Page images
PDF
EPUB

are.

MORE WISDOM AND LESS SPEECH-MODESTY-HEALTH.

There is very great necessity indeed of getting a little more silent than we It seems to me as if the finest nations of the world,-the English and the American, in chief,-were going all off into wind and tongue. (Applause and laughter.) But it will appear sufficiently tragical by-and-by, long after I am away out of it. There is a time to speak, and a time to be silent. Silence withal is the eternal duty of a man. He won't get to any real understanding of what is complex, and what is more than aught else pertinent to his interests, without keeping silence too. 'Watch the tongue,' is a very old precept, and a most true one.

I don't want to discourage any of you from your Demosthenes, and your studies of the niceties of language, and all that. Believe me, I value that as much as any one of you. I consider it a very graceful thing, and a most proper, for every human creature to know what the implement which he uses in communicating his thoughts is, and how to make the very utmost of it. I want you to study Demosthenes, and to know all his excellences. At the same time, I must say that speech, in the case even of Demosthenes, does not seem, on the whole, to have turned to almost any good account. He advised next to nothing that proved practicable; much of the reverse. Why tell me that a man is a fiue speaker, if it is not the truth that he is speaking? Phocion, who mostly did not speak at all, was a great deal nearer hitting the mark than Demosthenes.

I need not hide from you, young gentlemen,-and it is one of the last things I am going to tell you,-that you have got into a very troublous epoch of the world; and I don't think you will find your path in it to be smoother than ours has been, though you have many advantages which we had not. Man is be coming more and more the son, not of Cosmos, but of Chaos. He is a disobedient, discontented, reckless, and altogether waste kind of object (the common. place man is, in these epochs); and the wiser kind of man,-the select few, of whom I hope you will be part,-has more and more to see to this, to look vigilantly forward; and will require to move with double wisdom. Will find, in short, that the crooked things he has got to pull straight in his own life all round him, wherever he may go, are manifold, and will task all his strength. On the whole, avoid what is called ambition; that is not a fine principle to go upon, and it has in it all degrees of vulgarity, if that is a consideration. Seekest thou great things, seek them not:' I warmly second that advice of the wisest of men. Don't be ambitious; don't too much need success; be loyal and modest. Cut down the proud towering thoughts that get into you, or see that they be pure as well as high. There is a nobler ambition than the gaining of all California would be, or the getting of all the suffrages that are on the Planet just now. (Loud and prolonged cheers.)

Finally, gentlemen, I have one advice to give you, which is practically of very great importance, though a very humble one. In the midst of your zeal and ardor,—for such, I foresee, will rise high enough, in spite of all the counsels to moderate it that I can give you,-remember the care of health. I have no doubt you have among you young souls ardently bent to consider life cheap, for the purpose of getting forward in what they are aiming at of high; but you are to consider throughout, much more than is done at present, and what it would have been a very great thing to be attended to continually; that you are to regard that as the very highest of all temporal things for you. (Apfine".) There is no kind of achievement you could make in the world that is good and perfect health. What to it are nuggets and millions? The French imation to add, "Why, is there no sleep to be sold!" Sleep was not in the me, sir. Come quotation. (Laughter and applause.)

be trampled up this dress, as well as in an article on Goethe in the first volume of his fine gift; come he and chapter in Wilhelm Meister's Travels, with this emphatic comimage more or less; beme ten pages of that which, if ambition had been my only rule, I function." I say this is able to write, than all the books that have appeared since I came Journal of Education, Vol. XXIII.-Goethe's Pedagogy.) other human beings, and acter of God Almighty's

[ocr errors]

MILITARY SYSTEM AND EDUCATION IN ENGLAND.

I. MILITARY SYSTEM.

THE British army originated in the feudal system, by which the great barons were bound to furnish a contingent to the army of the State; and their vassals were bound to attend them in person, aud to furnish each the contributions in men, horses, arms, and other materials of war, for which he was liable by the tenure on which he held his lands. When regal power absorbed the privileges of the great feudatories, the people were expected to provide themselves with arms, and, in case of invasion, to respond to the summons issued through officers commissioned by the sovereign to array the fittest men for service in each county. In the time of Henry VIII, lord-lieutenants and deputy-lieutenants of counties were first appointed as standing officers for assembling and mustering the mili tary forces. For a time, contracts were made with " captains," who undertook to provide, clothe, and feed a certain number of fighting men for a given money allowance. In the reign of Charles I, the important question arose, whether the King of England did or did not possess the right to maintain a military force without the express consent of Parliament. Charles II, was compelled to abandon all control of the army, except a body guard of 5,000 men, sanctioned by Parliament. These regiments still exist, and are proud of their genealogy. They are the First Foot Guards, Coldstream Guards, Life Guard, Oxford Blues, the Royal Scots, and the Second Queen's Royals."* The Declaration of Rights, in the time of William and Mary, settled in positive terms "that the raising and keeping of a standing army in time of peace, without consent of Parliament, is contrary to law." The first Mustering Act was passed in 1689, to last for six months; but it has been annually renewed ever since, except in three particular years; and it constitutes the only warrant on which the whole military system of England is exercised by the sovereign with the consent of Parliament. For 172 years, with only three interruptions, the ministers of the crown have an

* Two regiments created in the reigns of Richard III, and of Henry VIII, the first styled Gentlemen Pensioners, or Gentlemen at Arms, consisting originally exclusively of noblemen. and the latter, Yeomen of the Guard, still exist. The latter is the only body that has the priv ilege of traversing London with flags flying, drums beating, and fixed bayonets.

nually applied to Parliament for permission to raise a military force and for money to defray expenses. The sovereign can make war and bestow military employment and honors; but the House of Commons can refuse supplies.

Military service in England is voluntary, except in rare cases, and then only in the militia. As the chances of promotion from the ranks are small, the recruits are drawn from the most necessitous classes of the community, or the least fitted for industrial pursuits. The system of recruiting, with the bounty and machinery of deception is the most characteristic feature of the British army as compared with those of Europe, and makes the distinction between officers and men more broad than in any other service.

The British army, in its completeness, is theoretically commanded by the sovereign, assisted by the secretary of state for war in some matters, and by the commander-in-chief in others. The component parts are the household troops, the infantry of the line, the ordnance corps, comprising artillery and engineers, and the marines. There are also certain corps, raised and belonging to the principal colonies; the troops in India; the yeomanry cavalry; the dockyard battalions; the volunteer artillery and rifles; the enrolled pensioners, etc. In 1814, the regular army reached 200,000, and at the close of the war, 10,000 officers were retained on half pay. In 1860-61, in the army estimates, provision was made for the following force, viz. :

[blocks in formation]

Under the column "India" are included only troops sent to

India, and paid for out of the Indian revenues.

Of the total 235,852

forces, 10,459 are officers, 17,670 non-commissioned officers, and 207,723 rank and file. For the use of this army, 24,342 horses are provided. The total expenditure sanctioned by Parliament in 1860 was £14,800,000, viz. :

Military Pay and Allowances, £5,500,000; Civil Salaries and Wages, £1,800, 000; Stores and Works of every kind, £ 5,400,000; Pensions, Retired Pay, &c. £2,100,000.

The military force of various kinds within the United Kingdom, excluding the troops in East India, on the 1st of June, 1860, was 323,259, viz.:

Regulars (service companies,) 68,778; Regulars (depot companies,) 33,302, Embodied Militia, 15,911; Disembodied Militia-Effectives, 52,899; Yeomanry Cavalry-Effectives, 15,002; Enrolled Pensioners-Effectives, 15,000; Volun teer Rifles and Artillery, 122,867.

The total force of the United Kingdom in 1870-71, was as fol

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The total force of officers and men was 115,037, viz.

[blocks in formation]

The British forces in India, exclusive of depots at home, com

prised the following troops, in 1870–71:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

In addition to the troops above mentioned the army estimates include appropriations for four classes of reserved or auxiliary forces, viz.:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

In England and Wales the Militia Establishment comprises 42 regiments, with 5,066 officers; in Scotland, 16 regiments and 670 officers; in Ireland, 48 regiments, with 3,463 officers.

By Act of 1870, in case of invasion, rebellion, or insurrection, or of imminent danger thereof, the Militia, in pursuance of an order of Her Majesty in council, can be called out (the whole or any part) and embodied for actual service; but when so called out, her proclamation must be communicated to Parliament within ten days. By recent Royal Warrant, a lieutenant of the Militia is made eligible to appointment of sub-lieutenant in the Regular Army, and in the localization of the military force of the United Kingdom, the Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers, are to be brought into closer connection with the Regular Army.

The total cost of the British army, voted by Parliament in 1870–71, was £13,093,500, besides a supplementary vote of £2,000,000 towards defraying the expenses of the military and naval services of the kingdom. Of the regular expenses, it appears from official statements that £893,200 were for the Militia and Inspection service; £81,900 for the Yeomanry; £412,400 for volunteers; and £76,000 for enrolled pensioners and army reserve force.

EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS FOR THE ARMY.

The sum of £140,700 was devoted to military education, in the estimates for 1871, when the educational establishments provided for the army were as follows:

Royal Military College at Sandhurst, preparatory for Infantry and
Cavalry Officers.

Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, for service in the Artillery
and Engineers.

Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham.

Staff College at Woolwich.

Advanced Class of Artillery Officers at Woolwich.

School of Gunnery at Shoeburyness.

Survey Classes at Aldershot.

School of Musketry at Hythe.

Army Medical School at Netley.

Royal Hibernian Military School at Dublin.

Regimental Schools for Children of Soldiers.

Garrison Schools and Libraries for Adults.

Schools and Asylums for Orphan Children of Soldiers at Dublin and
Chelsea.

Training School for Army Schoolmasters in Chelsea Military Asylum.
Military School of Music at Kneller Hall.

« PreviousContinue »