, 1880-04-17
by potential enemies, and liable at any

ri sing OF t1reee armies, each nearly as great
bnAs heBf, own. Nov, the third enemy has
Raec6me asbosom friend, the third army is
3 with hheg. Instead Of against her, an addi-
lion which immensely overbalances any
10 possible increase in French or Russian
Oh forces5i' To judge from Count Won Mclke's
speech, Prince Bismarck in securing Aus
otfia's help, has done nothing to make
I Germany safer, the Empire, as before.
remaining dependent upon herself alone.
! DlPlomatists believe her to have increased
her strength one-half but the Generals ask
d only bow many more nen they have under
otthelr1 W command. They look not to
. political combinations, but to the perfec.
-itIon of the organisation which they direct,
= and about which they have the feeling of
''Sali good servants about their WI depart
ment,- that stables, or kennel, or garden:
or kitchen ought to be the object of ali
care and all expense. The machine will
re the stronger tor more men, and especi-
: ally for more and better trained reserves;
and they are secured, without too much
thought whether they are Indispensable.
There is q limit. of course, to improvement
but the limit is only the number of men
which the nation can produce. 1t is mill
tarism. not political necessity, which die
tates the B;ll,-militarism in its highest
and most scientific form, not the militarism
which swaggers, and asks money, and
suggests cheap conquests, but the militia
rism which graveIy considers the pertec-
ito OF the military machine the first
object of national life, and works for it
acoolly, thoughtiulIy, and without relent-
Ing. That is the militarism of Germany,
and it is as dangerous as a fanaticism.
Every Government, exclaims Count Won
Moltke, is peaceful when it 10 strong, and
strength lies in its army. The answer
10 his theory, which is the essence and
roOt-idea of meditatlve militarism like his.
is the history Of The past ~tcentury, during
which every ruler IN Europe who has
secured o great army has used it., and the
Governments have been most peaceful
when most exhausted. The German
Michael he declares, has never drawn the
sword, except to protect his skin -
and yet Won Moltke fought ct D6ppeI, and
has lands in Prussian Poland, and has
studied the first campaign of Frederick
the Great.
But then Englishmen ask why the
German people assent to these demands,
as they certainly do, the National Liberals
having almost in a body pronounced for
the Army Bill. First Of all because Ger
many is always in danger which, as it
presses permanently, has become exagger-
ated in the popular mind. Every German
teels it. without perceiving its precise
limits and relies therefore upon the evil
dence Of experts. If we were in constant
danger Of invasion, we should trust the
Admiralty, particularly if it had defeated
great %Davies; and if it asked for more
iropclads, and heavier guns, and more
trained sailors, we should give them all,
with more discussion, no doubt, but
with as little serious opposition as the
Germans ! offer. We always . do give
them when they are asked. No Naval
vote has been refused for half q century
and the Germans rely upon their r-egi-
ments as we upon our ships, and are as
proud of their condition. And there is
another very potent force at work on the
Continent which 'Englishmen underrate,
or fail TO perceive" ! We have, no con-
scriptiop,, and do not Slightly hate those
who are exempt" When eight -teeahthss OF.
althealthYi men inT d State 1arree forced into
the mill fSavt ibacono IN il;,,rW .Lnot ~