New-York tribune., 1891-04-23
THE vUTJyy OF THE GUARDS IN LONDON

THE NUTJNY OF THE GUARDS IN LOND0H
The news of the mutiny of the Sd Battalion OF
the Grenadier Guards in London, following
after about ten months similar demonstra,ioh
of discomfort on the part Of the I'd 6aVtahon
of the same regiment, will scarcely surprise any
one who has taken the trouble TO Deconle az
oainted with the composition ana peculla'iueS
of the British army. Unlike the Cohuheiil'
soldier. the English redcoat is treated not onlJ
bv his superior officers, but also by the peopie
at large with contumely rather than WIN con-
sideration. The uniform, instead OF Delng re-
parded As badge of honor, is looked upon as
badge of servitude and OF servltude' 100
tha+ 10 ~ no honorable character. The officers
as well as the men, instead of being proud OF
their military trappings, are never so happy aS
when they can lay them aside to assume the
ordinary civilian garb, and from genemllsSlmo
the Duke of Cambridge down to the tlnleSt
drummer they display their preference 1or
multi over the Queens livery.
While it is difficult to account for this feeling
ON the part of the officers, it is easy to under
stand the sentiments of the ordinary rank ana
file. When IN uniform they are exposed to
much the same treatment as our colored citizens
in some parts of the country. No railroad com
pany will permit sergeant, corporal or private
when in Uniform TO ride in tirst-clasS carriage
and no theatrical manager, either in London or
the nrovinces. would dream of allowing non
commissioned soIdier-when in unifOrm-tO pur-
chase a scat in the orchestra stalls, the parquet,
the family circle or the boxes. If Tommy
Atkins" wishes to see the play he must see it
from the pit or from perch up among the
gallery gods In the same way no first OF
second class hotel, and no respectable restau-
rant. would consent to admit uniformed de-
fender of the Empire among its guests III
fact, a general impression appears to prevail
that the presence of redcoat would contamnate
the surroundings.
This public ill-wiIl toward the soldier is at
tributable to the fact that with the exception
of a few of the Highland regiments the British
army is recruited from the very dregs OF the
nopulatiOn. A man does not accept the queen
shilling and don her cloth until he has tned
every other profeSsion-and failed IhlS Is
especalv the case with the Brigade OF Guards
and the Rifiemen regiments which arc recruited
almost entirely in London, and composed OF
ne'er-do-wells and of the Whitechapel counter
part of the Bowery tough The public is aware
mite in treating the redcoats very much as II
they were iailbirds. No efforts to improve their
moral tone, to infuse them with feelings OF sell
respect or to popuIarize the service are MADE
bv the officers who differ in this respect en-
tirely from the Continental subalterns. There
IS none of that almost parental interest on the
part of the company commander i'll his men
which forms so attractive a characteristic OF the
German, French and Austrian armies. me
only thing in which the English officer seeks 20
emulate his foreign comrades Is IN the ire
mency of drills and in the exaction OF discipline
Of maItinet character With no prospect OF
ever rising from the ranks, treated like Helots
by their officers and by their fellow-citizens
and without a single agreeable feature to recon
cile them to their lot, it is not surprising that
a spirit of discomfort and mutiny should occa-
sionalIy manifest itself among the soldiers OF
Queen Victoria.