Nevada County picayune., 1889-10-23
ENGLISH ARMY LIFE.
Scenes and Incidents Along the
 Paths of Glory.
Jolly Young subalterns Who Never Miss Any Fun and Never Pay Cont Little to Do and Little
 to Get.

to Get.
 The road to n commission in the British army leads through the Sand hurst Military College-Englands West Point which is romantically sit- uated in Surrey. Having gained ad- mission to this portal by dint of pass ing a more or less creditable examina- tion at the hands of the Civil-Service Commissioners, the juvenile gentle man cadet" as he is euphoniously termed, is instructed for year, or a year and half, according to his capa- bilities, in the elements of the various branches of military science, at the end of which probationary period he is gazetted to a regiment of cavalry or infantry, having choice of regiments, according to his position in the final examination.
 Sandhurst is a place looked upon with various feelings by those who have, at an early stage of their careers, participated in its slightly dubious joys. Recollections of the ''toshing" of objectionable or bumptious aspi- rants to military glory-the operation consisting in the singing, head down. wards, of the hapless ''toshee' to the head of his cot, and literally sluicing him with cold water-the frequent drills, incessant study and school-boy restrictions such as compulsory bed at nine o'clock during the first term. The proud sensation of emerging from the rank of "snoOker' Ga cadet in his first half year), the annual ball and many other memories, are either treasured or detested, as the possessor was a popular fellow, or the reverse. It is a place where man very soon finds his level; the inane scion of the noble" house of Bareacres is toshed with as little ceremony. and. if any thing, more zest. than the hope of the Man chester magnate. The army is no re- ! specter of persons, and if a man is a gentleman in himself he is valued and liked, and taken by his companions for what they find him.
 The final ordeal being successfully passed, the youthful subaltern pro ceeds on two months leave Of absence, presumably granted by paternal gov 1 ernment to allow him to be photo graphed in every conceivable attitude and uniform-during which period he provides himself with a kit, costing $500 or $500, if his election be the line, more than treble that sum if the cav airy. and, having been duly admired 1 by his various feminine acquaintances, repairs at its expiration to the head 1 quarters of his regiment, and duly re- ports his arrival. Now begins the real pleasure of existence; handed over to the tender mercies of drill j sergeant, he, in company with several raw recruits, plods painfully through the amazing intricacies of the English i drill book. Finally the adjutant pro- nounces him fully disciplined, and he emerges in all the splendor of full blown officer Quarters, fuel and i light-of sorts-are provided by the powers that be, the contents i of the first being invariably l a barrack bed, fender and table, i with two ancient wooden chairs of sur prising hardness and discomfort; a ! dilapidated bellows and ragged hearth l brush complete the furniture, which is duly set forth and registered on an inventory board placed under his care. However, with the aid of his soldier servant and the barrack supply store, he rapidly evolves very snug and 1 cheerful domicile, hiring the goods he 1 fancies at a more or less-usually more --extortionate monthly rate.
 His inner man is provided for at the mess, where every thing is done" in the best possible manner, comfort and | luxury being studied in the most mi mute details. There is but one draw back, the monthly mess bill. that bug { bear of the junior officer, living like Prince on the munificent stipend of dollar and thirty cents per diem, plus the allowance, averaging five hun drcd dollars q year. made him by his i relatives. How it is done is inex- plicable the writer never understood how he did it himself but it is, never theless, q fact that the youthful sub. ! is always well dressed. does pretty nearly every thing in the way of amuse- mcnt he wants to, lives like lord, goes everywhere, denies himself nothing, ' and never seems in want of money, on an income of little or nothing per an mum! He has the entree into the best society, and is looked upon with much favor by the charming demoiselles with whom he comes in contact, so { much so, that . good match Qrom the mans point of view) has proved the salvation of many a spendthrift son of Mars. Mars and Venus have al- gays been the best of friends, if my thology may be relied on. and scarlet fever" will doubtless play havoc among beauty's ranks till the arrival of the millennium. The brilliant uniform costly alas, as many lengthy blue document and many lengthier and bluer fathers face, can testify-is passport to the female heart
 A soldiers life can not be considered an arduous one; morning parade, a couple of hours drill through the week and a tour of duty as Officer of the Day" comprise the sum of his labors. In the drill season, however, there are eternal field days. drills. maneuvers