The chronicle=news., 1913-03-07

ihoues Sa03Ses EuBiI4u SStcs IN
the l.ondoa Daily Mall. points les
sons TO the British army. - follows:
The sharpnei-it Is hell!"
Tho wouag TUX. his eyss like
saucers. his dress dishevelled. ran
like . hunt-d hare along the per-
manent way. caught up the train. |
and swung himself on to the foot |
hoard. Tho fear Of death was npon
him. His destination waa Constan.
tinonle. Only ten days ago We had
sseen him In tho Grande Rue de
Pera. Then he was disguised as =
soldier. His new khaki tunic fitted
him To perfection. Ills kalpak was
set rakishly over his right eye. Tall
or and bootmaker had made him
a soldier. aud he was anxious that
all Pcra should admire their art.
With all my sriends going TO
Sofia, how could rcmaln!" he ex-
plained arIly as he osle6 q passing
Levantinc beauty.
What q contrast! Ten short days
and this same popinjay was craven
fugitive. fleeing with tho terror OF
Bulgarian sharpnel In his heart.
We turned sadiy away. The Dull
garian sharpnel was not 80 terrible
after all. Tho eompetent authori.
ties had agreed that the ranging and
fusing Of their fire had not been
M to the standard. Neither had
they pushed their batteries forward
enough really to reap the full I'owe
from the gun they loved 70 well.
Nevertheless they had served their
pieces we'll nocuGh to terrify those
amateur soldiers. who hnd thought
that the ganc Of modern war only
comprised hystcricai patriotism and
n khaki tunic.
II mus, bc admitted that the first
baptism by Sharpnel In terrifying:
tho succession OF whlp-like cracks
overhead: tho countlexs duSt.spurta
OF the strike: the fatal effect when .
doseu may be taken In nash: the
awful head wounds pumping red
blood: the agonised moment OF real.
ixation that there Is no projections
from above: that when you else you
are u mark for the rifle. while the
moro prone you lie the larger the
target for sharpnel.
There is only one force that can
control men when under the lash Of
shaTpncl. That force IA discipline.
way to the habit OF discipline. Ev-
of bullet or seen q dog-tired sen.
Patriotism. intelligence. physical
the months OF patient abuesation Of
which the hypnolism Of dtscipline
- -
does not even admit OF that elaIs
fsSAA:n7i.es save the day when
strain. The Balkan war has defln.
colored official reports published III
spite Of the Imaginative wfltingS ct
entA. the struggle In Thrace aud
close fighting. Sharpnel, machine
the issues at . thousand yards. The
swept the hearts out Of tho undis-
hest disciplined force has won.
=
means that while We have regular
hest led, best found and best discip.
lined In the world. ret We have
nothing battleworthy behind II. The
ciently disciplined nor sufficiently
trained to meet any professional
army. be the latter ever 10 small.
fc 10 nh De-
fessional soldiers OF experience have
nencc. Force OF circumstances. in
terwoven with the political element
that orders the military destiny OF
eoldier's voice. The naion conse-
4uently is the piaythInx OF that
pur<icularly vicious type OF AFRO.
perior education can be fashioned
into reliable fighting material with
but soupcon OF military training.
Smartness Of parade movement and
the general trimmings to military
by the intelligent citizen. The dog
ged Difference to superior control
that should rlse superior to all in.
sHvidual inclination-the quality
which IL the fundamental element OF
all professional soldiering-is more
difficult to the intellectual than to
an imaginative class. =. !.
This Is the crux OF the whole ques.
tion of military efficiency. Gran
diloQuent speeches md theories
based on the experiences of our par
tisan war in South Africa cannot al:
ter the indisputable fact that the
country that believes vt can lift its
head among nations aud defend its
dignity with partly trained troops
will go down before the cohorts OF
disciplined adversary In the same
manner and with the same stupefy-
ing rapidity az the Ottoman armies
melted before the Balkan allies.