New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-05
WHAT WAR MAY BE LIKE.
SOME SPECJLATIONS AS TO THE PROBA-
BLITIES OF FUTURE EURO
PEAN CONFLICTS.
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

From The Pail Mall Gazette.
The horror Of the next big war is the waking
nightmare Of Europe The vastness Of the
forces engaged. the tremendous power OF mod
ern weapons, the financial ruin that will over
take the beaten side-all these considerations
tend 10 stagger imaginatiOns n good deal more
solid than those Of pedce-crusading emotional
lists. The Bishop OF Manchester. a level-headed
man II ever there was one, kept well within
reasonable argument when he enlarged at the
Manchester town meeting last night upon
the black future that may be preparing for us
through the developments Of modern milltarism.
II may be remarked by the way. that the terror
inspired by the new Inventors IN explosives and
ordnance has been the CHER cause Of the long
period Of peace that the Continent. as whole.
has enjoyed 50 that arrest of armamentS, II
ever brought about. would tend rather 10 pre-
Cipitate warfare than 10 avert 1t. But more
profitable line II thought is TO be discovered
In the lecture delivered Icy Colonel L.mshe NJ
Aldershot last night On Tine Possible Effect on
Tactics Of Recent Improvements in Weapon
He agrees with the German military critics IN
foretelling that the secret Of victory VIII ne
within the brain of the commander. The big
battle. and with it the campaign. VIII be decided
By sudden and decisive operations depending
upon skill in making use Of the nature or me
ground and employing the art Of inVlsiDihy.
The side that can make good a tactical point
and stick to il will hold an immense adVah.ase
in the tug u war That is TO say every EFFORT
will be put forth To make the most or Inc ar
tillery and rifle attack. a FIRE concentrated upon
one spot TO beat down the fire of the enemy
will be the grand stroke for which the Moltke
of the future will play. To that end ne VIII
study topography with the assiduity OF a schoar
uOring over Il WOrrn-caten manuscript, lie VIII
train his troops to he mobile for every efler
gency. and his officers will be taught TO act on
ne SOUR Of the moment y series OF rusHt~'
masked ley the quick-fring gun, the rnachihe
gun and the magazine rifle, VIII settle nv
fortunes Of the day. one position gained WIN
forr1 the basis for the next until the Dedteh
army. completely outmanpuvred, will either
take to its heels " capltuldle Nall' IL AZ
short will resolve itself more than ever INTO d
huge game Of chess. in which the winner VIII
be the greater master or coilipii'''''" az" 800"
ing power. < Colonial
The deductions to be drawn from Colonel
FINISHES lecture paradoNlnal thoush lhey mag
eoarn are not necessarily in favor or a VAST
aroount Of slaughter. II the European armies
vrero to rush upon their doom as the DerVlshes
did ut Omdurman the Held ho"llzers "ou'H, ~
doubt. pile them up In heaps oil corps"s' J 'u''
as tho lecturer remarked. the forces OF the 'oh-
tinent will probably he found 10 possess but III
tie OF the sticking power OF the Enir m1RhI-
cent fanatics. They VIII be composed Oh con
scripts. taken soreiy against their Will rom lhe
counter and the tail ~ the plough. The increase
of range has necessitated the need OF greater
numbers TO guard against an ehNe,oplhE "lr'
and chat again has added TO the number OF cow
ards The veteran soldier has practically as
appeared during the long period Of peace ana
the statistics compiled by the German General
staff tend strongly to the conclusion lnlt lne
capacity 10 stand up against artillery depehus
entirely upon the percentage oI o'u '"u'''1i-'
in the ranks.
The armies. then that will decide the fate OF
Furopc will be composed of civilians IN military
uniform whose nerves will be tried by the ter
rors Of unknown scientific inventions for hours
narhaps before they get fair chance OF reply
ing II should follow that, after really de-
cisive move on the attacking side. the 0ihcers
OF the defence will be unable TO keep their men
together The temptation OF a snug carriage on
tho strategic railway viii prove too strong for
lads who are little better than raw recruits ana
The chief object of their general Will he TO pre-
vent the retreat from deCenerating into a rout
And with the improvement in the range OF
prOiectiIes increasing the distance between the
tUo armies the beaten force VIII get much
longer start than il did such Il comparatively
short time ago as 1870 This again. should
make for victories far less bloody than the
amateur strategist imaeines. since the pursuer
viii find it beyond human endurance TO over
take and OvefWhem. We may add that the
conscience Of Europe as expressed. however i'm
perfectly in its diplomacy. will recoil from the
spectacle OF an army being hutchered like sheep
in the shambles and that Old Guards. which die
but never surrender. Will become even more
mythical than that OF Waterloo What, then IL
warfare instead Of resolving itself into carnage
on an Unprecedented scale, should revert to the
theatricalities Of the Renaissance in which
armies nanuuyred and counter manGuvred. but
very few were killed? The theory may sound
startling but it may. nevertheless, be realized.
now that the soldier is educated and has been
persuaded by men OF science that ne Is neurotic