The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-28
eanp. a. nearly all OF the America,
0uardsmen were7"
An Officers Explanation.


Ever since It became clear that heavy
endorsements would have to be sent to
South Africa the London press has been
full of Statements as to the empires re-
sources" evidently compiled slap-off. with
the aid Of the handiest book of statistics.
by people who either did not know much
Of anything about the subject or else
considered that everybody who plodded
through the Statements was informed
on the exact state of things military, and
20 failed to interpolate anything that
really explained matters. These articles
rambled on glibly enough about "regu-
lars" reserves" militia" volunteers"
and ''yeomanry." but disdained to make
the slightest intelligent distinction be-
tween all these divisions of the soldiery.
An interview which had with an army
officer, however, was more satisfactory.
England he said, has. or had before
the Beers killed a lot of them. regular
army of about III, 400 men. The time of
service In the British army has been
shortened, and, since 1850. men withdraw
ing from It at the end of their term have
been merged into the army reserve-main-
tanned for just such an emergency as the
present-anu they still draw a small wage
from the government. All these reserves.
numbering about 5000, have been order
cd out. and nearly all of them had re-
turned voluntarily to the colors before the
cali was sent.
ITO each regiment of the regular army
are attached two other bodies of men
the militia and the volunteers. The mill
tia consists of men in various employ
ments who enlist for any kind Of service.
home or foreign, and they are under COM
pulsion--as the volunteer Is MOTTO go
wherever they are sent. OF these men q
higher degree of Sail Is required than Is
expected of the volunteers. and every
summer they are put through a month or
more Of the hardest kind of training, re-
ceiving pay for their time and being I'M
der army law for this period-that is to
say, liable to the regular penalty for de-
sertion. or for failure to obey orders.
They number about 1872, 500.
The Volunteer.
''As for the volunteer, he is put through
course Of sprouts much like that which
made fighters for the United States In
Cuba and the Philippines. A volunteer
must be n British citizen, between the
ages Of Is and S. and sound in wind and
limb. The government gives to him his
'armory,' as you call 1t, or Barracks as
we call IT, or at least n big grant toward
1t, and furnishes him with uniform and his
rife-the Lee-Metford. When he enters
the service 1t is understood that he en-
lists for home duty only. In a case like
the present when he is needed for for
eign duty, he may serve or decline to do
80. just as he sees fit. One exception to
this rule, though-in case rs per cent. of
the members of battalion volunteer for
foreign service. then the entire thousand
must go to the front, and there can't be
any hanging back.
THE volunteer is drilled. ordinarily,
twice a week. the minimum number of
drills in a year being sixty. He Is ex-
pected also to attend the school of arms
once week, and there he gets a thorough
athletic training, boxing. single-stick
work and fencing included. We make a
bigger matter of that part of his military
education than you do. think. Then, in
summer he Is sent to the camp at Alder
shot for two or three weeks and soldiers
bit and has special target practice. Ev-
cry battalion, too. Is inspected once
year In Hyde park. and, of course, the
volunteers turn out In every important
parade"
He Doesn't Choose His Omcers.
remarked that the American National
Guard organizations that volunteer go in
with officers of their own choosing.
oh that's fatal!'' he said. There,
suppose shouldn't have said that, but we
ehtnk It Ia, The British yolunteer oeacers