The Delta independent., 1914-09-25

take tne fruits OF the land
I'VE adhere to the principle of liv.
ing on the country even now tn sucb
an extent as to regard all the sunn,;es
brought up from the base of an army
merely as reserve stock, for cases of
urgent need, when the theater Of war
can not longer yield what is reou;s;te
But in this very particular we are
just at present witnessing a change.
which will be even more marked in
future wars than it was in 1901.
Frederick the Great, in 1855 md
1857, took good care to let his armies
i've on the enemy's country. He wish.
ed to keep his money in his pocket.
to spare his slender excheuuer. and
thus to be enabled to carry on the war
the longer. In the Seventeenth Cen.
tury it was the rule in war to subsist
free of cost, and neither Thurn, Mans.
field, Christian of Brunswick nor Wal.
lenstein had regular funds at his dis.
posal for the maintenance of his army.
They acted to the fullest extent on the
principle that war must support
war.
Now when armies and the daily
expenditure of money are reckoned bv
millions, all that is changed. The sup
plies hastily collected on the march.
or by enforced contributions. are in.
significant, as far as a Saving of
money is concerned. Though the troops
may occasionally eat and drink at
neighbor's expense, the supply depart
ment cannot on that account suspend
its operations, nor the public Golfers
be closed. Considering the care with
which the feeding of such large masses
of men demands, it is impossible to
wait to see if anything can here or
there be found in the country, but the
entire supply for the whole army must
be assured by the state day by day.
Just as great household is carried
on, on the same scale, whether or not
one or other of the family be invited
to dine at another house. so must the
supplies flow continuously for the full
number of men and animals, without
regard as to whether one or the other
army corps chances to be in need of
fresh supplies or not.
If we live upon the enemy's coun-
try, it means that the enemy is not
in our own, and that our country is not
suffering from the presence of the
contending armies. It's taxpaying
capacity and it's credit are not nearly
so much diminished as would be the
case If part of its territory were over
run by troops. But the idea which
might have been justifiable in the
Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries.
that 1t were possible to force an enemy
to yield by carrying the war into his
country, has now a very limited appli-
cation indeed. The possibility Of hold
ing out does not depend SO much upon
whether we are on this side of the
frontier or on the other, as upon our
international credit"
AS proof of the vital Importance Of
proper commissariat arrangements,
Won der Goltz mentions the fact that
during the Franco-Prussian war the
German army. although waging a sue
cessful war in very rich country, was
sometimes in actual want because lis
commissary arrangements were imper.
feet.
The perfection OF processes for can
ming and COMPRISING meats, vegeta-
bles, coffee and soup has done a great
deal to tighten the work of comis-
sary departments, Won der Goltz
points out.
The provisions which are best, and
at the same time most agreeable to
the soldier" he writes, ARE always
those that are fresh. Fresh beef and
mutton, with all sorts of pulse, rice,
potatoes, sauerkraut, rye bread and
for change, bacon, II it can be serv-
ed out winter-smoked and in a state
Of good preservation, deserve prefer.
ence. But fresh provisions have this
disadvantage, that they take up a COM
paratively large space, that they easily
go bad. and are difficult to keep and
cook.
"Artificially prepared provisions are
accordingly an excellent substitute.
They take up but little room, are not
nearly SO heavy as the fresh, SO that
the soldier can carry far greater
quantity of rations without increase OF
weight. A handful of compressed cof-
fee squares, or few bars Of compress
ed soun and Yegefahles thrown info