Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-07-18
THE GERMAN ARMY.
HOW THE ENIpEHOE'S "Ol,Cl,S
ARE TRAINED FOR WAR.
Every Young German Mus, Scryc-
The Soldiers Arc Thoroughly
Drilled Poorly Paid bat
Well Dressed.

general are dissatisfied with universal
service.
From his seventeenth to his twenty
NTH year the army has lien on every
German. During these wears he cannot
cinigratc without special permission.
The ordinary man has to serve three
years with the colors, as that time is con.
sldercd necessary i'll order to make IL real
soldier of the average country lal.
Those, however, who have passed high
! acadcmical examinations and SHOW thu.
they arc u! superior mental capacity can
be free ut tho end of one year, although
for this privilege they have to clothc
themselves and take care of themselves
rs well. OF course good physical health
and build are assumed. No soldier is
accepted less than five feet one half inch
high. and the crack regiments make
| five feet six and onc-tcnth inches their
minimum, excepting for light cavalry,
where weight is limited to il3 pounds,
the heavy cavalry allowing IN to III;
| pounds. Such rs do not come M 10 the
lighting requirements are rclcgatcd to
| garrison work Of practical il no; glorious
character.
Special reasons sometimes rc!oaso n
German from serving in the army-or at
least obtaining Tor him postponcmcnt
OF scrviccs-us, for instance, il he is the
only son of destitute parents; the son of
farmer or manufacturer who would be
unable to supcrintend his work without
this sons services; the next eldest brother
to one killed in war, or Of one who has
lost health while on duty, il by such
| M hn Lot - ~
amclioratcd; those engaged in the study
oil art as II profession, whose career
would suffer damage if such studies were
interrupted; and one or two others in
the same spirit. The State, in other
words, recognizes no distinction between
rich and poor, noble and peasant, in the
mnttcr of defending the common father
land. and where an exception is made il
is obviously on the principle that no
man should be Withdrawn from industrial
work If the community in general is To
he n sufferer III consequence. No man
III Germany is rich enough to buy sub
stitutc, or too poor to claim immunity ii
he shows legal ground.
The German military year closes with
tho last day of the grand fall mnncuvcrs,
when the soldiers who have completed
their period of service return 10 their
homes, and the recruits of the year are
called in to fill their places. Patiently
and slowly they ARE taken in hand ,nll
taught the elements of their profession,
their instructors knowing well the i'm
portancc of what they are about and the
searching inspection they will have to
stand when the new men are passed ms
| 70. a.,
winter up to March OF the following
year is given to individual and clrmcn
tary instruction. March and April ARE
devoted to company drills, battalion
drill coming in May. June and July
give the recruits II chance to see field ser
vice. In August come rcgimcn,al and
brigade work, and last ofnll, September,
they take part in their first grand ma
ncuvcrs.
The great importance which the Ger
mans attach to the education Of their
soldiers must be my excuse for dwelling
II little on this point. TO begin with,
then, the raw recruits are distributed
fifty to II company and placed under the
entire charge of II specially selected oil
Ger, who has under him four or five I'M
der officers and the same number of lance
corporals rs assistant instructors. Each
unicroilccr gets from ten to thirteen
! mcu to instruct Whoever has seen
West Point cadets drilling the freshly
arrived plcbcs can form II picture of
what constitutes most of the early train
ing of the German recruit.
His work commences light, but is soon
| increased To three hours in the forenoon
SID and two hours (2-i) in the after
noon, the evening being devoted to an
hours theoretical instruction. As nt
West Point and Annapolis, in this
country, the most important early work
consists in making the muscles supple by
n variety of gymnastic movements with
the rifle rs club.
The third week brings promotion TO
the use Of gymnastic appliances, such as
the vaulting horse, parallel and horizon
tai bars, poles, ladders and ropes; and
I these exercises are also applied to real
war by making the men climb walls, vault
bitches and work their way ND difficult
slopcs-in all these exercises the in
structor setting the men an example, a
good rule that is observed Mt West
Point.
The rifle is given TO the recruit in the
fourth week, and the manual commences
and continues until, in March. the new
men are considered tit for inspection,
which is always an occasion for some
fcstivity, when the Captain of the com
pany presents the ncwly-traincd men to
the rcgimcntal Commander in the pres
cnce Of the officer who has had them
; under his special care. Each man is put
through his drill, the whole squad then
march past, are drilled together, the
Commander makes II short, encouraging
speech to them, and they are formally
placed in the ranks of the company.
by the time summer comes around
they are taken on long tramps into the
country, are taught to choose their
ground with judgment, to throw up
carthworks, build Il camp, skirmish, do
outpost duty, and rcconnoiter Every
nnn is taught to swim, and gymnastics