The Washington herald., 1914-10-04
PREPAREDNESS.
b. oRISON sWETT MARDEN,
Author Of Pushing to the Front. Etc

The European war furnishes q wonder
ful Illustration to young and old Of the
advantages Of readiness. Nations which
have been slasF and indifferent as to war
preparations. people who have believed
that the world was becoming too civil
tsed to fight much more. and who have
been lax about war preparations are
learning some bitteri lessons.
one Of the great charactertStics of the
German nation has been not only her
readiness for war, but her preparedness
for war tenergencies, No matter how
far away were the prospects Of war, the
German soldiers and sailors were ever
taught to be Just as prepared for II as
II II were 70 be declared the next day.
In the entire history Of the world there
n not a more notable example OF the
foresight which produces readiness and
wins success than the course that was
taken by Won MoItl0e in making ready
for the Franco-Prussian war that over
threw Napoleon III and the French en-
pire. 1Iore than thirteen years before
every dffice man IN the reserve army had
written or printed Instructions to tell him
exactly what to do In case Of war. Every
commander in the kingdom had, in sealed
envelopes, confidential and special In
struetions as TO the final direction and
disposition Of troops, which were only
TO be used on receipt Of the command TO
mobilize the forces. The military stores.
too, had been placed just where they
could be reached with the least possible
delay and with the least congestion OF
thesraiiway facilities in case Of war.
The program Won Moltke constantly
changed and adjusted to up-to-date con-
dltIons all through those thirteen years,
so as to be ready at any moment for the
call of war 1t is said that the final plans
that were carried out in 1870 were made
in 1855 and that the first plans were
made as early as 1851. The movements
OF the great German army under the
leadership Of that master mind were like
clockwork.
What a contrast IN the French war Of
fee to Won MoItkes painstaking. far
seeing. strategic, sagacious plans! He
left nothing TO chance: France every
thing. French officers telegraphed from
the frontier tN the general headquarters
that they had no supplies, no camping
material, and that they could not collect
all their troops. Everything was in such
confusion that never was the French
army a match for its antagonist. II was
outplanned, outgeneraled, outwitted, out
VI dllNu ever Inc ANeeAN "e-7 49,
Of the most terrible humiliations that any
nation ever experienced
Great generals have often won victories
over a much superior force because Of
their greater readiness and the better
availability Of their reserve forces
Available soldiers are to an army what
ready cash is to a business man in the
time Of a financial panic. a few thou
sand dollars of ready cash are often bet
ter than a large amount Of slow assets.
know Of a concern doing a large busi-
ness which went to the wall in a busi
ness panic for the lack of 5000 ready
cash. The firm had reserves. but they
were not quickly available.
On every hand We see young men and
young women starting out in life without
being hanked and buttressed on every
side with great neutrality-suspicious.
education, training-and. they are con-
stantly falling. Like a weak bank. there
is nothing back of them, nothing behind
them to protect them in an emergency. TO
enable them to meet an unusual run. an
unexpected demand.
The man who expects to do anything
of great Importance in the world must
be prepared for the possible emergency.
He must be large enough for the greatest
chance that could come to him The
great secret OF success is In being ready
for the unexpected.
(CopyrEht. lslL