The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-11-19
Education and the War.

AT the close Of the war between
Austria and Prussia, Jules Simon,
one of the members of the present
French government, said: ''It is not
the needle gun thats conquered at
Sadowa, but the Prussian universe
ties" In similar manner it might
now be said that the capitulation at
| Sedan is not victory of the needle
gun, but a triumph of it's ally-the
ignorance ofthe French people. 1t
cannot be denied that the success of
the Prussian arms has been due to
the greater degree of intelligence by
the citizens composing it's army.
AT the outset OF the struggle the
then emperor declared that he did
not go forth to fight an armed ma
ton. This declaration has proved
disastrously true for France. 1t was
because every Prussian was a sol
dier, and because the average Prus-
sian possesses d greater amount OF
culture than the average citizen Of
any other nation, that the victory
| thus far has been with Prussia. The
PFussian army is the Prllssian na-
ton, and it represents the intelli-
gence of the people. The French ar
my was to great extent composed
of the most illiterate persons in the
empire, together with not a few of
the rudest barbarians. Prussia re-
quires that every man capable of
bearing arms shall receive a military
education and enter the army for a
certain number Of years. With very
few exceptions, there are no exemp-
tons allowed. Each Prtlss;aIf sub
| ject is enrolled soldier as soon as
he has completed his twentieth year,
and before arriving at his twentieth
year he is compelled by law to have
acquired at least the general princi-
pies of a substantial education. His
term of service is seven years: three
years i'll the regular army, and the
remaining four in the reserve; and
Feven then he is not entirely exempt
from military duty, but is enrolled in
the ::sLandsturm" until the age Of tif-
ty. The system in France is the'op-
posite of this. Although Napoleon
endeavored to initiate the Prussian
system, his effort suffered shipwreck
in the aristocratic apathy of the
higher classes. The French have on
ly enlisted men in their army. But
the attempt, if possible, could not
fhave resulted in Immediate success.
In Prussia it is the fruit of two hun
dred years attentive study and prac-
tice, and commenced When the ma
! ton, having been destroyed at Jena,
set about the discovery of a plan for
national regeneration. During two
centuries the Prussian youth have
been instructed to sink their individ-
uality i'm the unity of the nation; to
be plodding and obedient. The re-
suit is not perhaps the man or the
society that is the most agreeable,
but, the consequence, nevertheless,
has been the creation of an intelli-
gent armed nation. The Prussian
army, or nation, is unit, in which
each citizen soldier is an intinitisemal
perfect part. 1t is a sad thing to
know that SO much of the time of
the flower of the Prussian youth
must be devoted to the barbarous
/ art of war, and other civilized coun-
tries will do well to. consider Wheth-
\ er it is not more to the national ad-
vantage to cultivate more assiduous-
4. ly the arts of peace. The inteHeetu-
al superiority has been specially no
table during the campaign prior to
Sedan. While French generals have
been obliged to inquire their way OF
peasants at CROSSROADS, and have
been repeatedly surprised in their
own country, Prussian subaltern Off;
GERS have been found to be supplied
/ with more perfect and detailed maps
of French territory than are in pos
session of the French headquarter
staff; and Prllssian general officers
| have been able to conduct battles il
| the enemy's country, relying solely
upon their intimate personal knowl-
edge of the topography OF the coun-
try. a-gs - ssg4=ss.s,@ ~ - .ss
4 The lesson is that the educated
man is the best man for every capa-
city in life. 1t has been proved that
the Prussian soldier, who perhaps
1 may discuss some of the platitudes
! of metaphysics in the barracks,
knows how to kill, Or to get killed,
better than an ignorant peasant.
1 Trained intelligence is better than
trained ignorance. And it is to be
hoped that since intelligence in an
army is 50 clearly superior to igno-
rance, that the time may not be far
distant when intellect will be the
master Of instead Of the servant of
matter, and standing armies be abol-
isiled. Il Chicago Courier. ~as& .aSs
i sgs3 gas.se a.a.... = e