The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-31

ICSc SlNCS 4GAl iQCd VI lAAC
in which the French republic main
tains her strength SIS .colonizer and a
nation Of war and conquest
Mobilization means the prompt
gathering together and throwing out
upon the frontier of an equipped and
organized army When there is no
army, there can be no mobilization OF
one; you cannot mobilize" a people
simply, however patriotic it may be.
Nevertheless, the phrase standing
/ army" may be misunderstood In one
sense the standing army of France is
standing today; but in another sense
a great part of it is sitting down. OF
the 1000 600 men of which it is COM
posed, on paper, and of the 1,OOO,UOO
men which the republic would throw
I out on her borders in the first week or
hostilities, the great mass are. at the
I moment, quietly going to their business
/ and their pleasure. simple citizens TO
( all appearances They constitute the
I reserve" of the army; and, To be eX-
( act it is the reserve that is modified.
The standing army, in more re-
stricted sense, is only the framework OF
{ the greater body; and ii, too, is com
/ posite concern, made up of something
permanent and something shifting. All
I it's commissioned officers are fixtures,
/ being educated for a definite career.
pursuing it through life, and knowing
/ nothing outside of the military exist
ence And with them there live and
move, year in, year out, the family OF
the engaged" - enlisted men-a
great mass of soldiers-by -choice who
may we'll be compared to our own reg
ulars. These form the real inner frame
work of the modern continental army
They make the mill through which
must pass all the male material Of the
nation.
Entering the mill as "conscripts," all
the youth of France, without exception,
must be formed, by three years SerN-
ice. into soldiers. This is the first pro-
cess. Then the mill let's go of them, TO
this extent, that they may reaosorD
themselves in private life-but always
as reserves Year after year the &C
tive reserve thus accumulates. Inc
army mill has never said goodbye 10
them Year after year the army mill
must call them back again, to keep
them in their places, by the process OF
the annual maneuvers. This is the
second procesS-practice in the great
war act of mobilization.
I have a friend, Frenchman ana
Partisan, a young gentleman OF enVla-
BILE fortune and position, who in sum-
mer time is wont to make the round OF
mountain-spas, seaside casinos, tram
de luxe and pleasure yachts; and
have another friend, a cabman, who
spends all the year in what he says is
toll This autumn both Will nave
change. The rich young man mas hau
to give up a whole list of autumn
pleasures: the young worllingman Is
to take what he looks on rather as
holiday; and both will be together. The
three of US were riding in the cabmans
cab the other night, when the more Tor
tunate of the two Frenchmen spoke up
suddenly:
'Tiens, 1 know you-you are Ravel?
TIE one they called Giuseppe In the
regiment
Eyes, monster, l knew you instantly
I often seen monsieur"
Then both were silent for moment
"How many years has it been now
''Three years since we were out last,
said the cabman, land seven years
since we were of the classe.
"A, long time
* long time"
"And it is this year we go out again?"
Eyes, monsieur, this year we are it
again. am
Again to peel potatoes!
again to listen to the corporals Ian
guagel" -,
Again to do forced marches-ah!
They both said "Ah:" to that, for
pleasure in excessive walking.
81 must go into trdining-oof.
"And me" (the French say "me'O
land me. quot! My feet swell already
at the thought of it,"
I'VE should have been of the cavalry,
Ravel."
(which means, Monsieur, now you're
talkingi') Then. as the rich man left
the cab and paid the poor man with
a. handsome tip, it was Good night,
Ravel. and au >revoirI" and 'Merci,
n.onsieurl" (thank you, we shall meet
again"
When they meet again this year the
moor man will not say Monsieur" nor
viii the rich man resume his coade-
srending tone. They will be Casse-plpe
and the grand Chariot, in regiment
slang. "old brother" and odd dog,
and even the familiar old cow os
fraternal confidence and and Dleasan-
try.
Each of these men, like hundreds of
thousands of others, keeps at home MS
s.,,iIitarv book" which it would be
rank dishonor-and even rank punish
Ipent-to lose 1t contains the record
of the Frenchman's three-year army
service as a conscript. It contains the
record of his service in the reserve II
has his almanac to show, down through
his future life. the ye rs in which ne
mist ego out" in the maneuvers. 1t
contains his route" and railway ticket.
Ard on the outside there is inscribed his
company and regiment in the reserve.
OF these the route" and railway ticket
are the most significant. They are to
q rye in case of real-not practice
nc utilization.
When the sudden call to arms comes,
in the feverish crisis of the future.
when all virile France must pour itself
upon the German frontier, there must
be no confusion, hesitation or delay
Each man must have his railway ticket
in his hand. And, following their
routes" from every part of France,
the soldier citizens must pile in on their
regiments in the twinkling of an eye,
and of their own accord. Give out the
uniforms, the arms and the provisionsi
the regiment will move tomorrow
1t is in preparation of this splendid
act, to which all France looks forward,
or pretends to, that the great army mill
finds its excuse for existence. The
calling out of sections of the great re-
serve each year is merely practice in it.
The great thing is to DE ready.
Late this summer my two friends VIII
go to bed one night to take UP in the
book in hand they will HE to the rail-
way station or the Paris barracks, as the
case may be, to stand in line and answer
the roll-call. There can be no amateurish
ignorance or confusion. Each man there
will have been there before. Each scene.
from medical examination to the fitting
of thr uniforms, and from the forming or
the ranks to marching off, is to be done
as a routine performance Inc veteran
non-commissioned officers are there to
keen them in their places. Each man has