27 JUNE 1914, Page 19

All who care for the welfare of the National Reserve

will be delighted with Sir John French's admirable speech. He touches the problem in exactly the right spirit. As a matter of fact, nothing has done more to help the nation to a saner view of military problems than the organization of the National Reserve. The influence of the old soldier has always been a good one in the State, bet its weight has been increased tenfold through organization, and through that visibility which the trained men of the nation have acquired by means of the Reserve. Taken as a whole, there are no better-behaved or more self-respecting men in the country than the National Reservists. The Army has proved itself not only a school of patriotism, but also a school of manners —the manners that make good men.