Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-11-19

Nov esT@sa kr%yE-sruls Ar. Drilled
ahd DlseI Iplinsd-

~ - NEss--
II you leave the old Pin with n sad
heart. You may have your good nature
restored il ftheIrec1iis sre bein4 dill
ed in lhe Exercien p q oppos ite- The
Exercise PAtz is 4 slargs space backod
by barracks; while in 'front.'. along the
street. are gymnastic apparatus and
simulations of such obstacles as may
he expected in an 'enemy's country.
The fundamental principle Of German
drilling IS obedience. Orders arc not
propohndcd for discussiop. French
fashion. but are given. aud obedience
must follow Immediately. When this
principle has been apprehended and
accepted by a recruit. It is wonderful
what he VIII accomplish, and wonder
full are the ehauges that take place in
his physical and mental organization.
The process of apprehending is the
difficult and, TO the outsider, the en-
tertaining part Of the system. For in
stance, every recruit must jump over
good-sized cask,. the cask lying on its
side. When first put in front of the
cask. he looks as il he had been asked
to jump over o house. From this point
of view he knows the thing is utterly
impossible. But that is exactly where
tho German drill differs from the
French; his point Of view Is not fac
tor. Over that cask he has to 60, If
bayonets have to drive him up to it
and soldiers have TO fling him over If
his neck should be broken, his military
education would of course cease; if he
should happen only to break q rib, he
would be put to bed till his rib was
mended, when his military education
would be resumed exactly where it left
off 1t may require several fractures
to thoroughly indoctrinate the German
notion of obedience to orders; but
when the recruit mas once apprehend-
ed, he will pop over the cask or any,
tsing else, like n deer In the same
way he is taught to shoot. With q
given number OF cartridges he must
put given number of bullets into u
target He mast do it. if he even were
to be kept blazing away all his life.
But there will be found plenty of ways
for insuring success within n reasona-
BILE time. aH.st llU ist' ~ .-lt
The evolutions of the recruit are
very entertaining when you have learn
cd to cease fearing for his bones. Es-
pecally enteri aiming is the goose step,
so c;llled-a step so valuable in
strengthening the muscles of tho legs
that it should be practiced by all pedes-
trians. think can make it so clear
to every reader that he may start it off
in his own room. The recruit first
takes the severest military position.
That needs no explanation. He stands
very stiff and straight, head slightly
thrown back, chin in, chest out, and
the fingers stretched out along seams
of his trousers. Having been kept in
the military position till he is ready to
faint, he is then ordered to project the
right or left foot-it is immaterial with
which he begins--so far in front of him
as he can while keeping the sole of the
foot parallel with the surface Of the
ground and tire knee stiff The tired
recruit will be sure TO lose his balance,
and topple over. But, in accordance
with the principle of obedience, he will
be kept at topping till he ceases to
topple, and can stand in this extreme
ly difficult and uncomfortable position
just rs long us the German Govern
ment may desire. He is then instruct
ed to elevate himself on the toe of the
foot on which he is standing. and to
incline the body forward till the sole
of the projected, foot reaches Is the
ground. Heis now in anotheri posi-
ton, where perpendieplarity and pres
ervation of balance are difficult, and
where still further appeal may be ,nec-
essary to the German principle of
obedience. The third motion is to
/ bring the foot which has remained sta
tionary up alongside of the projected
/ foot, and to resume the original strict
military position. Then the foot not
first projected is in its turn thrust for-
ward and 50 on and on, Tie. points
of the step are the length iof tile stride
at least three and H. half feet--the
preserved paralleiism OF the projected
foot with the ground, and the pre-
served stiffness OF the knee. Let amy
novice try a dozen steps of it. The
muscles Of his legs will ache with all
the aches of dentistry. As the recruit
becomes more proficient there is less
pause atathe military position; the
foot from behind sweeps by the sta.
tionary one into the next step, but
there is always pause when the adj
.yancing foot reaches the sgrounds thai
the full stride Of tile step may be Eel,
and marked! When the becfait is fur
ther accomplished, hea7takcs the ster
| with his arms thrown out from the
sides, and the palms of his hands II
'front.' In this way, in long lines, re
cruits are exercised hour after hour,
day after day. month after month. til
their legs are as tough as steel, and TIN
fatigues Of the longest march can y.
borne with comparative ease. Th'
German soldier, of course, does. no,
use the goose-step when he is march
ing into battle, for it is gymnastic ex
ercise; still, when on parade she is pass
ing the sAlhting point he fuses modi
fication Of it, So is to let the inspect
ing officer know that it has been prop
eriy acquired. 1t is not too much tt
say that the the German rnlp Empire rests OF
the goose-stcp. ''f
MACKAY AND FAIR.
Isl q. III Gtf