Semi-weekly herald., 1914-08-20

to-hand conflict with dubbed guns
and bayonet thrust and circling sa-
bers.
In that battle with those primitive
weapons the slaughter was terrific.
Fifty-four thousand of the allies
were killed or wounded and Naponeon
lost 10000 out of his 100000 men.
The battle ragged for six days, and
resulted in the defeat of Napoleon,
his retreat to Paris and his banish-
ment to Elba.
Within year he escaped, returned
to France, and within an incredibly
short time had recruited an army of
100000.
Ninety-nine years ago last June,
with an army of about 125,000 men,
he fought the fateful battle of Wa
terloo. His loss was more than 3d.
600, and the loss of his allies was
only few thousand less. but the
battle resulted in his complete and
final overthrow.
Europe has felt the effect of the
Napoleonic wars for century.
France, especially, was nearly de-
pleted of its young and vigorous men.
All the other countries involved
suffered, but not to the same extent
as France.
In the present war all the weapons
will be of modern make aud fully 10
times as effective for destruction as
the weapons used in the wars of
Napoleon.
A soldier with modern gun can
shoot at least 10 times as fast and
more than 10 times as far as the SOL
dier of 100 years ago.
A charge against a modern battery,
protected by entrenchments, would be
nearly impossible now, for it would
mean the annihilation of the attack
ing force.
The modern guns in the hands of
skilled artillerymen would simply
sweep force charging across an
open field out of existence.
In the present war the number of
men engaged will certainly be more
than 10 times the number engaged in
the wars of Napoleon, and the con-
tending forces will be armed with 10
times as effective guns.
The comparison between the mod
ern battleship -and the ships of Lord
Nelson, for example, is, if possible,
more striking than the difference in
the modern and the old smooth bore
or the modern high powered rifle and
the old flint lock musket.
One modern battleship would easily
whip the combined fleets of Nelson
and all the opposing battleships with
which he fought.
If the destruction of life in the
present war shall be as great in pro-
portion to the number of men engag-
ed and the effectiveness of their
armament as was the destruction OF
life during the wars of Napoleon, the
result will be so appalling as to stag
ger the imagination.
1t would decimate the male popula-
tion of Europe and leave it land of
widows and orphans.
Fortunately, the destruction of life
will not be proportioned to the in
creased efficiency of arms.
The modern steel l-jacketed bullet
will kill at mile, but it is also much
more likely to wound without killing
than the old musket ball.
Modern surgery and modern hospi-
tai service will save tens of thousands
of lives that would have been sacri-
feed in the days of Napoleon.
Modern military science and tactics
tend to protect the individual soldier
great deal better than the old
methods.
Men are no longer hurled in solid
masses against the guns of the en-
emy.
But with all this, the destruction
will be fearful.
The war is crime against human
ity, sin against high heaven.
If you want to be a good fellow,