Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-01

principal participants could be obtained.
The average conqueror defeated a man
twelve years older than himself. The
average con1ueror has been forty-tlre"
years Old while the average commands"
on the unsuccessful side has been ,ifty-
five. In other words. the average field
commander would seem to be at his bes-
at fOrty-three.
Alexander the Great was. however, but
twenty-five when lie defeated Darius at
Arbela Mohammed II but twenty-three
when lie conquered Constantine at Con-
StantinOple OctaViuS only tWenty-ona
when he and Mare Antony beat Brutus
and Cassius at Philippi. and Bernhard
hut twenty-eiEht when he vanqulshed
Wallenstein at L1Itzer.
At thirty nne William the ConGueror
Won the battle Of Hastings. while de-
I:otiillon was still a year younger w:l@E
10 took Jerusalem. Vt thirty-Seven Gus
tavuS AdplphuS won dt Leipzig. fet"I
the. Great was victor at puitoVa and Ma
pDleon the conqnrror at Jena. whl!e
the last named won Austerltz ut thirty
six, the same age at which Davout van
uliShcd at .Aucrstadt.
When thirty-four. Richard Of the kio,
Heart carried Acre. Edward III took
Greasy and Sheridan won Five Forks.
willie T'iamininlIs when victor at t'ynos-
ce,phalac was but thirty-three. which was
year more than Scipio Africanus COULD
boast Of when he was the winner at Ia
ma. And Hannibal and Napoleon were
each thirty-one when they won their re-
spectivc victories OF Cannae and Ma
relIgo.
Washington was just at this average
age of conaucring OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
when appointed comlnander-in-calef OF
the Continental army. and Grant was a.
year younger when made commander or
ali the Union armies. But Napoleon. by
the time he had reached that age bad
conquered Europe. had relgned eight
years as emperor. had divorced Josephine
and been married twoV years to Maria
Louisa.
Caesar became ruler of Rome three
Years before arriving at this age OF for
tv-three and his military reputation had
long been made: while Alexander the
Great, before he vas within ten years OF
this average, had conquered the world
and been vanquished by the last enemy
which overtakes man. He died at thirty
three, which is five years less than the
average age when iieutenants become
captains III our army. Indeed. Caesar
passed out before he had arrived at the
age when our majors become lieutenant
colonies, Willie Napoleon d ed at about
the age when our captains become majors
Our average American officer now has
still eight years to serve as Il captain
by thu time he reaches this average age
of history's great victors- Even under
The proposed Oslerization scheme. he
would yet have one year to serve as
captain before reaching this age.
Now, as to the modus operandi of the
OsIerization scheme proposed by the army
In the first place. the physical eX-
inRt pNjSfiOp law will no Y
tended to officers il the field grad IS, and
each who is found to have an ''incapacity'
that has 'resulted from his own mis-
conduct shall be honorably discharged
with one years pay only. instead OF be-
ing retired on three-uuarters pay for
the rest of his life. And even those
who pass this examination will be con-
fronted at various successive periods with
graver possibilities OF elimination at spe-
cial retirement rates. depending upon
length of previous service.
Every year there will be Oslerized about
thirty Eight lieutenantS. forty-fOur cap
tains. fourteen majors, six lieutenant
coioneIs and three colonies of the line.