Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-25

on thei- regiments I'm the twinkling Of an
eye. and Of their own accord. Give out the
uniforms. the arms and the proyisionsi The
regiment will move tomorrow,
1t is in preparation for this splendid act.
to which all France looks forward or pre-
tends to. that the great army mill finds its
excuse for existence. The calling out OF
sections Of the great reserve each year is
merely practice In It, The great thing is
TO be ready.
Late this summer my two friends will go
&c bed one night to take UP in the morning
part of a machine. Military book IN hand
they VIII HE to the railway 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. Zach man there will have been
tfxre before Each scene. from medical ex-
animation to the fitting of the uniforms
and from the forming of the ranks TO
marching on, is to be done as routine
performance The veteran non-commis-
stoned officers are there TO keep them in
their places. Each man has his corvee os
inc day and week assigned him.
food" '''
you will be Of the SQUAD to carry tho
provisions from the railway cars"
duty" '
You are to be attached to such-and-such
You. and you. ard you are To take
charge OF =, many horses tomorrow morn
ing" ~
Woman I'm the Case.
There is a romantic side to the yearly
month OF reserve service which is not neg
lected by such persistent seekers OF gallant
adventures as the French. The comrany
mas reached the village which is to be fits
center OF supply and operation until fur
ther notice. France is full of villages And
villages are fun OF houses Need IL he adj
oe1 that house are fun of-women-pretty
women. as the French say. always? Here
me aHalr becomes complicated.
III Is not exactly because the houses AFRO
iuil or pretty women. but because the VII
iages are full OF houses that the villages
or which all France t. full are always
CHOSEN for "encampment." Thus Il comes
not as a cause but an incident that ali
the camps are fun OF the soft laughter
ana sweet smiles of the eternal feminine
III TINS Is not yet clear, il may be stated in
word that in the modern warfare of o,,ar
crowded, thlckly-built-up Europe the time
monoreo camp-and-tent play little part
troops are lodged in public buildings mar
ket houses and the like. whenever practi-
caDle. ana the balance are assigned To every
village householder for sleeping room The
oi1cers are "billetei'' en- the richer mart ~
tne population. The common soldiers take
.neir chances. according to the fortune OF
There's No Discrimination.
Billet de logement,''-what a series Of
ume-honored sentiment and pleasantly th,
phrase evokes in the French mind9 NV
friend the Partisan dandy may be not So
lucky as my friend the Paris cabman
can see him stalking I'd the village street
the moment he is dismissed from the ranks
TO hunt his camping out place In his
n sa.i' ne hoios card with an address He
SCI utihizes the house stealthiiy as he an
proaches He tries to read the style ana
character OF those who dwell In IL Enfin'
He rings the bell.
Who shall
Try vile to whom he NAV nav commit
ments, and who will whisk around cooiist
tishly to make him comfortable? OR a good
woman, but stout and gone in the vale of
years. VINO VIII slop around quite as CO.
quettishly perhaps-grand Dieu mails com
me cest degoutanti-to make him com
1ortabie-mais non, mails non,
II one were to depend song and story
Ior MS information he would soon come IN
beileNe that the great autumn maneuyers
OF the French army had for their real Oh
1ect the promotion of cordially betUaan
the sexes As the facts are, no res,ervist
OF heart and courage refuses to picture In
himself beforehand certain sentimental ad
ventures OF the months campaign He will
dream OF a shady wood wherein TO do his
picket DUTY, interspersed with chats with
pretty peasant girls. He will evoke TN.
vision of a hurried picnic in th, shad. of
a understanding haystack where the
harum-scarum women of a neighborinp
chateau VIII conceive the charitable idea
a
the poor soldier. And IT, In stern REALITY
ne gets no nearer to happiness than the
sight OF a couple of bicycle girls along a
country road as he goes marching by. he
Will philosophize. say that il is evidently
for the next time" and then come home
Dragging of his 'conquests" just the same
Peoples Sacrifices.
The sober facts of the maneuvers accent
beyond everything else the sacrifices that
a people may be forced into through a
struggle for military supremacy. IL is as
II each French and German citizen should
deliberately agree to give up so much of
his personal liberty and to take upon him
self so much discomfort, year after year,
through life 1t is one thing for those
who like it to belong TO militia companies
and go out to camp" each summer. ID is
a Inherent thing for the whole adult pop
ulatlon to be forced out into war all but
the killing, one month in twelve year after
year. 1t mas not come to this yet simply
because none Of the great powers has be-
gun IL. All the adult males must go out
and year after year; but all do not go out
each year.
To see the clerk leaving his desk the
cabman his high seat the mason leaving
his scaffold. and the clubman leaving his
baccarat; to see them all mix up again.
without exception. year by year shop
keepers, artists. sporting men, school
teachers countrymen and city men, as they
cid for three years when they were youth
full conscrilts, gives one a stronger impress
sion OF the grim oarnestness of continental
standing armies" than any recitation of
mere figures is capable of doing.
England has never yet been able to force
her population into such a Slavery" new
ertheless, today there are more English
advocates of corscription and obligatory
reserve service than ever before. 1t re-
mains to be seen. In the approaching en-
gagements on Cuban soil, how volunteer
Ia nd fArCas will he al fo OF nd
regular troops. The theorists have often
been found in the wrong
STERLING HELLO.
Just the Tune.
From the Chicago Journal.