Year: 1870

Yes; there was another reason why the
and why in my humble opinion, they viii
continue as rule to defeat them. And the reason
Is the same why / have seen In India mere hand
ful OF English troops put to fight whole nordes OF
the enemy. The reason Is comprised In two words,
and those are superior discipline. Why 1t should be
so don't know although have a theory which
shall brOach presently but in their army matters
the French utterly desplse, and they CORY IN the


fact that they do despse. small matters. 1t is not
In their navy it's not so In their civil admnlstra
tO, as every unfortunate traveller who has to ask
for his letters or get his passport use tell 10 his
cost. 1t is certainly not so in their matters OF pri-
vate life or OF commerce. in both Of which they are
much more given to looking alter details than either
Americans, Germans or Engllshmen. But in their
soldiers coat to the finding OF him IN bread and
meat, they viii not look 10 the petty details OF the
profession, and they glory In 30 doing or rather in
so not doing.


l have several personal friends In the Second and
Third Zouaves and II, as hope, they are not all
killed. IL Is not Impossible they may read copy OF
these remarks. would not hurt their feelings FOR
the world and, least OF all would do so while they
and the rest OF brave nation are suffering
their present great humiliation But declare that
to my eyes at any rate and / wore epaulct5 Tor
nearly thirteen vears-when those two regiments
marched out of Strasbourg they were more like an
armed moo than an organized military corps. There
were hardly two men OF them dressed alike. Some
had on their red cloth breeches, their brown
linen ditto; some had white CATERS some red, some
black. AS to their march, the only thing can COM
pare 1t to IS the English House OF Commons when
the members are summoned to hear the Queens
speech read IN the House oil Lords Were you ever
present that occasion2 Ifso you can hardly have
forgotten the undignihed stunning rush OF members
that takes place. every doing his hest to get to
the front. Well the march OF the Zouayes is very
much the same


You may say that battles are not won by the color
OF soldiers pants nor by the order OF their marching
j reply that In military, III all Other matters III
this world, the establishment OF order small
iers leads 10 the establishment OF 1t in great assert
That disciplined company Is better than undisci-
pinned battalion; and experience tells me that as
man sows so shall he reap In all things connected
with this world The Prussians mat came over the
bridge at Woerth under fearful fire from the French
came over in perfect order. When they fell back,
as they dld once, they retired as If on parade at
Berlin; and when they advanced again they did so
without the slightest rush more tnan their Ofiicer5
wished and ordered In one word, they were well
In hand and could be turned any way. The French,
on the contrary, were In no order at all.


DECENTRALIZATION FROM AFRICA.


Why sthis2 believe the cause to be sort or
military fashion which has been imported from
Algeria, where the French have only mad to meet
unframed savages who, having no discipline what
ever, did not require discipline to conquer them.
And believe this African military fashion has
by degrees inOculated the whole French army.
Among French military men the greatest
praise that can be bestowed upon them Is to say
that they have been In Algeria. To them
their African col0nY Is what Rome Is to the Catholic