The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-28
WAR ECHOES


 Grant came prominently to the front in 1863 by his capture of vIcksburg he was fl years old. Meade the victor of Gettys- burg. was at the same time 4s, Sherman was 43 and Sheridan was s2 years old. When Stonewall Jackson was killed in that same year he was but s9 and when Mcclellan was placed in command of the Union forces in 1861 he was only 8. These ages are interesting because they are in such striking contrast with the advanced years of the men who are in command of the armies now baDin in Europe. On the German side General Von Emmich, the captor of Liege. Is 66, and General Von Kluck is eS General Von Hausen, who recently gave up the command of the Saxon army, Is 6S; Gen. erai Von Moltke chief of the German general staff, is es, and General von Hin derberg, who is in command in East Prussia, is G. Nearly all these officers took part in the Franco Prussian war of lSfo. On the allies side Earl Kitchener IS 64; Smith-Dorrien 56 ,and Sir John French 62 The three French generals Pau, Joffre and Gallieni, are all ap- preaching 70
 From this statement of years it is easy 10 Infer that modern warfare demands in generals mature Judgment and experience rather than the superabundant energy and high personal courage that were SUD- posed to be the distinguishing marks of the old time warrior. The comman nder of the present day seated at headuuarters. miles from the scene of action and receiv- Ing rom his subordinates reports by wireless, by telegraph or by telephone, is more likely to be white old man possessed of great knowledge of the art of war, and resourceful and imagina- tive, but possibly deficient in physical vigor, rather than a commander of the type Of Napoleon, or Hannibal, or Alex ander the Great, and other youthful mil- tary prodigies of their day.
 In view of the ages of the leading Ger man and French generals it would seem that the United States follows mistaken policy when it makes retirement com pulsory at 64 for the army and 62 for the navy If European precedent counts for anything, and it certainly should, our generals and adnirals may be at their
 
 that dead line.
 New York Sun: Since it has not always been the fortune of the Sun to approve the work of MT. Bryas in the state de- partment, we have the greater pleasure in giving cordial praise to the courtesy, the patience and the success with which that department has helped many thou SC de nf d. in Europe, lost in the tangle of mobiliza- tion and war.
 The helpful Impulse and activity at Washington have been shared by the agents. diplomatic and consular, of the department A good work has been done better than well and it should be record ed and remembered gratefully
 Baltimore Evening Sun: We notice in dispatches that among the Indian troops now fighting for England on the conti- nent of Europe are seven or eight bat talions of Gurkhas, or roughly 5000 men. As these men comprise one of the most interesting branches of Englands native Indian army, some facts concerning them may serve to vitalize any further refer ences to them in the war news of the NoSs ouihhh iS Qciittu lIOill tHo two words 'gau," meaning COW, and ''raks," to protect, the COW being sacred to the Hindus, whose religion they profess. The Gurkhas come from the province of Nepal, which supports a sturdy, inde- pendent population of some 5,20O GOO souls. It is SO sturdy and independent. in fact, that common phrase the rulers use when speaking of popular opinion is But what will the 5,2O0,0OO say to this?" In this population the Gurkhas are the ruling race. They resemble the Japs in ap- pearance. but are of a stouter, stronger build. England, by agreement with the government of Nepal, which Is a semi independent province, recruits about 10000 of them for her army. and they make capital infantrymen. being brave. hardy and self-reliant. They are formed into 10 regiments of riflemen of two bat talions each, and in addition to the rifle and bayonet every man carries his kukri, a heavy carved knife, which is their na- tional weapon. At the time of the great Indian mutiny in 1S57-5s the Gurkhas re- mained loyal to Queen Victoria. Both then and in all subsequent fighting they have always displayed conspicuous cour- age and daring. The Gurkha has an in- born contempt for other orentals. but admires and fraternizes with the Euro pean. This is in part due to the fact that the Anglo-Indian officer is almost always an ardent sportsman, as is the Gurkha, and thus they have sportsman's tastes in common. Furthermore, coming from the highlands of Nepal, they have an ec- pecial fondness for the Scotch Highland regiments. We have already heard some thing of the exploits of the Turcos and we shall look forward with interest to hearing the European record of the cheer ful little Gurkba.
 LUKE M'LUKE SAYS From the Cincinnati Enquirer. The peace plan is certainly making great strides in this country. There was tfrfao xrsh.. att11 xt -A-r