, 1872-02-24

other industrial occupations here, appear evident
enough to almost every man but the moro remote
reasons, the real and main causes are ignored or
unnoticed by almost all. It may therefore not be
entirely inopportune to try to find these latter. 1t
is a remarkable fact that all the fourishing com.
lnercial towns of Europe and America have some
thing republican about them from this it lies near
to conclude that a certain degree Of civil and poll
teal liberty is equally as necessary TO promote
trade, as sunshine to ripen canes and fruit. Then
again, it has at times struck me, that the two
Patron-Deities, from whom WI could expect pro-
lection in those professional branches, are not on
the very best of understanding II allude to Mars
and Mercury. Nowhere do they approach SO near
to each other as in the ethereal heavens but even
there we find the trttiing distance of twenty four
Millions of Miles between them. Regular military
forces and commercial interests seem to be equal
ly distant from each other they appear to have
the same relation to each other us the art of de-
populating the world and the art of propagatinr
The world. If we look beyond our own little Island,
abroad to the Great Nations of Europe and Ameri-
ca, we will find that statement corroborated still
more fOrcibly by facts, more especially in this our
present military age, which since the new inven-
ton Of being on fighting footing in time of peace,
really does moro deserve the name of warlke
times, than formerly when people only armed
themselves when at war. [ cannot refrain from
making an observation, which might perhaps
sound rather paradoxical, viz that to wage war in
time of peace is one of the most perniciOus things
imaginable. In war soldiers plumber our enemies;
as uncharitabIe as it would sound, that appears to
me much more natural, than when soldiers plumb
or ourselves; but this is precisely what they do
in time of peace. And the soldier himself is better
served by the first sort of plundering NIL what he
plumbers is his clear winnings and if he should
begin to find life too sour, he can in an honorable
manner let himself he popped down. without the
necessity of having to undergo a long and tire
some criminal suit for the purpose. But in time
of peace he is entirely deprived of those advan-
tages he is then out and out one of the most un-
fortuna@e of Gods creatures. If he possesses over
so much experiences in plundering, yet the fact that
he Is denied so many things compels him to content
himself with his few cents per diem THAT legal plum
deris barely and scarcely able to keep up his exist
cnce; and if in sheer desperation he should
wish to die, he must load his musket with one Of
his own metallic uniform buttons, shoot down the
first the best passer-by, be arrested, called be-
fore c~ourt-martial, sentenced and shot, oil in
search of a place somewhere else better than the
one he had here on earth. And we'll for him, if
he succeeds. No, it is better, thousand times
better to be in war-says the soldier and | say
so too, provided the man has not on Unborn de-
sire to scamper or to feign aOedEBcSs.
1t is a paradox in the extreme; know it don't
wish it considered otherwise; but to have a military
force in time of peace to have such a force without
chance of ever doing any service. and if any chance
should occur, unfit for real active service, is as ridi-
culous as if we were to have stoves in our apart
ments in the summer-months.
am, however, fully aware, that for the present it
cannot be otherwise, and that in this island our little
p3ace-army IN. B. 100 men and excellent, jealous,
skilful, experienced Commanders') is in many re.
spects necessary, as things are now.-Is then. a ne
cessary or avoidable evil less an evil ? ''But YOU
must not speak anything evil of unavoidable Evils -
rejoins the Military Clique. And | humbly beg their
pardon.--- But | would only ask our good legis-
lators now busy soaking their heads to produce new
Labour Regulations q to see to it that that evil be
rendered avoidable. They are, no doubt, concoc-
ting Regulations by boiling up and straining and ex.
tracing all the dried up herbs of Clausen's, Schol-
tens and Hansen's productions, adding some little
pepper and salt ''suited to the times" but no one
dreams of asking the one class nearest int rested in
those Regulations i. they agree to them. Instead of
doing so, they leave the field open for all sorts of in
tluences, they leave it to a "Mr. Caustic'' and others
to run about scaIding the good folks brains, preaching
and prating all sorts of stuff to the good People.
Whereas a Representation of the class to be regulated
by the Regulation might easily be got up, when, if
that Representation agree to those Regulations, the ne
cessity ~ofkeeping that Evil, that negative Good, would
to a great extent be removed. But our "Matadores'
would rend their p~aunches with screams, if such a thing
as a Labourer Representation were to be preached.
Before closing l have a little word with Mr..
"H."-He asks if we must have Militia fun too.
Well might he ask that, for we have had and are
having plenty of military fun already; we have seen
fun from the Spirited and unsnirited from those in