The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-10-05
soldering In AMMAN.

The 81. Janice Gazette gives an inter-
esting description of the army at the
disposal of the King of AMMAN. 1t is
reckoned officially at 100000. men. OF
these, 10000 garrison the Capital and
half that number is assigned to Hanoi
and the surrounding fortresses, Nam
Dinh, Mini Binh, Bach Mini and other
places in Tonquin. The rest are ordl-
narily disguised in civilian attire, and
are not to be distinguished from harm
less agriculturists. When man is
dressed in the customary vestments of
Madras Coast coolie-a handkerchief
and bit of string-it is difficult ut tho
tlrst blush to determine his profession.
In AMMAN, however, the matter is rem
dered comparatively simple. The law
IS, from every three men on recruit.
Except, however, IN cases of extraordi-
nary public necessity this rule is not
acted up to; one man from every seven
or eight is much nearer the average. The
selection of the recruits is left en-
tirely to the local authorities, and
the village mandarins make
good thing out of the annual levies.
In default of squad-drill the Annam-
csc recruits are put through a variety
OF unpleasant experiences designed to
test their courage. Physical courage
and endurance are supposed to bo the
primary REQUESTS of a soldier, and after
that the knowledge of how to load and
let off a gun. 1t is pleasantly assumed
by the military officers that the men
chosen for the army are the worst of
the population. The mandarins are
supposed to keep their districts quiet by
drafting all their mauvais suiets into
the annual levy. THERE'S, accordingly,
the less compunction in putting them
through the prescribed tests. The first
of these is to assault the raw recruit
violently with sabre. The sabre is
wooden one, certainly, but the drill
sergeant hits hard, and knows from
personal experience where it hurts
most. Operations commence on the
back and end with blows on the head.
The recruit who stands battering about
the head for u matter of five minutes
without uttering groan or finching,
even involuntarily, is hailed as fin
ished soldier and excused further
drill" To shrink, or even to moan,
when beaten on the head with the
wooden sabre is considered pardonable,
and the victim is noted down as an
ordinary" soldier, instead of an
"able-bodicd" one.
But the recruit who cries out when
he is hit on the body, or confesscs by a
wrigglc that the exercise is painful, is
for punishment, and then put
through new course of instruction.
The punishment usually consists in q
certain number of blows from bam-
BOO on the upper part Of the thighs, so
hat, except for the dignity OF the thing,
here is a close resemblance between ,
and military discipline.
The military mandarins defend tho
ystem on the ground that it is very an
'ient and thati is unique in the military
Exercises of the world-thc latter asser. ,
ion being incontrovcrtible. Energetic {
ulcers Of the army frequently invent 8
antastic tests of similar character in !
edition to the regulation exercises. !
l story at Hue is related of beau sa.
reur of the Tayson rebellion who had
ditch dug and filed the bottom with
words and pixies stuck into the ground
oint upward. He then called upon Z
is men to engage in drill. They were
D fling themselves into the ditch. Tho
nost stoical of the "able-bodied' :
hrunk from this novel addition to tho
manual of exercises. Only one man
ias found to do it. He went in with a
ush, and the swords and pixies col.
ipsed before him. They had been !
cpt in position by the most slender Of
breads.