Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-06-30
ANIMALS IN BATTLE.
WILL THE NEXT CENTURY SEE THEM
 AIDING MEN IN WAR?


 European Military Experts-Ef Elephants
 Have Long Been Called On.
 When the next European war comes, 1t is moro than probable that it will have a novel aud picturesque point of military interest about it in the employ ment of animals, which will play quite as important q part in the campaigns in their way as the generals and soldiers. Ever since the earliest days of war from the very beginning of things, that is-horses have, of course, been militia " aids of the greatest value Now 1t is planned-indeed, several of the Euro poau powers are actively making exper- iments-to draft other animals into the service, with the expectation that they will be of great help
 France, during the times of the Fran eozGerman conflict, brought the science of carrier pigeons up to a high standard of efficiency Then it was thought that no superior to this 1.-the little bird could be found a5 q carrier of dispatches. But the French military authorities are be ginning t6 think differently now Ex- periments have been made with the swallow. and he has proved to be swift CT, surer and altogether more satisfacto- ". There is the greatest probability, therefore, that swallows will be part of the army equipment for the next cam paign.
 4 new idea has sprung up ia French military circles nevertheless that, after all, it Is rather impradent fer q great army to intrust its messages, frequently of great moment, to such small birds, so subject to attacks from the great binds of prey that are continually on the out look for such as theF. It has been pro l posed that storls be trained for dispatch service, the theory being that the nest instinct in these birds, their swift, cer- tain flight, their tremendous wing and leg power and their strength tomeet any attack whatsoever in the air would rel der them ideal messengers of war.
 In Russia a theory good deal like this has already been put into practice. and a number of falcons have. this past year, been put into training for the Rus sian army dispatch service and have proved eminently satisfactory The fal con himself is q most warlikc bird, and ] ardently resists every attack made upon l him. Warsaw and Brest-Litewski, on thewesteru frontier, have been the seats of these experiments
 As to animals pure and simple the elephant cannon drawers in nse in the British army in India are very familiar, and from the days of the earliest British possession there have done magnificent service. In fact, they were indispensable in the sepoy campaigns The camels of the east are also valuable adiuncts in the battles and forced marches around desert regions, because of their hemen- dous powers of endurance.
 But it has been reserved for Germany to bring forward dogs as war animals ] An exhibition of .war dogs has recent ly been held in Dresden, and some splen. did specimens of canine warriors shown. AS an attacking column these dogs will show formidable front against the sol diery of any other nation, and as dis couragers of hcsitancy during the retreat of an enemy they will prove Invaluable to the regiment possessing them Bri- gades of dragons and hussars will doubtless besuperseded by dog platoons. The only difficulty that the German of ficers foreseei is teaching the dogs to keep ranks until the order "Chargen' is given Internal disscnsions over bones
 and ratioHs are also to be feared Yet, at all events, there will be no difficulty in getting the HeW fmeed warriors to advance upon the enelnyiu spite of shot and shell.
 Event that traditionally stupid ani- mal, the goose, stupid in spite of thefact that she is reported to have saved Rome at one time-has possibility of military glory under the neW ideas. There is an authentic incident of a BNarian regi- ment of light hussars. stationed at In= golstadt, Germany, who adopted ayoung goose during their stay there and made it, through kindness, become 50 lame that 1t was quite inc pet of tha regiment It showed its gratitude by assuming the responsibility of sentry duty and re- mainiug faithfully in the vicuitvGf the sentry box each day from sunrise t0 sun set
 There was no need whatever for the sentry to keep careful Ruard, or even to walk up and down for the geese 1this is historic inciaenD kopther eye open, and when any one approached would set up a tremendous squaWking. The sentry could go to sleep if he pleased land in deed many of them didl Yet, strange to say, no sentry during the e8e4e,s so- journ i'll the camp was ever caught nap ping or found wanting. In fact tine sol diers used to say that the gdose did the best duty i'll the regiment Sueh are ani- mal possibilities of the near future at military outposts, New York World.
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