Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-03
Price Four Gents.

schools lnstruetlng officers never carry riding
 whips; it is against regulations, as an impa- tient blow or even a flourish of the whip in a moment of irritation might furry horse and man and spoil the remainder of the lesson, besides making the rider mistrustful forever after of his sficer's temper. General Ton Blumenthal tells story of a cavalry officer who was an excellent fellow, but somewhat given to storming. The General, wishing to cure him of this habit invited him to lunch con one day, and the officer arrived just in time to hear the General raving at 8 young nephew of his to whom he was giving fenc- ing lesson. That's not the way to hold your foil. Stand straighter- Are you deaf or stupid? Listen te me, sir" and at every word he uttered, the General stamped his foot ragefully till the poor boy was crimson with shame and all unnerved Then, when the fencing lesson was finished, the General. turning to the sgbaltern, said in his suavest tone: "A little roughness of speech does no harm If you want a pupil to get on fast, eh, captain 7" Needless to say that in German regiments all the brutal horse play and chaf- hng which are allowed in some riding schools for the amusement of stupid ser gsants who think that the best way to make recruit keep his seat Is to give him some ''croppers" at starting-al this Is strictly forbidden. As soon as the trooper can ride decently he is transferred from the riding school to the Spring Garten, mimic steeple- chasing ground, where he is taught to jump. It should be noticed that in the mounted drills officers are careful never to give their orders in the same sequence at two drills running, for young horses are such quick learners that if anything like routine were in- troduced they would soon go through all their movements without being directed by their riders. It is essential that the horses should feel that they are under the absolute mastery of the troopeEs who mount them and that the troopers themselves should never allow their horses to think or act for them.
 The German cavalry and artillery are sup piled with chargers from fifteen government depots, which are permanently stocked with 100 to 800 animals. The government also has three breeding establishments, at Trsken- hen, Neustadt and Graditz. Here brood mares and staIIioG5 are kept and the colts are sent to the depots when threo years old Once year six eer-buying commissions are appointed and they fix days for holding horse fairs. Each commission is presided over by a major, who accepts or refuses the bargains, but all the haggling with the horse dealers IS done by pair of heutenants and 8 veterinary surgeon, as it would be considered derogatory to senior officers dignity that he should meddls with such work. All the horses purchased must be three -year-olds, and they are consigned fer 8 year to the in sometimes they are kept two years, but never more. Six thousand horses are required every year to fill up the yacan- cies caused by accidental deaths or by the sale of chargers declared unfit for work. This makes an allowance of thirteen new chargers year to every squadron com posed of two troops, and it lies altogether with the commandant of the squadron to deter mine which of his old horses he shall sell The colonel has nothing to do with it. Off, cers are required to have two chargers, one of which is given them by the government, while they may purchase the second for them selves. The first-class horses h the depots are always set apart for officers, and officers may buy their second chargers from these select lots if they please. In general German chargers present on parade gaunt, bony ep- pearance, which contrasts wretchedly with the sleek, glossy appearance of these noble beasts ia English crack regiments; but then it is not the object of German officers to develop fat in their char gers at the expense of bone and muscle Ger man horses are well fed, but they are hard worked and find themselves all the stronger and healthier for it. A major once appeared in a review at Potsdam with a squadron whose horses were in a magnificent condi- ton of plumpness, but he got no eompli- ments from the astute Prince Fredss> Charles, who WAS passing the inspection 'I am afraid your horses AsSs-6een thriving oa haIt.zatfons of work, was the Princes bantering comment.
 The necessity for energetic work is ren- dered obvious by the fact that whenever the German army is mobilized one fourth of its cavalry at the utmost can have received four years training, the remainder being com posed of men who have served for periods varying between three years and one year. There are, to be sure, the regimental re- serves; but then troopers who have been discharged into civilian life often grow stout and stiff, lacking that agility as horsemen which can oRly be maintained by constant practice in the saddle. Most German officers are strongly in favor of recruiting the cayal- " exclusively from volunteers, who should enlist for period of seven or ten years, ard be much better paid than other soldiers Meanwhile they do their very best to make their recruits fit to take the field at the end of a twelvemonth, and they are not unsuc- cessful so far as regards the meze teaching of men to ride fairly, mount and dismount quickly and charge in close or open order. As to the officers themselves, they are un- occasionally the best to be found in the cav airy of any nation. Set regiment of Life Guards to charge the finest regiment of White Culrassiers, and the Germans would certainly be knocked to pieces; but possibly. in their method cf rallying after defeat, thsy would show better method than the Eng fish, because of the admirable science of their officers These officers are practicing the art of war every day all the year round. They have large field maneuyres in the spring. summer and autumn, and they are constantly being tested not only in drill and charging but in the far more delicate work of reconnoitring and making raids. Take the following as an example:
 At o'clock in the morning during sum- mer maneuyers a general sends out six eonnoiteTing parties, each composed of an officer, non commissioned officer and six trooDsrs, to carry an order to other parties twenty miles of. An English officer sent from Windsor to West Drayton would prob ably think be had done nobly if he could go and return with his men in the least possible time. The German officer will also endeavor to be expeditions; but this will not be his main object, for on his return he will be obliged to bring back an answer in almost the exact words in which fl was given eAim. and also to furnish as minute account az be can of everything that he noticed on the road. Perhaps he will be asked to write his report before taking moments rest and some of these drumhead reports, ,indited from memory, display powers of observation quite marvellous. It is, of course, the rule that an officer must carry and bring back verbal mes sages, without refreshing his memory with written notes which in time of war might fall into the enemy's hands 50 he has to aisten with all his ears, committing every word so far as he can to memory. As for the sol. diers whe go with him they are all qaes-
  port of things they have seen tallies with those of the officer and sergeant. The re- connoitering is thus no mere ohiid's play. It is hard and salutAry exercise for mind as well as body, and stamps the features of those engaged in it with look of Intense serioRs. ness-that awful look which so disturbed the French in the last war and made them think that every UhlaH was a spy in uniform. When poor NJ. Podevin, Mayor of Nancy, surren- dered his city at the outset of the war to six reconAoitring Uhlsns, who rode eooIly through the hostile streets as though they had whole army corps following close be- hind them, he described these intrepid men in his report to the tewn council as "soldiers with terrible faces" He would have been nearer the truth if ke had said keen, ob- servant faces" fer they were probably picked men whose mental apparatus kept the i'm press of all things seen like photographers glass, and of all words spoken like the phono- graph, not then invented.