The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-23
THE GERMAN ARMY.
ITS GREAT STRENGTH AND PER.
Feet DISCIPLINE.
The Pay and Armament Of Ger.
man Soldiers -. Their Daily
Duties-The Other Great
Armies of ( Europe.

-
New York Sun, reminds the stranger OF
huge military barracks. There are.
soldiers everywhere, and every man ~
the country, from the son of o monarch
to the lowliest beggar, must serve IN the
army. From this there is no appeal Al
million marks will not purchase immuts
nifty from the service. It has made e.
stalwart, methodical, fne-looking and
well-bred lot of men of the Germans. =.
The army is the most common of all
subjects of discussion here. There are
several branches which fall under the
nominal command of the lesser German
Kings in time of peace, but the Emperor
of Germany is absolute monarch when
war breaks out. He.is q good deal of q
monarch at other times, too, one finds
out after short residence in Germany.t
I met an officer of the Saxon branch OF
the army last night whom I had known.
when he was in New York some years
ago. -. -. Z y;
.sI'm in the army for good ard al, 7;
now," he said, with shrug Of his broad
shoulders, 'and recent events reeoncila'
me to it." - - - I. ~. - e
"You think the general stirring up OF
the Government here will turn out 6
benefit to military men7n
II think that the accession to power
of born soldier and warrior Like eur
Crown Prince will send the finest army
in the world to the front. Prince Will
lam is ambitious and capable. With.
such a sovereign the chances Of distinc.s
ton in the army will be limitless. - =
'.It is we'll you look for distinction in-s
stead of money IN the army s2ss{ss.; s5.Is
"Oh, there is no money in the service
here. Our soldier receives-l will give.
the equivalent sum in, United States,
money-about 81. 18 for every ten daya,se
service, from which he has to pay the
mess fifty-seyen cents for ten days eat,
ing. A mar. can't acquire fortune with
breathless rapidity at this rate unless he
practices a good deal of economy. The;
Government gives every man pound.
and quarter of bread day, but the,
soldier must buy all necessary articles for
cleaning his uniform. Everything in the
way of linen, boots and clothing is sup
piled by the nation" ;s5ss.. 80 $
"dave the arms been changed" 2" tg7
s'The latest and most valuable inven-.
tiths are secured at any cost. Our pri-s
Yates now carry the 's4 repeating rife:ss
The cannons are made by Krupp, of Ess
sen. The men are worked hard, but
they seem. to thrive on it. The average
private has four hours work inthe morn-s
ing and about three hours in the. after
noon. In the evening he is taught to-
read and write, and is also instructed IN
matters pertaining to the army. The
men clean the barracks and do all the
work> about the building. Between
sixty and eighty OF them sleep in every
dormitory now, but in the newest bars
racks only fifteen or twenty men will
sleep in a room. a corporal commands
and watches over them. They can only
practice shooting when ordered to by
the commanding officer. Every soldier;
carries about thirty cartridges. "
"The discipline is very severe" I
said. ., - ,:ss3ss.':.. s,zss5ssss .s3
every" said the Major. t9t must
be; for there are many insidious and re-:
bellious spirits at work in Germany
now, and the iron hand is the only one
that commands respect. A soldier re.
ceives two days imprisonment If he fails
to salute an officer when he sees him.
1t has tendency to cure absent minded
ness. Soldiers must be at home in bar-.
racks at 10 o'clock p. M, unless written
consent to stay out later, signed by an
officer; and finally, an officer cannot
marry girl who has fortune other
own of less than SO, 000.3. There are.
lots of restrictions in the life, but the
officers and men love it nevertheless. S
The number of soldiers who will be-
at the back of the coming Emperor Of
Germany is enough to keep Europe's:
ewes open. The future monarch is the
idol of the army. He comes from the
marriage of Guelph and a Hohenzoli
lern, Just as Frederick the Great did,
and he hates the English and the French
It will be shrewd prophet who CAM
tell what he will do when he finds him-
self at the nations head. The available.
force in Germany in case of war may be-
roughly estimated as follows. Every
German must serve; no substitution is
allowed: -....~ .......,
Men in active service. i, ,5D0, 900
The Bismarck addition. -. .......... 701,000s
One-year volunteers and Landsturm ooo.
division. ........:.... i, ,loo,Oov'
Trained and active soldiers. s......... /, ,SS5, COO
Estimated number to be drawn
from those not in active service. z, S0o. .OO0-
Total available force Of all
classes. e, ,2S5,OO0
In addition the army has at its dis.
posal 312, 7S1 horses and $500 guns.
Before leave figures it may be OF In
terest to show the forces that this army