The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-02-20
B|GELOW GIVES
FINAL LECTURE
At OLD BROWN

y
Last evening Mr. Poultney Bigelow de-
livered the last OF his lectures which hss'e
been given I'm Sayies hall on Monday even
ings for the past few weeks. HIS subject
last night was the one which wss 10 have
been delivered two weeks ago on German
militarism; but which had TO be postponed
on account OF the speakers illness. He
said In part:
feel solemn. this being my last night
st Brown. feel tender. When i got into
hot water with the Boston university.
thought Brown would tell me TO dtsap-
pear The press Is a terrible thing. ]
have been through IL twice and don't
want TO go through Il again. have not
been made a member OF the West Point
mess. which J. consider n great academic
horror just at this time. ! hope you Will
pardon my self-infation. but as West
Point In my native town and / have been
90 closely connected with some OF the Of
hcers. I can't help but express my salts
faction.
My subject is German MiIitarism' and
its relation TO civil liberty. j feel that
ought TO tell with what right ] touch
upon this subject. j have been fortu-
nate enough 10 be present at every army
"a ton IN not only perfect on paper but On
reality as well
We have the same system on paper. but
no attempt has been made to mobilize IL.
by that / mean, going through actual
movements OF war except the firing OF
ball cartridge
You must realize how one regiment Is
Ike another A regiment on the Rhine
would match perfectly with one on the
Poland frontier. Fifty thousand men are
all equipped and ready TO go TO war.
Every general knows where 10 go Every
wagon Is prepared, every horse Is noted.
In a hours notice. after the pressing OF
the button in Berlin. they arc ready TO
march. TO say nothing OF the 100000 men
who form the reserves. IT is perfect be-
cause a. Is popular
want 70 dwell on this perfection. Be
cause military service IL bad do not think
bad OF Il. I've seen things there ! would
NOT Hike 20 see here. There are abuses
OF the system. II Is impossible 10 base
what say on statistics. 1t is much like
our own system in that officers are not
allowed TO criticise the army In pub
lie.
had the fortune as a boy 10 be In Ger
many when she warred with France.
Nothing could surpass the ease OF the
movement OF troops through the country
where was staying. There was less con-
city II is the result OF annual practice.
Our navy Is constantly practIcing. but our
armies remain inactive Many Officers
went to the Spanish war and didn't know
what to do.
We are more easily satisfied. We have
been reared IN the belief that there 10 no
occasion for having a military organiza-
tion. We have state militia but not ma
tional militia
We have liberty OF expression IN press
and outside possibly with exception OF
Boston university but our army officers
cannot discuss things. Consequently we
lose much informa don
When the war OF '9s broke out. the
truth had 20 come out mixed up with
disease and disorganizaton. and the re-
suit might have been more serious.
The German system rests on historic
reasons Napoleon chased the troops OF
Frederick all over Germany like hares.
Germany don't like TO be reminded OF IT.
Prussia felt contempt for Napoleon. He
met them and scattered them. Then Ma
poleon marched TO Moscow. when the
German people rose UP and did not revive
the army the aristocracy had planned.
but organized a national militia. Every
man rich or poor shouldered musket.
The army marched to Parts in 1914 and
again after Waterloo in 1915. The system
was brilliantly indicated in 1870 and now
every country has followed her example
except England and the United States.
There is such thing as failure OF such
a system. People want to carry IL to ex-
tremes. want to copy II because IL has
worked successfully some where else. The
German officers became exceedingly popu-
lar. were attentively listened TO and the
cause OF marked attention wherever they
went, especially after the Franco-German
war. But soon the modest officers died OFF
and their places were taken by younger
men OF conceit A new principle has been
advocated that the officer should live by
himself. and now as caste has been form
ed that caused peculiar situation. So that
democracy stops at the officers corps In
so far as he represents feudal leadership
10 people. the system works well But
when he uses his money 10 attain these
distinctions the result is that there are
men in uniform just as brutal as out OF
II.
So you find scandal. cases Of suicide and
official pressure brought to bear TO keep
II secret II Germany should go TO war
today. II would not 20 with the same en-
thusiasm as II did in 1870. Dissatisfaction
would soon be apparent In the ranks.
Many officers would be shot in the back.
We must fan the probability Of non-or-
ganization some time. The scenes OF his
tory shift quickly. When I think of things