Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-04
Character of the Forces Just Called
Out by England.
MANY OF THEM ARE Old VETERANS
The Organization IS Sneered at by
Some Fore N Critics,
PHYSIQUE OF The RESERVES


from tho London Standard.
Although hardly q year passes without
portion of her maj-S Us army, British or
native. seeing active service in some part of
the empire. The nation remains curiously
ignorant OF everything connected with its
military system. To me vast majority of
EnGii-hmen. mobilization, the process by
which troops ordered on a campaign are
made ready to take the field. is a sealed
book, and on the subject Of the reserve
there is worse than iSuoTanCe-there Is ac-
tual miscouception. Many people have been
led To believe b. pcsSImis,s that the reserve
Is a mere paper force, Of little or no value
i'll time OF war; whereas. as u matter of
fact. the reserve Is the keynote of the Brit
iSh military system. + IS of comparatively
modern growth. During the Crincan and
Indian mutiny campaigns the absence Of a
body Of weII-trained and weii-disciphned
men who could be caAled upon TO make
good the waste of war in the ranks was
grieVsusly felt, and during The next lew
years feeble attempts were made TO create
such reserve, bus without success. In
1870 Mr.. Cardwei, then secretary OF state
for war, laid the foundation of the reserve.
Recruits We're enis,ed IN the army for
twelve years, of which the nrst six were
TO be passed in the ranks, the remainder
in the reserve, with the liability 10 be re-
called at any time during the latter SIX
years il government considered II neces
SaTy to increase the strength Of the army.
To compensate them for tEis liability, they
received SIXpence a day. This system has
been in force for neariy thirty years, and
with good results; not only are there now
some eighty thousand men actually SerV-
ing in the reserve, and. therefore liable for
active service in an emergency. but large
number Of Old soldiers, ON completing their
time in the reserve, en-lst in the militia.
and thus greatly increase the value OF the
constitutional force. On the continent the
reserves are annually called out for a
month ) training for several years after
they leave the cylOrS. in England this is
not the case; it has on-y been considered
necessary to give the reserve men a very
short course Of instruction in the drill of
the Lee-AietfOrd rifle, from which, doubt
less from motives of economy. actual firing
with ball cartridge was omitted.
Sneer at the Reserves.
Foreign critics sneer al the British re-
servists. and predict that they Will be of
little use In the field. because their dis
cipline and military knowledge have not
been annually revived by months rigOr-
Gus training. They forget that the con-
1inent soldiers only serve Two. or possibly
three. years in the infantry and artillery,
while in the BRUSH army except in the
guards. engineers ana army service corps,
where enlistment for three years with the
cuIOT~ and nine years III the reserve = pet-
mlttedI every man has served at least SIX.
and more often seven, years in the ranks.
In other words, he has been subjected 10
continuous course Of military training at
least three times as long as th2L OF the
German infantry man. :. .IU now only serves
two years, and at least double that Of the
French private, who nUmluaIly remains for
three years i'll the ranks Of his battalion.
And il must be remembered that continuity
of discipline is the thing which makes the
soldier. In the course Of SIX or seven
years UnbrOken service. the habit of
prompt. unqueStiOniuS obedience becomes
SO deeply ingraiued in mans nature that
he never loses it. ana, once back in the
ranks, he fOrgets the Independence OF civil
life. and again becomes a part Of the ma
ChiHery Of the corps 10 which he belongs.
Among the men who are Row being called
up from the united kingdom are many
who have served in campaigns in Egypt
and on the northwest frontier of India;
others have passed through the troublouS
time Of our occupation of Crete; others,
again, have taken part III the expedition
bloodless. no doubt but still highly inStruc-
tiye-tD Ashanti, on the west coast OF Al
RIGA. Though the reseryists who. on leav-
Ing baJtaIious stationed in Natal and Cape
Colony. have been allowed u settle IN
South Africa have not been actually Shot
over" they have al any rate been trained
in the tactics required TO meet the Beers,
and possess the advantage of understand
ing the country and tne ways OF the colo
nists with whom they will be associated in
active service.
The Ex-Rc>eryist.
49, Lg,b has
O"ihS 20 the 'eAIs'H u 'i''N
elapsed since II became necessary 10 ca't
out any part Of the reserve comparatively
fev. - rbe iunior cornh;,tant officers OF the
-. -. ,..,..,.., ,,.;,b
army ia' O7si- u ''7-'' NJ
the men composing ms pFahch OF the ser
vice. II l. hardly TOO much 10 say that,
1-ifb the. .yc-utian of the adiUraDt.. of the
d4n,rs who have been euul0ved in teach
IN rh4 r---rvi.tS the manual and firing ex-
erCfsts of the. magazine rifle no officers uu-
der Heyd rank nave had experience in
h4udIiuy reserve men These aGiutants
sneak in htgb term, OF the men. they found
them easy L. uaulA, ANXIOUS 10 learn,
ar,-uabl. 10 dISc.pI.ue But if the regular
ARMY for the uogI part know little of the
reyersiSts. the officers Of the militia can
give valuable. evidence on their behalf
Many soldiers On me cI1np.etiou of the
twelve wears for Val cb they enlisted in the
army ioin fh. n.i-t.a in some cases h.
cause they are not in regular work. in DIN
erS for sheer love. If rE. .,,d life Thu mere
fact If their being abr, To i.:u proves that
1hey arr nor. a. a rII.- 7r1oDl, The besf If
The .x-reservc men VINO are always in fuII
work I;5Ir as sCid. ers they are ..r-.i.rt
II is Interesting to watch an ..y-r-ser,,4 man
eS he Ju1r,,a,l2.s rho r..Ir.s ~ rba h9rg,(l
where Jh- militia battaLon which he has