The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-14

| ing summoned his army from the quiet
ness and seclusion of the grave.
ALEXANDER WOULD BE SORRY.
SO much for the finest army of an
cient days. But most interesting
comparison can be drawn by taking the
| actual modern fighting force of Ameri-
ca on q flying trip back through a
| few thousand years of time and land
| ing them-say-in the year 1888 B. G.
| There would be no force of trained
| fighters even in that fighting age that
could stand up before our army with
out the certainty of defeat for the
warriors of America would outnumber
three to one the army that was able
| to conquer nearly the whole of the then
civilized world-the invincible army of
Alexander the Great. This army of
Alexander numbered scarcely $4,000
men. At Issus, b. c. S33, Alexander, at
the head of the force. is said to have
met and defeated a Persian army of
100000. In 331 B. c., at the battle of
| Arbila, he defeated another Persian ar
my of 6OO,0 In 334 b. c., with a con-
siderably smaller force, he had defeat
ed 10000 Persian and Greek mercenar-
les at Granicus. These three battles
practically brought Persia. to Alexan-
der's feet and made him absolute mas
ter of the ancient world. His So 900 men
were doubtless trained soldiers, but I'm
Gle Sans present force of trained men
tional Guard of America, the number of
all arms serving under the colors ac-
cording to a close estimate Just made.
The army of American fighters trained
for war would therefore number 145, ,931.
Before this tremendous array of men
the much-lauded force of $4,000 of the
conqueriug Alexander dwindles into in
significance, and if conquest can be
made the subject of comparison, the
army of the United States as it exists
| today-regulars and National Guards
| men-could, armed with weapons sim
liar to those in use in AleXanders time,
| nave effectually stopped the latter in
his merry little pastime of subjugat-
ing the world. Afte. stopping him it
could have wiped Alexander and his
men off the face of the earth that they
had started out to subdue, and could
then have proceeded to conquer it
| themselves at their leisure.
These were the greatest armies of
| ancient days-the one great in mum bers
| only, the other in all-conquering valor
and discipline.
| HOW THE WORLD HAS GROWN.
But to turn to other nations; if the
100000 Carthaginians sent in the year
| 4SO b. c. against the Greeks in Sicily
were defeated by a force of $4,000 foot
and 5000 horse led by Gelon of Syra-
cuse, what chance would they have
stood against Uncle Sans 5,OOO, 900 of
men? Hannibaps original army of 100.
600 men, Only small fraction of whom
| crossed the Alps into Italy in 21S r. c.,
would have made a very sorry showing
had the modern American army been
waiting to receive him. The forces
| which threatened all-conquering Rome
with destruction could have been dis
persed without calling out the whole
of the National Guard
| There were vast hordes that invaded
ancient Rome that could hardly be dig
nfed with the name of soldiers-the
| Teutons and Cimbri were nomad
hordcs, practically savages-enormous
in the aggregate, but easily defeated
by trained warriors. Americas regu-
lars could have whipped any of these
vast nomadic tribes without the assist
ance of the National Guard, but if nee
essary they could have been opposed,
man for man, in spite of their vast
numbers, by the fighting force of the
United States today.
Thus, it will be seen, that in drawing
parallels between modern events and
those of ancient history it is very neces-
sary to bear in mind that the world
has grown since the days when a force
one third the size Of Uncle Sans
peace-footing army conquered nearly
the whole civilized portion of it,