The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-28
HEART OF FRANCES ARMY.
4 NOOK REYElLING THE FKELINGS
or THE PRITITH SOLDIER

Tho Hatred For His superiors That this
Private Feels and tho Reasons For IT.
sara Lanes Long Managerial Career
Another Kipling Discussion In London,
LONDON, Aug. 1S.-It was Defoe who was
thrown into prison in the days OF Queen Anne
for publishing political pamphlet entitled
"On a Question that Is on everybody's Mind
but on Nobodys Tongue: What II tho Queen
should Die and What II tho Stuarts should
1AndS" The publicists OF contemporary France
seem TO fear like reward. should they speak
their minds on the all-important question In
their cou.try to-day: what Is in the army Q
heart What will It do II the outbreak comes ,"
IL true that M. Urban Gohier has drawn Q
lurid pictu 70 OF French barrack life; but his pol
emics are too imprisoned for clear judgment
and Il IL not from self-decnrsd enomy OF the
General StafY. that the best account OF tho
army at largo can come.
book published this week In England IL
the most convincing narrative thus far OF the
state OF mind OF the French army. Itdescribes
the feelings that animate the soldiers who, one
would have thought would have inherited
some at least. OF the old traditions OF tho most
gallant and chivalrous troops in Europe. Tho
book Is called. Trooper 1900. a Private Soldier
OF the Third Republic and It In written By N.
Lionel Decle. who has done good work as an AZ
rican explorer. and Is writer Of skill and train
ing. from whom sensational straning for effect
without cause 10 MOTTO be expected. Yet his is
an extraordinary story OF the insolence. the
oppression, and the injustice wbloh the French
private soldier has to endure at the hands OF
his superiors. 1t leaves us In no wonder that
conscription Is an absolute necessity. N. Decle
Joined the army In 1870 when the period OF
service was Ave years instead OF three. Young
men. however. who had the degree OF b. "A. or
BIS. provided they paid $500 to government.
and provided also that they contracted vol
untary engagement within the year preceding
that in which they became liable to consorip-
tion. were allowed TO serve only one year
instead OF Ave. During the next four
years they still belonged to the active army.
and were liable to be called out at any time BY
decree OF the War Minister. Those young men
were Officially termed engages conditionnels.
but commonly polontdires dun an. or by alb
breviation Volontdires. N. Dece Joined
his regiment as polontaire. But this class
OF recruits was never popular with tho French
regImcntal officers. perhaps because It was
thought that its members gave themselves
airs, and the author allows that much OF what
he endured himself was attributable to
this prejudice. He says in his preface
that the Dreyfus case is but q greatly mag
nihsd example Of what daily happens
throughout the French army" Tho Colonel
of a regiment forms his opinion OF private
from the character given to him by his cor
poral or sergeant. and the mere fact OF appeal
ing against punishment Is considered as an
act OF characterization" 1t is. he adds. always
the Same prncipe-"le respect de Ia chose
juoee. the upholding OF a judgment without
considering upon what grounds or evidence 1t
has been delivered"
In the French army non commissioned
officers could infict punishment. and the
author more than hints that they took
malicious pleasure in INJECTING It
on volunteers. A system. he says.
in which gentlemen OF refinement and the
vilest dregs OF the city slums are subjected to
identical treatment, and ruled by identical
measures Of discipline. is an impossible one.
Take punishment. for instance. Equality Of
punishment may sound well In theory, but In
practice 10 becomes the rankest In equality. A
gentleman accustomed to comfort. or perhaps
luxury. IL. for the slightest fault, sent to tho
sale de police to endure the degrading hor-
rors presently to be desoribed-his com panons
are perhaps roughs who have never slept In a
bed since they were children, to whom
dirt Is n mere necessary condition. and |
vermin are familiar beasts Whore Is
the equality OF punishment In such O |
case3 1t must not be thought either
that some com pen sation lies In the compa rative
infrequency OF the punisbments melted out to |
gentlemen. The contrary is the truth. For an |
equal fault the rough usually gets shorter
punishment than the man OF higher class.
The German system Is very different In
Germany they also have the reduced service |
OF one year for young men who have fulfilled
certain conditions OF superior education. But 4.
these einjdh,ro JreiUill0er. as they are called,
form class absolutely distinct from the other
privates, and are distinguished by uniform
OF bettcr cloth. During the hrst mouth OF their
service they live In barracks. wheve they learn
the routine OF q common soldiers duties, but |
afterward they are allowed lodgings In the
town where their regiment Is CHARTERED. and |
they arc altogether treated differently from the
rest"
1t Is impossible that any modern army could
stand system OF graduated punishment for
private soldiers. according to the social status
OF the offender. What NJ Decle makes quits
clear is that frequently French officers are most
unpopular with their men. For striking a
superior. whatever his rank, and whatever the
provocation, the punishment Is death, and re-
prieves are almost unknown. A private, for
striking superior who had grossly insulted
him by calling his mother by the yilest OF
names. was Immediately shot. Indeed,
nothing Is more impressive In reading these
pages than the insoence OF tho language used
BY both commissioned and non commits
sAohSH W hlcu VI tLe rank anu HE. AC-
cording to the French code. any abuse OF au-
thority insulting language. or the unjust In
Fiction OF any punishment on the part Of a
superior officer is hold to be a punishable
offence. But II NJ. Decie's storios are true
that article must be dead letter. As far as
cavalry officers are concerned, NJ Decle
makes the ame,,de honorable on a later paRe
when he says that nowadays most Of the
cavalry officers arc gentlemen. But. he adds.
Il should not like to give so high character
to the French infantry officers. From my per-
sonal experience as well as from all 1 have
heard. should say that very few OF them are
gentlemen" And even in N. Decles own regI-
ment OF dragons. II Is clear that twenty years
ago there were good many who did not come
up to the ordinary notion OF a gentleman,
With regard to the French military system
as whole. hero are few instructive passages:
Il have often discussed with French officers
the question Of why mounted infantry have
never been tried in France. but all the French |