The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-03
GERMAN GENERAL STAFF LAST
WORD IN WAR EFFICIENCY
How The Kaiser's General Staff Selects and Trains Its
Members and Organizes for World Conflict in Times
of Peace.
John Nicholson In New York World.

John Nicholson I'm New York World /
In the gray dawn of a morning early
M August a million gray-clad soldiers
from the vast military camps of Ger
many turned their backs to the rising !
sun and. marching westward, stepped
onto the stage OF the worlds most ap-
Mailing tragedy as the curtain of mist
rose before the growing day. The sin
ister vanguard of this mighty host
pressed forward across the plains. first
d screen of cavalry, a CLINT Of light
striking here and there the scabbard
Of a sabre or the point of a lance,
then the artillery. followed by the
massed ranks of the infantry. Be
hind his curtain of steel, stretching
distance. as phantom legiOns
in the dust-laden air, came the am
muuition wagons with their deadly
freight. the supply trains ready to
furnish the familiar food in a new
and terrible environment, and the
ambulance corps, whose red crosses
carry in their shape the message of
peace and in their color the message
Of war.
The Day'-prOphesied by seers,
sung by poets, longed for by soldiers,
planned for by statesmen-had come
at last; the German army, the most
formidable military machine ever de-
NlSeu by man, ndu thrown us mdlleU
gauntlet in the face of europe.
In a few hours this great army was
To reach the frontier, there to be met
by a hail of bullets from those who
had resolved that If their country was
TO be invaded a full toll of human life
would be exacted before the nation
could be crushed and it's homes made
desolate.
The Fire Test of Efficiency.
II was at this point, Following the
first sharp order of "Fire." that the
test began of the efficiency of that
machine to the perfection of which
Germany has for half a century de-
voted an incredible amount of
thought. energy and gold.
The American public is familiar
with the ultimate terms of efficiency.
We have before us the construction
of the Panama Canal, the medical and
sanitary achievements which made
that construction possible; we know
that in relation to the objects it has
in view the Standard Oil Company is
one of the most efficient organizations
In the world.
In the dread domain of war the Ger.
mar General Staff represents the las
word in military efficiency. In thu
course Of a telegram sent on Angus
l to the King of England by the Ger
h'ANA oSSuAo " ooC VIM
throws n strong and dramatic ligh
upon the ~irrevocable character of tn
plans of the German General Stat
once they have been set in motion
VI am sorry" t~elegraphs the Kaiser
that on technical grounds my mobi
lization cannot be countermanded, be
cause your telegram came too late"
What is this machine which, ono
the starting gear has been put in mo
ton. cannot be checked wen by tn
powerful hand that threw in tn
clutch? OF the soldiers in the rank
need not speak. They are much tn
same as other soldiers, as strong, a
brave, as much subject to the violer
influences of combat; they are perhaE
better trained than other soldiers i
those exercises which are proper I
The profession Of arms.
y careful estimate Of the actu:
strength Of the German army AZ
pearcd in Jun in the Infantry Joul
nal. under the signature of MajG
tantry. He gives the real military r.
sources OF Germany. trained and vi
trained. as about 100000 men.
whom 1000. 900 have at n time
another done a continuous period
service with the colors. The tot
number Of effective troops availab
Tor service in h field armies and
o0AA 40 49,
of whom about 1905 900 would
ciassed as second-line troops.
The higher organization Of the &c
man army Is divided as follows IT
commandments, the Militia
cabinet, the Ministry Of War, and Il
Great General staff.
1t is upon the officers and especial
upon he higher courts that the q
'entlon and curiosity of the world a
now conferred, for it is in the hands
these men that Germany has plac
the training Of it's troops, the prep
ratlons for battle, even the detern
nation in the asst resort of the Wit
question of War or Peace.
Training q Staff Officer.
Let US take a typical case, that
Lieut.. Won Herder, now an officer
me Great General Staff. Twer
years & at the end Of a hard da
work at the autumn t
lieutenant was summoned to the te
VI the colonel commanding his re
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