Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-09-29
Culture and War.

- s"S 'u'heAiy oS StSm WHICH H3heS
every Prussian y soldier. but In the
character of the troops. There have
been no armies TO compare with those
now man9uvering in France, except
CromwelPs and the regiments raised
at the North during our rebellion. The
frusslan private is phenomenon that
will bear study, and the Nation pro-
ceeds to point out some of his charac-
'erlstics, as follows:
Of course, the quality of the private
soldier has in all wars good deal to
do with making or marring the for
tunes of commanders but it is safe to
say that no stralegists have ever owed
SO much TO the quality Of their men as
the Prussian strategists. Their per-
feet handling Of the enormous masses
which are now mannuvering in France
has been made in large degree possi-
Bile BY the intelligence of the privates.
To large numbers of people, the Prus-
sian type of character is not pleasing
one, nor Prussian society ali object of
unmixed admiration, and there is
something horrible in whole peoples
passing their best years learning how
to kill. But We cannot get over the
fact that the Prussian man Is at this
moment the foremost man of our day
the one who is likely TO furnish, con-
sclously or unconsciously, the model
10 other civilized countries, until such
time as some other nation has so sue
cessfuily initiated him as to produce
his like.
Let us take look at hiIn-we of the
temperance movement and of the an
ti-tobacco movement and of the nat
ural rights movement" and we who
believe, As MIR. Wendell Phillips pre-
tends that he believes, that 1.-The best
education man can get is what he
gets in picking up a living" and that
universities are humbugs, and that
from the Tom-tom and Lyceum lecture
the citizen can always get rs much in
formation on all subjects, human and
divine. as is good for him or the state
as he marches past in his ill-dtting uni
Form and his leather helmet. First OF
AL We observe that he smokes great
deal. According to some OF Us, the
tobacco demon" ought by this time
70 have left him thin, puny, hollow
eyed fellow, with trembling knees and
palpitatiug heart and listless gait,
with shaking hands, and an intense
craving for ardent spirits. You per
celve, however, that burlier, broader
shouldered, ruddier, brighter-eyed, and
heartier looking man you never set
eyes on; and AS he swings along in
column, with his rifle, knapsack. sew
enty pounds Of ammunition, blanket.
and saucepan, you must confess vou
cannot help acknowledging that you
feel sorry for any equal body of men
in the world with which that column
gets into a difficulty" He drinks, too,
and drinks great deal, both Of strong
beer and strong wine, and has always
done SO, and all his family friends do
it, and have only heard of teetotalism
through the newspaper, and, if You
asked him to coniine himself 10 water,
would look on you as an amiable idiot.
Nevertheless, you never see him drunk.
nor does his beer produce ON him that
utterly bemuddling or brain-paralyz-
ing effect which is so powerfully de
scribed by our friend Mr.. James Par
ton as produced on him by lager-bier,
in that enquiry into the position of
The Coming Man" towards wine,
some copies Of which, we see, he is
trying to distribute among the field
officers. On tine contrary, he is, ON
the whole very sober man, and very
powerful thinker, and very extraordi-
nary scholar. There is no field of hu.
man knowledge which he has not been
amongst the first to explore; no
heights Of speculation which he has
not scaled no problem Of the world
over which he is not fruitfully toiling.
Moreover, his thoroughness is Won
derfal-the envy and despair of the
students Of all other countries-and
his hatred Of sham scholarship and
slipshod generalization is 50 intense,
that we trust the ''Genial Critic" will
get out Of the range Of his saucepan
before he passes in front Of him.
But, what with the tobacco and
beer, and the scholarship and his uni
versity education, you might naturally
infer that he must be kid-glove SOL
dier, and little too nice and dreamy
and speculative for the actual work Of
life. Bless you, you never were more
mistaken. He is leaving behind him
some Of the finest manufactures and
best titled fields in the world. More
over, he is an admirable painter and,
as all the world knows, as almost un-
equalled musician; or if you want
proof Of his genius for business, look
At the speed and regularity with which
he and his comrades have transported
themselves to the Rhine, and see the
perfection Of all the arrangements of
his regiment. And now, il you think
his "bad habits" his daily violations
Of your notions of propriety, have di-
minished his power Of meeting death
calmly-that noblest Of products Of
culture-you have only to follow him
up q far - Sedan and see whether lie
ever finches; whether you have ever
read or heard Of soldier out of whom
more marching and fighting and dy-
ing, and not Eighty, bOisterous dying
either, could be got.
Now, We can very we'll understand
vhv v,aoDla sho0l6 ha unwilling tn ae,e
the Prussian military system spread