The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-07-08
Why the Germans Conquered the
French.
From Hearth and Home. |

From Hearth and Home
Having seen something OF both
German and French soldiers in oul
Army (and having the recollection
of the "Seven weeks War; against
Austria in mind), the writer, last
summer, expressed to a careful stu
dent of European history, that in the
war then commencing, the French
would he defeated. The student, an
older man, considered the idea alb
surd, and he cited instances-from
jena dOwn-t0 prove that no army
ever had stood Tor ever could stand)
against the French. He was armed
with statistics of population and
statistics of wealth to show that-as
the battle is to the strong-the Ger
man army was marching down upon
its certain doom. In spite of this,
we thought we saw an element of
strength i'll their ranks that would
yet convince our friend that only
some unlocked for !'time and chance"
could save France from fearful retri-
button.
This element of strength was the
sense Of duty which possesses the
mind of an average German, as it
does almost no other mind in the
world. He may lack artistic taste,
gracefulness of thoug ght and manner,
and poetic fancy, but no trip-ham-
mer is more steadily fixed in its
manner of doing its work. A French
man does his work well and grace
fully when he feels like doing it at
all. A German does his well and
thoroughly. when it ought to be
done,-will he, nil he. 1t does not
occur to him that he might put it off
OF slight it. 1t is precisely this
quality,-which characterizes the
whole nation as it does the individ-
ual,-that has made their army the
best in Europe. 1t is the quality
that promises henceforth to win all
the substantial successes of life,
whether for nations Or for individu-
als-for rulers or for rag -pickers.
| Tn Prussia, it has been matter
of cultivation. In all official life,-
whether in teaching school or COM
manding troops 1T is marlborough men
who secure promotion and reward.
The soldier is a good soldier because
he has been brought up to be a faith
full worker, and because he has an
ambition for the respect that his
comrades and his townspeople re-
serve for faithful men only. The Of
ticer is a good officer, because his
training, from the time he first went
to the University, and the example
of those above him and around him.
have burned into his very soul the
idea that under all circumstances he
is to do his exact duty, and to do it
well. He has formed a habit of thor
oughness in his childhood, and eve
IMPOSITION of his life has confirmed
it in him. Discipline, which is the
soul Of military success, as it is of
civil success, may be considered the
universal ruler of the whole people.
In the nursery, i'll the school, in the
workshop, in the army (where every
man mast serve, be he rich or poor).
in the camp, and in the court, every
man must do his duty,-or he must
go to the wall. Favoritism has less
sway in Prussia than in any other
country ia the world. The most it
can do is to give skilful man an
opportunity to work for his reward.
The Emperor is hard worker. Bis
marck is hard worker. and Moltke
the hardest worker of all.
In one of the attempts of Bazaine
to escape from Metz, it became of
vital necessity for the German army
| to gain time, and this could only be
done by sacrificing a regiment of
Landwehr (nearly all married men,
and of a class not generally sent on
. forei gn service). This regiment stood
it's ground until it was absolutely
annihilated, shot down in it's tracks.
| It had become the duty of these to
die, and they died like men in the
most stolid and most heroic pursu-
ance of the idea in which they had
lived. Throughout the wlrefe war
the entire army simply did its duty.
Generals attended to their plans of
campaign; Commanders looked af-
ter their men and kept their troops
efficient; Quartermasters had their
supplies on hand when and where
they were wanted; Commissaries
kept the armies well supplied with
food; Soldiers did their duty to the
death. This is the simple story of
their wonderful success: the sense of
duty never lost it's sway, and failure
became impossible.
In the French army, the very op-
posite of all this tended to weaken
every movement. The early attack
was delayed for want of plans, of Or
ganizatien, of transportation, of food,
and Of discipline. The men fought
like tigers, ,-and then ran like sheep.
The idea Of duty gave place to the
idea of glory" Ela,-dash-took
the place of dogged and we'll gov
erned determination. Officers star
ted out on the campaign with wagon
loads of finery in which to celebrate
their entry into Berlin, and neglect
ed the material supplies without
which it was impossible to reach the
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