Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-12-15
THE GERMAN SOIDfERY.
HOW THE ARMY or THIS MILITARY
COUNTRY IS CONSTITUTED.

y
army, and this liability continues until
he is le. II he Is not fit for active service
he Il relcgated to a reserve force. not
called out unless there Is danger Of In
vasion. For nearly his whole active life,
therefore, the German lives In species
Of military servitude that hampers him
ehould he desire to emigratc, and may Be
fuu OF petty annoyances to him II he
does not.
Under ordinary circumstances the
German lad steps into the ranks at the
age Of 90. For three years no serves
with the colors, the next four years he
II In the reserve, and the following five
years he belongs 10 tho Landwehr,
another reserve moro remote than the
first. OF these twelve years the first
three are occupied entirely in severe
military work. The most stupid peasant
under a system 90 thorough as Ger.
many 8 must be stupid beyond recovery II
he does not turn out an alert, obedient
and well trained soldier. From the time
no takes his oath Of allegiance to his
military superior. the kaiser, be renoun.
ces the civil responsibilities and rights Of
o citizen. With the loss OF his vote he Is
taught that the sooner he forgets politi-
cal matters tho better for him as q sol
dicr. His life Is completely engrossed
with barrack routine and military ideas.
his only duty IL to obey without ques-
ton, and the interpreter Of his duty Is
the captain Of his company.
With tho putting on Of his uniform he
becomes one Of an army which in times
of peace numbers 48S 400 men, thoroughly
equipped, admirably trained and ready
to follow their officers anywhere, from
the storming of o Russian redoubt to
charging a mob Of workingmen on
strike. The soldier Of tho German en-
pire ceases to be Bavarian,f ,fa Wurtem-
berger or Saxon when he steps into tho
ranks. His military service Is personal
TO the emperor, from whom he receives
his orders, to the exclusion Of all other
authority. Everything that no sees and
hears in the army Is calculated to Inn
press upon his mind that his particular
state and Its particular public men are Of
very little consequence compared with
IN emperor who has absolute power over
an army such as he belongs to. He also
learns that fidelity to his duties as q
soldier is one Of the few rs well as sure
means Of securing later in life a position
In that great class OF men whose salaries
come from tho taxes Of the people and
whose appointments hang upon the IA
vor Of the government.
Every soldier dreams Of the day when
he shall possibly be promoted as non
commissioned officer, and at the end Of
bis term be given berth in the railway,
telegraph or postofiace service, possibly
ON the police force.
The peace footing of the German army,
l8S, 400, becomes In time of war fight
Ing force Of nearly 1 800, 900, commanded
by 5,427 officers. A careful estimate
made by Hugo Hinze In The Berlin
Nation Of Jan. IA, 1883. shows that Ger
many has today sea-, 900 men trained to
arms between the ages Of II and 45. The
experience Of the Franco-G German war
has taught that to every 1000 men there
should be at least c4.B officers In the
active army and reserve, and from 20 to
e1.7 to the 1000 In the less responsible
reserves called Landsturm and Ersatz-
truppen-troops designed to provide
home defense only. On this scale tho
German fighting forco calls for at least
T,258 officers, making o grand total
lighting force Of 8,841 ,253-an army
greater in numbers than the population
Of all the United States when 1t became
IN Independent power century ago.
To this must be added 27 900 moro who
arc surgeons, paymasters, veterinaries,
armorers, saddlers, officials Of various
kinds and 812, 600 horses.
To raise the peace footing Of the army,
TO treble its size in twenty-four hours, the
most careful system Ia observed. Off,
cials in every nook and corner Of tho en-.
pire know exactly where they can find
every able bodied man who has served
his first three years and Is now therefore
In tho reserve. Then they know just
how many uniforms and accouterments
are needed and where they can put their
fingers on them at o moments notice.
These well drilled officials besides know
every horse in their district, what he can
do, and what he can be impressed for
they have o record Of all tho farm
wagons that may be needed on the
march; they have minute information as
to the whereabouts Of every truss Of hay
or bag Of oats, as well as every pig. COW,
Or calf that might be needed.
To illustrate: Not long ago (18e8) at q
certain small town on the main line be-
tween Berlin and Meta tho station mas.
ter, who is also the head of the mobiliz-
Ing district, received an order to prepare
coffee for.2, 800 men at o'clock in the
afternoon and dinner for an equal num-
Der at $3.50 O'Clock Of the same day.
This order he received exactly three
hours before the troops were to arrive
and had no other warning.
The 800 men came, had their coffee
md were off. At $50 came another de
tachment Of $500 men. These were
served with q dinner, consisting Of boiled
mutton, broth and vegetables, all boiled
In fourteen huge pots, kept for the purpose
close to the station. Each Of these pot
cooks enough for 200 men at one time, *
that with fourteen such the dinner fol
after the materials arc produced.
When, therefore, the order comes from
the emperor that the troops are to b,
ready for the frontier, every able bodice
man in the country between the age O
n and AZ knows exactly what Is expected
2f him; the provision trains with extr;
aorses spring up as If by magic; uniform
weapons and forage appear from conve
nient places OF concealment 30 rapid,
and effectively that one almost suspect
that the part has been rehearsed man,
| times.
people respond to the demands mad
upon them by their kaiser.
In spite Of all this, however, Their
70 much In this huge military organ
lzation that fosters cruelty or othe
unnatural feeling. The fact that Il
| per cent. of tho suicides tabulateC
by the government are in the arm,
Is in itself very extraordinary. d
we ever hear of suicides at West Poin
or Woolwich, or any other well man
aged training institution Why shoul,
tho German army furnish any apprecia
BILE quota to tho general result? 1t
hard for Us to answer this.--Poultnc.
Bigelow in New. York Times.