, 1891-05-23

mathematician which are characteristics OF thlR
century. Thucydides has the remark that lin
war, of all human pursuits, affairs 60 most
awry and expectations are most deceived. :
Won Moltke eliminated the element of chance
from his campaigns. He estimated his OVID
forces and those of the enemy like a. physiolO-
gist at quantitative analysis. He studied every
inch of his marching grounds and battle
grounds before he would stir a soldier. At the
commencement of his wars he saw and arrang-
ed for their intermediate steps aud decisive
conclusions, and was always the only person.
in the least surprised at the overwhelming vic
tories which resulted from his calm, far seeing
irresistible strategios. The splendid elan of
the old style, the gallant laundering chiyalry
of Austria and France, dashed itself as vainly
against Won Moltke's warlike algebra as waves
against a cliff. Sitting silent over his war
map, he knew to a battalion what blood he
must lavish to win this position; what would
happen when the enemy was allowed to OBJ
tain that passing advantage whittier he would
afterwards go and how the foe must be final
ly led or driven to the spot marked out with
the p~itiless pencil for his destruction or cap.
ture-the Plains Of Sadow& or the walls of Sc
dan. 1t may be conceded that such warfare as
his was impossible without such a people as the
Germans to accept it and carry it out, and, it
may be added, without such a vital and COM
handing object as the consolidation of German
national existence. These conditions, how
ever, were ready to the hand Of the wonderful
warrior. Germany, for the sake of her safety
and her greatness, gave him the unlimited
battle-stuff'>h asked for. LandWehr men
and Landsturm men at the raising of his
finger put on their spectacles and their
uniforms, and marched where he babe them.
With o11ob valiant nha1iaDt materials O q fhn
Fatherland supplied he could trust every
body to be true to his system, from the
Kaiser and Bismarck down to the regimental
cook and the railway pointsman; and, being
thus sure Of his factors, he was sure of his equa-
ton. "Es stimmt," as he remarked on the capitu-
lation Of Sedan. lit always came out right"
War was reduced by such all.seeing vigilance
and provision to sort of applied mathematics.
from which chance and the unexpected with
drew, as from the binomial theoreIn. To The
imperturbable warrior it must have seemed
sometimes almost a pity that his enemies would
continue to fight with live pieces. entailing
the sad results Of carnage and suffering It
would come to the same thing in the end, if
they could only consent to do it all by Krieg-
spiel for Won Moltke blood and destruction
had become inseparable, but comparatively
stupid. elements of warfare, Wilde, as for glory,
he probably thought as little about such a /.
will-o' -the,wisp as he did of pity. 11l +.
Thus it was meet and right for Destiny to
let such a scientific soldier die a death of Peace;
for bis genius has secretly served the interests Z
of Peace. When, in the. "Iliad," the spear of
Achilles wounds the deity who was ~interve-
ning. Homer himself is conscious of the incon-
gruity. Here it is Science who, in the person II
of Won Moltke, took from noisy Conquerors
and martial Monarchs the spear of Mars andthe
agis of Pallas, to give them to the thin, tall. =
silent Mecklenburg boy, who went to school at
Copenhagen aud came out of it to teachfa new
art of war. Nothing could be more suitable
to the entire attitude of this great mans mind
towards the terrible pursuits of his life than
that they should end in the placid llustre OF a
nations gratitude, in peaceful fame SURPRISING /.
all military glory in the homely family din
ner. the quiet hand at whist, the air frorA Mo-
Fart or Schubert on the piano, and the serene ?
departure from slife's long campaign. One
would almost say that. Death himself was in.
duoed to let Hellmuth Won Moltke march
out with all the honours of war; so happy
was he sin the opportunity-of his death" No
thing was left him to8d do for honour or for
duty. or for an immortal place on the page Of
history. tits we'll that the Empress of Ger
many should have been the frstito lay at the
feet Of this faithful and heroic servant of his
country the palm of victory, and the roses
which speak Of love. 1t is we'll that the En-
noror Shou1d lsurnmon with his own tren every