The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-06
MARCHING.
The Pace in Different Armies and the
Effect of Music.
(From tho st. James Gazette. }

war, has, at the moment, special inter
est. The figures are those of the estab-
lished regulations" of the several ser
vices, and 1t appears that the length Of
the Russian soldiers pace is II cent?
meters. of the German so, while the
French, Australian, Italian, Belgian,
Swedish and Swiss soldiers all tread q
pace of rs centimeters. The Italian sol
der takes 100 steps in minute, the
French from 112 to 116. the German 115,
the Australian liz, and the Belgian Tic
steps. An Italian regiment marches at
the rate Of SO meters in the minute, q
German regiment at 50, an English ut IS
and 81 6nch. regiment at IS meters per
minute. The meter is equal to about 800
inches, and in English measure, thersi
fore, the rates of progression of 1.-The four
last mentioned regiments would be
(about) as follows: The Italians, IS
yards per minute the Germans, 81: the
English, 95; the French, SO yards par
minute. 1t may be mentioned here that
by the regulations Of the British service
our slow march consists Of rs 30-inch
pac5s to the minute, this measure being
used Only on parade and for occasions Of
solemn pageantry. The quick march, in
which all evolutions are performed, in
creases to 10 PAGES, while the double"
rises to 100 PAGES in the minute.
1t is now generally agreed that as ath-
letes the moderns are stronger and liable
TO obtain more results from their exer-
tions than the anclents." Whether this
may be justly. said 10 reference Il mill
Etary prowess is perhaps not quite so clear.
The standard pace. of the Roman soldier
Yves the same as our own (30 inohes), the
length of 5 feet being really the measure
menJ of two steps or the space from
the place where either foot was lifted up
to that on which the same foot was again
set down. The Roman mile of l, 600 PAGES
was equal TO ratherf more than nine
tsnths of our own statute mile, and the
iegions usually marched at tic rate of
twenty of their miles { say eighteen OF
| ours ia five hours. But Lthis was often
exceeded on emergency, and to estimate
the true quality OF this performance it
must be remembered that the Roman
foot soldier carried load of some sixty
pounds weight besides his arms. jose
plus says that on the march he was 'but
very little different from beast of bur
den." Lord Wolseley tells us that di-
vision can march two and a half miles
an hour If very well managed, but that,
as rule, time should be calculated at
two miles an hour, including ordinary
halts.
The rationale Of oadenced marching Ii
too obvious to require analysis, and all
modern marches are, as far as posi- bile,
made to some kind of music. Sounds
said Il graft master of military science,
| have great secret power over US, dis
posing our organs to bodily exercises,
and at the same time deludtna as 1t
we're, the toll of them" II the bana is
| broken up, Lord Wolseley counsels Off
GERS TO call upon the drums and bugIes
Ihe troops march 100 per cent better
| than in silenCo;n and this resource also
| failing. the men should be got to sing
| by companies. IA this was we'll under
stood by tie anclents. Plutarch describes
| the observation-disclosures, when advancing to
fTtBBlhl6aca, lis keeping pace to the time
OF their lluies: their music leading them
| into danger cheerful and unconoerned. -
Most of their actual marches, however,
were performed in silence.
Sedate and silent move the numerous
hands;
No sounds, no whispers, but the chief 4
comm ands.
Those only heard.
As Josephus also records. "When the
Roman soldiers marched out of their ell
campment they advanced in silence u
The Jews were accustomed to sine
psalms when marching out to war; but
this was probably the expression of re-
| ligious fervor rather than of military
instinct. There lie, however, some ap.
/ oh TO- ..1,<
] that it was ito preserve the military pace
| of the ancient soldiers that martial
sounds were invented and drums intro
| duced.'
With such widespread experience OF
| It's ad vantages it is remarkable that Ca.
dsneed marching shouid have fallen into
almost total disuse during the middle
ages. 10 remove this defect in the
| French military SYSTEM was one Of the
chief labora Of Marshal SAKE. In the
middle of the last century the musical
instruments ofSthe French arfny were as
| poor as most of the se-oalie0 "marohes'
Of their composers 1hey might, indeed,
| have turned their flies and drums to bat-
| ter account; for she nature Of their dis
oipline is sufficiently indicated by the
| following observation by Marshal SAKE
las every man is suffered to consult His
own ease and inclination, some march
| slow and others fast; but what is to be
| expected from troops that cannot be
brought TO keep one certain regular
pace?" On the contrary, their we'll
| ordered marching was the glory of the
Ptussian troops, and the victories of
Frederick the Great at Roshaoh, Leuthen
and Zorndorf were greatly dus to this
superiority. At this time the Germans
had marches of great merit as musical
computations, and the French poverty
| in this particular was, in fact, relieved
| from German source. They also adopt
ed many Of the German instruments, Rs
well as others in use among the Walloon
regiments AT this date Handel had
given to our troops the stately measure
OF the march in "Soipio" and many an
other composition of a similarly marked
| character. But the time was not yet
for such strains as the march in "Die
Zauberflote," or for the solemnity of
Beethoyen's funeral dirgcs.
Trof1