The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-03
AN ARMY OF BABIES.
SPANS Little Hing Commands the
Smallest Soldiers in the World.
seven-year-old Veterans-Thsy Shoot,
March, Play Their Own Music and
Do Wonderful Drills.

Do Wonderful Drills.
From the New York Press.
San Sebastian, Spain, July 20.-There
has just occurred here ceremony and an
incident that probably has never before
been witnessed in the entire history of
the world. It was accompanied with all
the pomp that surrounds the Spanish
court, and was unique in it's purpose and
its meaning.
Last week the queen regent the baby
King Alphonso and the entire court left
the ornate palace in Madrid to take up its
summer quarters here, where a palace of
enormous extent annually awaits the
coming of the royal party This is the
full limit of the summer outing that is
permitted the youngster whose mission Is
to rule over Spain. The king is an ordi-
nary Spanish baby, having a fat phleg-
matte face, high, protruding forehead
and noticeably thin body and limbs. He
rose TO the dignity of pantaloons about
eighteen months ago, which brings more
forciblY to the eye the fact that the IN
happy ruler is rather more that slightly
bowlegged.
This blemish in the physical perfection
of their sovereign the loyal Spaniards
affect not TO notice, although the dress of
the king is particularly adapted to max
| ing il prominent. He invariably wears a
black satin shirt and knee breeches, with
| long black silk stockings and patent
leather pumps, except where he is clothed
| in elaborate regalia, jeweled chains and
rich array of gold lace and gems-the
| dress of power.
All this came to San Sebastian with the
balance of the royal retinue, a fortnight
since, when the king prepared for the
unique ceremony that attracted to this
ancient city such a crowd as has been
| seldom seen here before.
HEI a SOLDIER NOW.
The event was the introduction of his
| lnfantlle majesty into the army OF the
kingdom. For several months baby re-
crults To regiment have been brought
| together, uniformed and drilled, in antici-
| patton of this occasion. In all there were
| 700 of these nursery soldiers, their age
ranging from'5 10 years, and their sta
ton in life from the 6-year-old son of Gen
| TOlaviega, one of the foremost military
men in Spain and the commander of the
| fortified castle at San Sebastian, to the
sons of day laborers and other artisans.
| The Youngsters were at first gathered
| In small squads of ten. and were drilled
| by officers regularly detailed from the
castle. After becoming sufficiently pro-
| ticient to follow the prescribed military
| step, they were then put into companies
| of seventy Finally when they had &C
| CURED the ability to march properly they
| were brought into the form of a regiment.
| consisting of ten companies, of seventy
members each. They were then marched
en- masse until they were absolutely per-
| feet in their step-although with the
| automaton movement that distinguishes
our West Point cadets.
Up to this point they had not been uni
| formed, but now they were furnished
| with suits of blue, surmounted by red
| caps similar in shape to those worn by
| the Spanish regulars. The style of the
uniform is that of dress suit, swallow
| tail coat, deliberately trimmed with gold
| braid and buttoned across the chest with
gold frogs. A gold stripe runs down the
| side of the pantalooDs, gold epaulets are
on the shoulders, and the hat is trimmed
with gold braid. The buttons bear like
ness of the king with his name in relief
around it. The dress of the officers diff
fers only in the quantity of decoration.
the clcth being almost entirely concealed
| by heavy gold lace
The weapons, consisting of rife with
bayonet, brace of pistols ana a cartridge
belt filled with balls, were all made espe-
clalIy for the purpose and are all on di-
| mInutlve scale. The rifles are absolutely
| perfect, quite as much so as those of reg
ulation size and bore. They are beauti-
fully made, the stocks being of rosewood
and the barrel being ornamented with sill
YER They carry a very small cartridge
and make an explosion like that of a FIRE
cracker or paper torpedo. The revolvers
are made upon the same admirable plan
and correspond in size with the dimen-
sions of the soldiers.
DRIJAINFRs uNDER sIx
| While the entire regiment is exceedingly
interesting. the drum corps probably de-
'manded more attention at the parade than
any other portion of the regiment The
drummers are all under years of age
| and are most enthusiastic in their efforts
to make a noise, while the music from the
band is most creditable for children of so
| young an age
In order to be prepared to take com
mand of this imposing array and show
that it is effective in the defense of his
nation, the king has been coached pri-
vately in the innermost retreats of his
palace, and has been thoroughly saturated
with the meaning of the various
commands and the natural dignity, which
any one who has seen him realizes that
| he possesses, has been brought up to the
| military standard by the personal
teaching of Gen. Alveriez, one of the
most courtly and perfect disciplinarians
in the Spanish service. A special train
made the trip of 400 miles to San Sebas-
tian in something under twenty-four
hours, which, for Spain, is hardly short
of the miraculous As it drew into the
magnificent station it was met with a sa-
Lutte from the castle and from the scores
OF vessels anchored in the roadstead.
Along the line of the road for a mile the
troops were drawn up at present arms
Two days after the arriy al of the royal
party the king formally took command of
his army on the broad esplanade. The reRi-
ment, two deep. extended along the front
Of the sea wall and stood thus at rest for
an hour before the royal commander put
in an appearance.
THE KING APPEARS
Finally a full-sized orderly on a full
grown horse dashed across the esplanade
and saluted the lieutenant commander of
the regiment, aged years. He an
nounced to that officer that the king was
at that moment emerging from the palace.
and would reach the foot of the line in ten
minutes. Then he saluted, wheeled his
horse and dashed away again. The
lieutenant colonel mounted upon beau
tiful pony with a long, white
tail that swept the ground, gave
an order TO his lieutenant, the
drums burst into a long roll, the cap
tains of the various companies called
their men TO arms and in a few momente