The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-21

tiRulnE. yet the attitude Of the commissioned
officer toward his Ten is everything that could
BIO desired, and in return the loyalty ofthe COM
mon soldier to his superior Is com
plete and his obedience. patience. and
selfdsnial worthy OF the best military
traditions. Mr.. Dawson. however. does not
overlook the charge OF abuse OF power which
is occasionally brought home to the non com
missioned officers. It is admitted that many
of these men inGct upon the prlvates hard
| ship and even cruelty such as would. IL their
| conduct came to light. entail upon them Sc
we're punishment and dismissal from the army.
| There 10 no doubt that arbitrary penalties are
imposed by irrascible under- officers. who are
often men without refinement or even hu-
name instincts and who. finding themsel
clothed in a little brief authority. magnify and
abuse their powers. Yet IL 10 not to 10 sup
posed that abuse OF this Kind is the rule. or
thatwhen discovered. it is not sternly rsbuks
HI
Our attention 10 directed to a contradiction
hard for Americans to understand. that,
| though tho German army Is In a literal sense u
citizen army there exists, nevertheless in this
military democracy an aristocracy OF most
exclusive kind. A deep social gulf. at the bot
| tom OF which are pride and prejudice un-
fathomablo. divides the officers from the civil
| population. The officers form, in fact a So
| cial caste OF a peculiarly rigid kind. In their
! eyes the manufacturer. tho banker. the trades
man. and everybody else connected with COM
morce and money making are vulgar No dis
| tinction is recognized but all are treated with
| the same contumely and hateur. In email
| garrison towns military exclusiveness l.
| carried to the extreme degree. There OIL
| GERS families constitute socially an imperium
| In imperio Civilians cannot reach them. and
| they keep aloof from civilians To all intents
| and purposes the two sections OF the popula-
| ton are unknown to each other. This dislike
| OF tho military for the civilian elemen may
seem unreasonable. but II is a noteworthy
| and interesting circumstance In these days
when. In other countries. uneducated money
| bags and commercial upstairs make pre-
| fences UNNECESSARILY beyond their deserts.
| 1t IS at least q sign that in Germany money
| does not yet carry everything before 1t.
| There birth and culture still m eet with a rec
IGNITION that is grudglnGly given in those
countries which are dominated by tho trading
| spirit and the worship OF gold. Oflcers can
count on being welcomed 10 the highest cir
ces oil over Germany. Officers Of the Guard.
indeed are ipso facto hoffahiR. or present
able at court. At tho same time. while
despising the money maker. the on
Ger does not exhibit the same aver
sion to the dowry OF the moneymaker's
daughter. Here IL the civilians chance Pro-
portionate to the exclusiveness OF tho military
elite is the ambition OF the ostracized civilian
to force his way into the charmed circle. In
the eyes OF German mothers and daughters.
officers are sought after as pearls OF great
price. The daughter Of a landed Proprietor.
or even OF a very well-to-do manufacturer. or
reputable banker. may. under ordinary cir
eumstances count with a close approach to
certainty on q military marriage. and this Is
the best that her Parents desire for her, or that
she desires for herself. The truth Is that the
offlcer generally needs all the money he can
command. his profession is an expensive
one. encouraging. II not absolutely requiring.
an outlay far exceeding tho small pay which
belongs to all but the higher grades Of officers
Marriage is. therefore. out OF tho question for
the subalterE. unless he can secure wife well
endowed with this worlds goods.
Strange to say. the constant assertion OF SUI
periority on the part Of German officers has
not awakened widespread or resoluts retalia-
ton. He Assumesa distinctive dignity and
the rest OF tho world comedies the pretension
without challenge In spite OF his disdaln for
civilian society. tho officer is regarded by the
majority OF impressionaDle people as a being
not made Of common clay. In the eyes OF
the female world. as We have said. he Is
Q hero or demigod. The bourgeois
also looks upon him with secret admira-
ton. for. though lie may sometimes sueer
at him, II 10 rather the fatterlng sneer OF envy
than that OF malice. When. too. an officer IS
on parade. the workinGman will discourse
as enthusiastically as tho rest upon his car
rage. his movements and even his uniform.
though in his private medtations. the laborer
is apt to count the cost OF the braid and but
tons In public places the oflcer throws tho
civilian altogether into the shade. When his
epauieis loom into sight all the rest OF the
scene fades for the average spectator into OBJ
security. The shopman will even leave his
civilian customer in order that a Colonel. a
Captain. or q Lieutenant may not be kept
waiting. tits acknowledged that the junior
officers are not all II els OF modesty; on the
contrary. young Lieutenant is apt 10 think
that streets. foot ways, public parks. and
pretty girls exist for his exclusive benefit
il is not until he becomes Captain
that his seli-asseTtiyeness Is toned down.
Meanwhile, numbeTless quarrels and
duels occur between subAlteTns and that
other section OF irresponsible youth which is
conspicuous for selfsufilciency, the students
at the universities, Where the son OF Mars
and the son OF the MUSES. are not fast friends.
they are bitter foes there is no such medium
as negative indifference
Whatever may he the attitude OF officers to-
ward the res: OF society, and although IN all
the favorte regiments noblemsn are in a large
majority, there exist among themselves Tecip-
rOcAl faithiuiness and q perfect esprit 10 Corrs-
Touching this point. the author tells an anec-
dote which although We have heard II before,
is worth reproducing for its significance. ltRp-
pears that into tho officers CoTps OF a distin-
guished p.ussiAn regiment the son OF a rich
banker. who had lust received the noble prefix
Won had managed to squeeze himself There
was only one other officer ia the regi-
ment who dli not belong TO tho no.
bility. yet he was none the less
respected or popular for that fact which the
newcomer either did not know or did not ua-
dsrstand. On one occasion the banker Invited
all OF his sons fellow officers. with the one
Plebeian exception. to sumptuous dinner
The hour came. and tho officers were assem-
bled at table. Then only did they miss the
absentee, Looks Of surprise were exchanged
and. interpreting these. tho host essayed to
appeass his guests curiosity BY TsmATking