Year: 1869

not serve In our army; and, curious enough. this


ieeling Is virtually encouraged by the authorities


Their wish Ia that the oficer who commands and the


soldier who Is commanded should be separated by an
| almost impossible gulf by cnasm which can hardly
be and seldom Is bridged over This is the reason
why we have in England TO go to the lowest OF the
low orders in order to recruit for the army. For
Ireland and Scotland 1t was few years ago differ


ent. In those countries we had large fields open to


us from which We might pick the mower OF the agr-
cultural laborers. In one district OF the Highlands
OF Scotland relation OF mine enlisted IN 1912


hundred men in one week, every one of whom was
six feet high or more, and stout in proportion. But
the district In which he enlisted those men Is now
h0wlng wilderness. The Duke OF sutherland
wanted IL for deer forest and little by little the
whole large population were elected from their
holdings aud induced TO emigrate. Where are
they nowS Some in Canada, more In the United
states gathering up in those lands strength for their
new homes and preaching hatred towards those
who forced them 10 leave the country where their
forefahers had lived for centuries. Even so late as
twenty years ago we were able to get every year at
army; now We don't get dozen.


1t is the same IN Ireland. The men that we used


to enlist In that country have been or at least their
families have been, forced TO emgrate. on your
side OF the Atlantic there are some So 900 or 60 1000
lrishmeh who are trained soldiers who would, had
they been properly governed in their own land have
been IN our ranks; but who now hate the very name
OF England. Ten years ago recruiting In Ireland
that Is among the stout-heared, stout-limbed pea
santry IN the country-was easy; now IT Is an mpos-
siblty. The men we require we have TO accept OF.
and be thankful from the loafers OF the large towns;





the artisans who are too drunken to get on; from
the roughs who are too rufiianlike to nnd employ
than the material OF which the British army Is now
composed and although strict discipline and cer-
tain amount OF increased comforts tend TO civize
and 10 reform the men after they are enlisted, the
feeling they have towards their superiors is anything
but good and would not be improved were war to
break out. How can it be otherwise2 what have
our private soldiers to look forward to' The pro-
portion of enlisted men who rise to be
officers Is less than one per cent, ana
w rlGA
on than they.were before. To promote man from
sergeant major to be al ensign Is no doubt, very
great boon; but OF what use Is IL, then, without
money! As pointed out in my last letter, he can
get no higher rank. One by one all his companion
ensigns who can command the price or lieuten-
ancy must supersede him. He generally hangs on


for few years. and In time after he has been passed
over again and again. gets lieutenancy which he
holds for time and then sells out cursng system
which allows only those who have money to rise in
the army In France about third OF the general
0f1cers, half OF the colonies and majors and two
thirds or the captains and subalterns have risen
from the ranks. In England there are two field
0nicers, dozen captains and perhaps four times
that number of subalterns throughout the whole
army who have done so. Thus II Is that, whether
on or OF duty, the dcers and soldiers have nothing
whatever In common, and that as rule, the spirit
OF the men among the rank and file OF the army Is
nythlng but good.


The chier evil, In my opinion, Is that the army Is
not looked upon as profession. 1t is, In fact so
far as the officers concerned, pleasant pastlme
Tor the sons OF wealthy men, who seek to pass away
the time between leaving school or college and en-
terlng upon the more serious duties OF life. or
course there are exceptions to this rule Some few
young men II am not speaking OF those who go to
lndla or OF those who enter the artillery, the engl
neers or the marines, for these mostly poor men,
who do take to soldering as they would TO any
oher proessloD enter the army, and hope to rise In
1t. But their ambition Is quickly crushed OUT or
them. They begin, like their companions, TO look
upon tne service as mere excuse 1or iding away
their time. The enormous demands upon their purses
whenever promotion reaches lhem the expensive
habits they have contracted and the taste for luxury
they have learned as regmental officers generally
eQerVate them anu unft them lOr anytnlug like
active life. And so they sell out, making way for
others who will pass through the same ordeal. This
our our army: They take pride in in their horses,
ent races and race meetings throughout the
Kingdom and In every kind OF sport and amuse-
nent: but not in their men, their duty or their pro-
fession: They are gentlemen but not soldiers;
manly fellows but not officers; good riders but bad
commanders; the most athletic body OF educated
men perhaps IN the world, but the worst officers In
any civilized country, and caring far less than any
other class have ever heard or read OF, for the
work they are paid to do


There is III this country, and believe it exists
also on your side OF the Atlantic, homely proverb
tnat the proof OF the pudding is in the eating"
and Will do the same IN all future wars We nave
never entered upon campaign-rarely even IN
lndia-wlthout being IN a complete muddle at the
outset. our army Is brave, for personal courage Is
not a qualty often found wanting among either
Anglo-Saxons or Celts, whether born in New York,
the United states, or In the cathedral town OF YORK,
England, In Missouri or Middlesex In Cath
ness or Calu0rnla But we are nOt-We never
are-prepared for war. We have to learn basi
ness when ought to be practising 1t, and the con-
sequences are that we inevitably make mess or
work at first. Our army is SNOWY force, admirable
In time OF peace but useless in time OF war.
And II ever we have to meet intelligent, active
enemy we shall learn to our cost that we ought to
have spent our leisure In getting Knowledge Of our
duties instead OF leaving 1t until called upon
to act. What would be said OF medical man who,
when called upon TO attend patient, had to COM
mence reading up medicine, oil lawyer who, when
called into court, had to study his law books before
he could act for his ciientS The English army, ex-
pensive as II is, costing, as told you in my last let
ter but one, man for man, nearly 700 per cent more
tan the French army does Is as badly prepared for
service as the doctor who knows nothing Of medicine
Il for the sick room the lawyer who has never
studied law Is for the court


so much, then, for the quality OF our troops As
regards the quantity-the number which could be
sent on service at an hours notce-we indeed
badly OF. What with the chronic state OF bad feel
ing IN Ireland towards the English government; the
numerous colonial possessions we have all the
world; the immense force OF English troops, addi
ton TO the native army required In India do not
believe-and i am fully borne out by what hear
from military men IN high appointments-we could
send forth from England an army OF more than
5000 or 1000 men, II our very existence as nation
depended upon our doing 80. We could not do so
for the best OF all reasons nanely that we have not
the men, and we don't know where 10 get them. In
unprepared for an offensive war. What we should
do in our defence, IN the event OF being attacked,
VIII write about IN my next and then go on to the
defensive state Of England aud Ireland against any
foreign enemy.