The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28
THE WORLDS ARMIES.
A Review of the standing Forces In
All Europe.


Cw A. Penn, in Pearsop's Weekly)
When we say that France has an avail
able army of 1870. 600 men We do not re-
aiize that Il means every fourth man
one person out of every nine in France
is a soldier, and that were France to call
| out all unframed men liable TO service
every other male in the country would
be under arms. Amassed in an eight-deep
column, the French war army would De
$40 miles in length Germany has force
nearly equal TO France; ii is only five
miles less, though 1t should be remember
ed that France could nearly double her
army by calling out her unframed reserve
of 40O0.0Oo men. The Austrian army is
only 2S4 miles long, and that OF Italy
rather more than half that length
Europe has been described as huge
camp, and the barracks are simply the
homes of the people. We have shown
| that every ninth person in France Is
trained soldier and another one is la
ole to be called upon TO fight. In Ger
many there is one soldier to every dozen
persons-every sixth male. The Austri-
an army is made up of every eleventh
soul in the empire, and the Italian army
consists of one-seventh of the population.
The population of Russia is so great that,
enormous though the army is, only one
person out of every fourteen is soldier
Every five families in France contribute
three soldiers and are ready to send an
other trio, unframed though they be. Ev-
cry other Austrian household has one
member in the army and the same state
exists in Germany. Every third Italian
family sends forth a son TO fight for the
country, but only two homes out of ev-
! cry seven in Russia are called upon to
sacrifice a male for her defense.
On every square mile of territory
France can place twenty-one soldiers,
Germany and Italy twenty each, Austria
fifteen and Russia only four-fifths OF a
! soldier.
How does Great Britain stand, viewed
In the same light? She has only one sol
der, including reserves and volunteers,
to every ffty-five persons. and only every
eleventh family contributes one soldier
for the defense of the British Empire.
If the army of 100000 men had only to
defend England. Ireland and Scotland
there would be eighteen soldiers per l. 900
of the population, or six TO every square
mile. But the area which the British
army defends and guards is the greatest
in the world, while the army is the
smallest commensurately. The total land
forces OF the British Empire do not exceed
million men. while the area is 1880 600
miles, and the population 400, 900, 900. That
is to say, there is only one British soldier
Including volunteers, etc. to every Ii
square miles, and only one soldier to ev-
cry 400 of the population. Into the value
of the British fleet Che largest as our
army is the smallest) II is impossible to
enter but whatever be It's value there
is no doubt that the British Empire is
defended by a force, proportionate to its
charge, the smallest the world has ever
seen.
No one has ever realized the vastness Of
London. but it would take two Londons to
lodge the united war armies of the five
great European powers and another three
to accommodate their reserves. Imagine
coming into London some morning, find
ing the great city deserted by its inhabi-
tants and occupied by soldiers. Wherever
you could turn you would be confronted
by uniformed men, and even the recurring
challenges of the sentries could not i'm
press upon you the fact that London was
occupied by foreign soldiers. No women.
children or civilians to be seen; every
where through all the streets and roads
nothing but soldiers-soldiers and arms
everywhere
And then inlagine-if you can-fve
such Londons. Fiye Londons crammed
with soldiers. armed to the teeth and
trained in the best methods of killing
their fellow creatures wholesaler
And these are merely the armies of
Russia. France, Germany and Italy.
while all the smaller European states
have armies as large in proportion. Swift
zerland is the only country which does
not possess a standing army, the consti-
tuition forbidding it. But the Swiss re-
pubic is well able to defend itself; mill
tary training Is compulsory, and should
occasion arise the Swiss army would
number $3.50 trained men. with 24O 600
unframed men to fall back upon for re-
cruits. In the smaller states of Europe
the standing armies number 1885, 900 men
and the war forces 3.412,000, or 5,47O,OoO
men with reserves.
In Europe at this present moment there
are $3.50, 900 men whose daily work 1t is
to study and prepare for warrior the
wholesale execution of their fellow crea-
lures. Were war actually to break out
16. 10000 trained men would take the
field, and were all available fighting men
to be called out. a. ZOO. 900 soldiers would
be fighting on the battlefield of Europe.
On every square mile of Europe nine
soldiers could be placed, and to This force
there would be only seventy-nine civil
ians One person out of every ten-eyery
fifth man@-dp Europe Is a soldier.