The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-28

attack in three lines with the mixed
rush at the end, even as ii is laid
down in the drill book, and they
charged ~subduedly across the Hoe.
The people laughed. / was much
more inclined to cry. Except the
Major. there didn't seem to be any
thing more than 20 years old in the
regiment: and oh, but it was pink
and white and chubby and understood.
just made to die succulently of dis
ease. l fancied that some of our bat
talions out with you were more or
less young and exposed. but a home
battalion is "A crechc, and il scares
one to watch it. Eminent and diStin-
guished generals get up after din
ner-I've listened 10 two Of 'em-and
explain that though the home bat
talon can only he regarded as a
feeder to the foreign. yet all our bat
talions can be regarded as efficient;
ard If they aren't efficient We shall
fird in our military reserve the nu-
cleus-how | .uathe that lying word
of the Lord knows what, but the
speeches always end with illusions to
the spirit of the English, Their glori-
Gus past, and the certainty that when
the our of need comes the nation Will
emerge victorious" Ii tsic) the en-
gineer of the Hungerford Bridge told
the Southeastern Railway that be-
aus "A main girder had stood
for thirty years without need
of renewal II was therefore sure 20
stand for another fifty, he would prob
ably get the sack. our military au-
thorities don't get the sack. They are
allowed to make speeches in public.
Som day, if we live long enough, We
shall see the glories of the past and
the sublime instinct of al ancient
people without one complete army
corps pitted against n few unsenti-
mental long range guns and some ef-
ticicnt,y organized troops. Then the
band will begin to play, and it will not
play "Rule BRITANNIA until it has
played some funny tunes first.
Do you remember Tighc? He was
in the Ocean Lanccrs and retired be-
cause he got married. lie is in Ire
land now, and ! met him the other
day, Idle, unhappy and dying for some
work to do. Mrs. Tighc is equally
miserable. She wants to 90 back to
puona instead of administ ring a big
barrack of a house somewhere at the
back of a fog. ! quote Tighe here.
lie has, you may remember, a pretty
tongue about him, II he was de-
scrihing To- me at l.ngth how a home
regiment behaves when il is solcmnly
turned out for a week or a month
training under Y
about / in the mornin', me dear
boy. they begin pitchin' their tents
for the II 1t dly-four hours to pitch
it, and the tent ropes "A hoWl,n' tan-
re when airs said and sworn. Then
they tie their horses with strings to
their big toes and 90 to bed in hol-
lows and caves in the earth TIL the
rain falls and the tents are flooded,
and then, me dear boy. the men and
the horses and the ropes and the veg
citation of the country Cuddlc each
other till the morning for company's
sake. TIL next day it all begins
again. Just when they are beginning
to understand how to ann they are
all put back into their boxes, and
half of 'em have lung disease"
Bu what is the use ot snarling
and grumbling? The matter will ad-
Just its1lf later on, and the one IA
ton on earth that talks and thinks
most of the sanctity of human life
will be a little astOnished at the waste
of life for which it will be responsible.
In those days, my captain, the man
who can command seasoned troops
and havr made the best use of those
troops will be sought after and petted
and will rise to honor. Remember
the Hakaiti when next you measure
the naked recruit.
Let us evIsit calmer scenes. I've