The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-05-07
DUTCH SCHUTTERS.
The Queer Drilling of Hollands Happy
Go.Lucky Militia.

Holland is becoming exceedingly
fidgety about her militia affairs, says Il
letter in the n. Y. Tribune. The ma
tional defenses are in disorganized
condition, and the Dutch would be I'M
able to offer much resistance to any in
vasion. Reform is the cry on every
hand, and universal conscription is adj
vocated on all sides; but no one seems
to feel disposed to carry the matter
through. As things now are, no
Dutchman need serve in the regular
army if he can pay for his substitute.
The consequence is that the rich are
opposed to universal conscription, be-
cause they do not want to serve, and
the poor are against it because they
would no longer receive the large sums
which their children earn by serving
as substitutes. Every man, however,
between the age of 25 and 40 is forced
to belong to the militia, or schuttery,
as it is designated in Holland. The
latter numbers about 2 per cent of the
entire population. But it is quite
harmless, and partakes to a certain ex-
tent of the nature of the opera COM
ique.
Nothing can be more amusing than
to watch the schutters on their way to
to drill late in the afternoon of sum-
mer and autumn days. They can
scarcely be described rs presenting
martial appearance in their blue and
red uniforms, with their shakoes
perched rakishly on one side of their
head, the chin strap barely reaching
| down to the nose, a cigar or pipe in
the mouth and an antediluvan-looking
old musket carried over the shoulder,
butt end upward. At the close of his
drill the bold militiaman, whose port
| ly figure causes him to dislike any
violent exercise, sends his gun and
bayonet home by a porter OF dientst-
man, who is often as not his corporal
or sergeant, and then adjourns to a
/ beer-garden. There he spends the re-
mainder of the evening with a number
of equally martial blades, washing
down the accumulated dust of the
mimic battlefield with copious liba-
tions, and consigning the founder of
the schuttery to the darkest depth of
hades.
In winter when il rains or SHOWS the
monthly drill at Rotterdam, Amster-
dam, and other important cities, usual
lv takes place under cover in the bourse
| after the business of the day is over.
The drill sergeants, however, dislike
this; for it doubles their work, since
the schutters devote far more attention
to the figures of the afternoon stock
quotations, still chalked upon the
board, than to the figures of drill.
Thus, for instance, when the sergeant
shouts out: '.Schutter Jansen! What
do YOU mean by standing there like
that? Keep your feet together and
your stomach in" Jansen, who is lost
in the contemplation of the board, eX
claims by way of response: 'sHerl
Gott! Ninety-six and a half per cent
I am in nice holen'
The officers of the militia regiments
are exceedingly gorgeous creatures
with their long, clanking sabers, theil
} plumed hats, and their profusion O
gold lace. Their knowledge of things
military is but one degree superior tc
that of the men under their command
for they have been forced to drill fol
two hours a week during a period OF
six weeks with the regular line regi
ment. Under ordinary circumstance:
they manage to fulfill their duty afte
fashion, but during the annual ma
neuvers they are subjected to grea
trials. A schutter captain will b.
standing in front of his company, wher
corporal acting as orderly approache
with the following message: 9Th
. enemy is close at hand. The colone
sends you his very best compliment
and wishes to know if you would oblig
him by leading your men to attack.
All at once the latent patriotism ant
military ardor of the captain blaz
forth. He draws his sword, and call
ing on his soldiers to follow him, rushe
to meet the imaginary enemy. Sud
denly his advance is checked by shal
low ditch filled with muddy water
This causes his tierceness to abate. TO
he would not for all the world soil hi
uniform. He pauses for a few seconds
All at once a happy thought strike
him. Fire by volleys!' he cries t.
his men. Immediately the ramrod
are heard to rattle in all the enormou
barrels of the old muskets, and min
ute later the hammers fall with
clicking noise of old metal. Fo
the militiamen are not only forbidden
the use of gunpowder, but are even de
MED percussion caps. In the middl
of all this the adjutant of the regiment
who is invariably an officer of the reg
! ular army, dashes up on horsebacl
and exclaims in frantic tones to tn
captain:
Good heavens! man, don't yo1
. know that in case of volley firing tn
officers must not stand in front of tn
muzzle of their mems guns?n
Nowise Disconnected, the captain
pulls his handbook of military regula
lations out of his pocket and, afte
carefully glancing over several pages
replies in nonchalant manner: "Well
1 don't see anything about it in here.
The face of the adjutant become
!! scarlet, he gulps down two or thre
big oaths, and finally calculates: Her
give me the book. See there! 1t
page 48." And then, with a look c
despair and shrug cf his shoulders
he dashes off to some other equall
well-informed schutter officer.
Meanwhile the captain has leisurel
returned his sword to its scabbard an
has inscribed in his notebook the fol
= lowing memorandum: In case c
volley firing it is better for the Office
to keep to the rear of the front, so a
not to come into contact with the mu2
zle of his mems guns"
The majors, the lieutenants, and th
colonies of the ''schuttery' are all GU
out of the same cloth as the captal
above portrayed; always ready
argue the point with their superior Of
:, ficers, and producing the drollest et
fects by their utter ignorance of mil
tary tactics. There is even ''schut
ter'' general who is retail tea mel
chant. None of the officers or me
, are acquainted with the mechanism c
a modern rifle. and there are probabl
but few of them who would venture t
= handle one if they knew it was loaded
One word more to complete this brie
sketch of Hollands gallant defenders
As soon as the hour appointed for tn
drill strikes at the town hall clock tn
officer in command takes a sand-glas
and turns it upside down. He the
: waits until the sand runs out, that
to say, quarter of an hour, befor
: giving the roll-call to proceed. Any
body arriving after that time is sut
iocto6 to small fine