The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-09-29
THE MILITARY SPIRIT.

the most active military spirit are found |
TO possess an energy and intelligence |
which is the foundation of other traits |
equally useful and necessary. War is !
not pastime. 1t requires self-denial |
industry, energy, strength and sacrifice |
No lazy, inert, inefficient people ever |
made good warriors. Neither do we
bear OF them rs reyolutionizing com |
merce or as pushing it into new and |
distant fields. IL has been the history |
of the race that those nations exhibit |
ing the highest military traits have
been the most earnest and successful in |
trade. The jews were warlike peo-
pie so long as they maintained their
nationsiity, but since they have ceased |
to keep up the war spirit of the people,
they have wandered over the earth |
hoaseiess and homeless The Greeks
and Romans maintained their inteIlec-
tual superiority only. so long as
their armies stood in the van OF
war. Peter the Greats first success
was won on the field of Mars,
the second trenehed on Neptune's do
main, aud in the workshops of Russia.
Frederick the Great was great cap.
tain. and his military powers presup-
posed the possession OF all the other
qualities which were necessary to de-
velop him into one of the grandest rul.
ers who ever conducted u nation to
power and triumph. Napoleon, the
emperor of eonquerors, was a political
economist, who stamped greatness in
all respects upon unworthy, because un-
willing France. The Code Napoleon
is monument to his fame, more endur-
ing than the memory of his proudest
battles. Only the man who won Ma
rengo, and who triumphed at Auster-
iitz. was capable of restoring to France
what she had lost by the revolution.
The Prussians have been century in
preparing themselves for their great tri-
umph over France. They only sue
ceeded when the arts, science and com
merce had made them competent and
worthy. Military greatness is iuseparable
from the very qualities which viii make
a nation great in all other respects.
Coming down to our own day and
country, the pride felt in the early tri-
umphs of the soldiers of the revolution.
has developed our citizens into nation
| renowned in commerce, invention.
agriculture, literature and war. The
same spirit which held the frozen and
starved heroes of '76 together at Valley
! Forge afterward crowned them with
civic laurels in their struggles with the
western wilderness
Would we perpetuate their virtues;
would we keep alive for all the future
the spirit which has civilized, christian
lied and peopled continent within
| the last three centuries We must do it
not by crushing out the military spirit,
which went before As the apante courier
of civil progress. Since our late terrible
civil war, the men who We're most eff
1 cient then as soldiers, are the most eff,
cient and successful now as civilians.
He who lacks the spirit to strive for
success and triumph on the battlefield
viii not win it in the cotton or wheat
field
I The lad who puts feather in his cap
and who improvises drum by raidins
on the cooks dominions, is nearly Ger,
tain To be heard from in another char,
acter before he lies down to rest. In q
government such as ours, where larg,
standing army is too expensive luxury
and where We may be called on at any
time TO defend an extenied and ex
tpoeed frontier, our only hope is in ths
latent military spirit of the masses
). Especially is this true now, sincs
, our ultra civilization has brought will
it some OF liz invariable attendants o
disorder, anarchy and dissatisfaction
. The safety Of government, of society. o
, property and life, depends upon th,
military strength and sI,irit of the peo
pie, for where lawlessness bands ii,ei
: for work, the lam must band for de
T ssnsc.