| I1o1opgatiou Of the struggle in which it il en-
gagged il proportion ID the ban and the a,rie,t
| bar OF the reserye cumcs forth to swell the
! conftipt mass. Independently, then, Of ali
| difference of National temperament, it would
seem to follow, from tue peculiar Organization
! OF the two .artniea, that the French should
| haze the advantage at the outset, sud the
| Ptussians at the later period Of tue campaign ;
! fot the strength Of the fotmeE hes il its dr
! that OF the latter in its second.
The favor shown BY tho French military
! authorities to tteir corps q eiit hiss = tendency
to drain the lire Of tts best men. Engaged
in shesr Agefi7n campaigns. In which waE is
] principally sciies Of fapid u,archos and
| Here ski-mishcH, the French hiyo invented
tie Zcuaye. and there il 10 prodigy Of valor
that 1nsy not lie expected from him and frun
the Imperial Guard. But the contest that
aNaiss than on tl,e Ellne il not mere affair
OF surprise and lncurkiolt. It will be the shock
Of vaxt rlsssss in The open isc!d. Ssi1usishers
| can do little uaorss than sllow the way to such
an engagement; the temper ct the whole nr,ny
! niH te IN its tlial. and jte cumbiucd effort
will 10 all the more irresistible the less
1 its coml mlonent parts have been strength
| eEed at iLs expense Of the whole Tho
| Algerian element in the Iicncn army has atso
! lsd and au unfaye rab1e effect on th8 tr4inins
Of tho othsss, especially ia tbs higher rankn.
| Tho tendency OF the service against the M1ora
! aud Aiats IL to attach All exaggerated impor.
tat.ce to fcats OF reraonal bravery, and to lead
10 the rapid promotion either Of ignorant men
| from the ranks Or OF young EnnGns OF Sub
| lieHtepAuts, hastily sent forth in patches from
! the military tchoola. NJ one can dispute the
usefulness uf Algeria to France al = military
school; bat the Wat that exs, be lea1hel si,ese
! is only war on small ecale: and yet there arc
some even Of the Ma1eha1s Of France who hnxa
| gone through no other apprenticeship; lul
within few ycarr, Indeed, it 'saA thought that
! the Generals who hal hcen service II Algeria
cyeel1ed those of u1her countries, who, in many
| is4+t.ne.s, knew nothing Of war except xhAt
they could Learn from books but since Drppcl
! and Ssdowa We have learned to respect mere
| Theorists and to do Justice to that tmau Il,
| erectacles who from his cool cabinet At Der
LII played out the campaign in Bohemia as 4
| game on chessboard, and hid his tloSer on
the spot IN which. ut given moment. be
meant to chtckmate Austria with precision
hasaly TO be attained by whole LIES prac-
ticF. We are, indeed, very far from surprising
| that France does not possess military leA.ierd
to match Count Moltke and bis Euhordfnates,
but We haye not forgotten hov il the Crimea
de~c1lbed ~ soldiers battles, and, uutil come
| new leader with real genius for war on a
| great scale arpcarr, il will be hard to drive
| from mems minds the idea that the adran.
taee, as far as .genera1ship is concerned, is or
| Prussia side.