The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-25

feCts and adds to the suffering Of the
unfortunate recruits. OF late years
temperance movement has been making
considerable Roadway in the army; but
1t cannot be said that the teetotal oifi
GERS were any more suave In their
tempers than those who INDUCED.
On the whole, the subatern of Ger
man cavalry squadron has an infinitely
harder life than his British equal
though perhaps the expenses Of the Ger
man officers life are not 50 heavy as in
England. More and more demands are
made on his efficiency every year, and
this leads superior officers To show their
zeal by inventing unnecessary work. All
work has to be accounted for in writ
ing and long list Of work done by each
squadron must be sent in each day to
the commanding officer. This is what.
in the British service. is described as
"eyewash." II that functionary Is not
impressed there is fault finding. The
results are often thorough staleness
among the Junior officers, a growing ir-
ritablllty is transferred to the non-coms,
and this IL passed on To the men I'M
der their charge In the form Of brutality.
The German soldier IL a great singer,
or. rather, shouter of lusty songs OF
a simple kind He loves those express
ing elementary emotion. the sentiment
in which usually runs to the trcacly.
The melodies. too, are harsh and bald,
hut they sound rather well when
shouted in bierhalle by leather throats
and accompanied by the banging of
Munich mugs on tables.
have heard n good deal in other
countries Of the extraordinary strata
gems 10 which the young German has
recourse in order to avoid his three
years service. I have heard stLri.1 of
youngsters cutting of their trigger nm
gers, of tanning their feet and otherwise
maltreating themselves in such II way
as to be unfit for soldering. This
however. is mostly nonsense. But
there are means by which service may
be escaped; mostly In the direction of
favortlsm or influence, Universal ser
vice IL the rigid law In Germany, but
as they have many more recruits oach
year than they can possibly deal nth
IL is not difficult to get exemption on the
very fiimSiest pretcXt-thAt Is, II you
have people in the right quarters, with
sufficient influence "A temporary weak
ness OF the heart or n slight defect in
| teeth will probably achieve the result
| But there Is really very little shirk-
| ing
| remember one year when We had a
batch Of very stubborn recruits, mostly
Poles and Alsatans. 1t was just al that
| time that certain armchair critics OF
| the army, which in Germany are num-
| hered by the thousands, were exciting
| themselves over the question Of diet
| Could or could not, the professors ar.
| gucd, the soldier exist on one form ot
| food? They thought he could. They
then thought to experiment. and as W.
had no particular use, in the military
sense, for the recruits OF that year, they
were set aside for the experiment. Sugar
was the magic potion that was to max,
the German army the envy and wonder
OF the world, conquering where other,
failed from lack Of supplies uncon
puered whore others fell by the way
side, sugar, cried the scientists anc
the physical culture experts, liz the sol
der thirsty? Give him a little sugar
Is the soldier hungry? Give him it'll,