Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-02

them to overrun the whole of France like
q bosom of destruction, to bcsegc Paris an
in spite of the desperate sorties that wer
4 made on every side to preserve unbroke
f lines and force the surrender of tho Capital
I, to push through the whole of France an,
q occupy the seaport towns and 10 place th
!, whole French nation under German militar
, rule until they submitted Internationally L
+ the hard terms dictated by their conqucrors
r such feat of arms us was displayed b.
/ Germany under the direction of its grea
= stratcgcst Won Moltkc, the world has ncve
seen since Caesar led the legions of Rom
, through Gaul.
After the German soldier has been laugh
/ to walk, the rest of his body sas thoroughly
educated as his legs. For hours each day w
could see them welding In their hands enor
nous poles from ten TO sixteen feet Ions
, somewhat after the manner of Indian clubs
when their muscles had been thoroughly
trained and hardened, and the full powel
of their young manhood developed TO The
highest degree, the young soldiers were
given the rifle; they were taught tie man
, ual OF arms and more especially taught how
to shoot. In small squads, each under tho
charge Of drill master, we could see them
aiming at targets set up all over the country;
|, they were especially taught to judge the dis
tances. The targets would be set up at q
distance known to the drill master but un-
known to the recruit. He was taught to
aim in every conceivable position in which q
rifle could be fired and to regulate the sights
of his rifle according to his best judgment of
the distance.
A mistake was quickly rectifed by the
drill master. 1t is surprising to see how nc
curatoly the man would judge of distances.
The third year was occnpied III teaching
the men all the manpuvers. Every year in
the autumn, the German army is divided in
to two great corps, each under the command
of its general, brought from all parts of the
Empire to some central point and there
pitted against each other as enemies; I'M
piics are selected from among the best strae-
gists to decide on all moves which are made
by the contcnding armies. All communica-
ton between the two by telegraph or other
wise is entirely off. Each treats the other
as an enemy and the advance is made with
the same care as in actual warfare. Moves
and countermoves are made as though an
actual battle was in progress each move is
accurately noted and criticised by the UNI
| pire, ard when the mannuvers are finished
| they are reported upon, and the reports and
tests sent to each officer in the army.
An officer in the Uhlans gave me most
| interesting account of one Of the great battles
which took place before Metz, and to show
the marvellous organization which obtains, he
related this incident. The battle began with
great fury about four in the afternoon, the
firing was tremendous and lasted until sun
set; the troops were rapidly ordered hither
and thither and everything was in the con-
fusion attendant upon great battle. When
darkness set in and the firing ceased, the
company Of which my friend was lieutenant
received orders from the Corps Commander
to proceed to a small village about onc.half
hours march distant: arrived there they
found an eXccllcpt supper all ready to be cat
en-, their quarters all assigned and even the
names of the officers chalked on the doors OF
the places where they were to sleep. After
good hot supper they turned in, and before
daylight next morning after having had
breakfast givcn them were marched back in
10 position ready to begin the work of slauah-
ter as soon as it was light enough to see TO
shoot. To give an idea of the extreme accur-
acy of aim which the German soldiers attain,
ii is said that a, the battle of Gravclote where
forty thousand Frcnchmen were disabled
that the Germans expended but eight pounds
Of ammunition per man. And 10 show the
lhoroughness with which they educate their
soldiers every officer before he receives his
commission must he able to read, write and
speak French and English in addition 10 his
native tongue.
The German soldier receives but four cents
per day as wages and out of this he must find
his own backing for his shoes. will yen
turc 10 say that there is no class of men in
the world who are harder worked during
their three years of actual service than the |
German soldiers and oilloorc. In order to |
support this vast army taxation is carried TO |
an extreme of ingenuity which would make |
even New Workers. hair stand on end |
Everything is taxed, every privilege that a
man enjoys must be paid for, even his light
aud air.
Everything in Germany is subordinate TO
the armv and this subordinatiOn makes the |
officers perhaps the most arrogant set of men
on the face of the earth they walk the side
walks and never think to give way to any |
one, man or woman; while the least in
fringemcnt of their dignity calls forth the |
sword which Is used by them with the ut |
most freedom, Sometimes they find that
with an American they go little too
far.
In Dresden Julian Hawthorne, the
author, is credited with the following ex-
plot: lie had been driven from the side
walk many and many time by the German
officers till finally one day coming over the
Elbc on one of the bridges with a friend he
vowed that the next German officer he met
should at least give him half of the sidewalk.
lie soon met one and neither being willing
to give way, they walked directly into
one another. Hawthorne did not bulge,
neither would the German they glarcd at
one another for a few moments when the
German drew his sword and attempted to
strike Hawthorne with the flat of the blade.
In twinkling Hawthorne knocked the Off
Ger down, took his sword away from him,
broke it across his knee and threw it into the
Elbe. The disgrace Of having lost his sword |
was so great that the officer never dared
mention the circumstance so Hawthorne
escaped without fine or punishment.
Drunkenness is almost unknown In the
army, neither officers or soldiers can commit
any crime more serious than drunkenness;
the first Otfense is punished with extreme
severity, and repetition is punished with
summary dismissal from the army, and for
fixture of all civil rights.
have been led to speak thus at length
about the army, as it is the one thing OF all
others, which is thrust into ones face and
stamped most clearly in ones impression of
German life.
After the army come the schools. Here
education is compulsory to the poorer as well
the higher classes. The peasants, artisans
and laborers, while they need not take up
the higher branches of education are yet all
compelled to learn to read, to write and
cipher. The schools for them are called
Volk schools The other schools are graded
so as to give to each person that class Of edu-
cation which fits him for his walk in life
for in nocountry is caste more clearly defined
than in Germany. Germany abounds in uni.
verslties and in schools for special classes of
study; the most famous of the universities
is Heidelberg, where one can see students
from every civilized nation upon the earth
and there as in the rest Of Germany the
greatest insult that can be offered to scholar
is TO call him Stupid student" that is
always casus bei. The duels which are so
common there arc almost invariably brought |