TOPICS .OF THE DAY.
THE TWENTY-THIRD OF JUNE.
NGLAND is herself again. The Volunteer army, which those
,,olio appreciated the true elements of national defence and rightly ,.-estimated the spirit of the British Constitution, have for years striven to create, has suddenly grown up in our midst, and has .visibly and tangibly appeared in the presence of Queen Victoria. :,That army has gratified those who were confident it would sue- ,ceed, and has amassed those who put no faith in its success.
we-rielio have • taken some part in stirring the public mind up to a level with the requirements of the time, are proud of the Volunteers, we must confess that the old school of military men who laughed at the project, now candidly admit that they were
mistaken. The Volunteers on Saturday proved that they could march with a steadiness and precision which would do no dis- credit to regular troops. It was no delusion. Under the eyes of the severest, critics of the dubs the thing was done. Thousands eager to fasten on blemishes, looked for them in vain. With asoldierlike carriage, steady tramp, and level line, battalion after :battalion passed before theQueen ; the least drilled exceeding the =point ofexoellence predicted ten months ago, and the best drilled +closely approximating to-the excellence of crack regiments.
They marched on to the ground in good order, punctual to -time. They were placed in their appointed positions without difficulty and without confusion. They were moved as easily and Closely as chessmen, and they handled their arms, if not with the
perfection of regulars, yet without any .awkwardness. It was :manifest to the military spectators, scanning the movements and bearing of the men with a scrutinizing eye that the winter and spring drill, taken at odd moments, often in the "intervals of business," frequently during the time formerly devoted to idle pleasures, had been effective, and that honour as well as fear, the word of a gentleman as well as the articles of war, could ma- .nnfacture a military machine. It was plainly demonstrated to the crowd of critics in uniform that intelligence can make up for -reiterated mechanical drill. Marching before them for one hour and a half, went thousands upon thousands whose animating principle was honour, whose means were will and intelligence. Not one man in the mass had been compelled to learn his drill. They were bound by no obligation stronger than the promise im- plied when they enrolled themselves in their several corps. Yet through inclement weather, in the early morning, in the dark And chilly night, in spite of wet and wind and snow, these men had prosecuted their drill, to redeem the promise and do what they had undertaken to do.
We do not overrate the performance of the Volunteers on Sa-
turday in a military sense. We do not say the simple evolutions in the Park prove that the Volunteers are soldiers fit for duty in the field. Wheeling -in close column and marching past in open column, are only evidences that the men are tolerably in hand, and accustomed to work together with regularity. The evolutions .were so simple, that they afford no test in themselves of any of the higher qualities of soldiering. But they do show that men who could do as much in their leisure hours, if entirely occupied is steady drill for a fortnight, could fit themselves for the sterner requirements of actual warfare. And the useful information de- rived from, the Volunteer review is that, should a sudden danger threaten, the Queen would know where to look for 80,000 or 90,0'00 men, who in a very short time might take their places be- side the best troops of the line. That is the military value of the demonstration on the Twenty-third of June. Loyalty, honour, patriotism, have given us, almost for nothing, an addition to our available means of defence of four score thousand men.
And valuable as this information is, the review supplied a fact
more valuable still. It demonstrated, what those who believed they knew old.England best, predicted all along, that the heart of the nation still beats with the strong pulses of its forefathers, who were warlike men, come of a warlike race, not necessarily military, yet military when it was fitting, but essentially a stoat-hearted race ready to meet a foe on any ground, and swift to meet him on their own soil. Peace, profits, cheap virtues, and cheaper pleasures, a false philosophy, and a spurious patriotism, have not destroyed by their incessant assaults, the manly vigour of the British people. Long restrained by a series of timid governments the good old national spirit has broken the trammels once more, and the strongest proof that the nation has thoroughly awakened from the weak-minded delusions which prevailed so largely in -1851 is that Manchester itself actually sent 2000 gallant soldiers to the Volunteer review. The moral of the Twenty-third of June is that England is once more determined to guard her hearth, her wealth, her freedom, and her honour, by relying on that cheap defence of nations—an armed and trained people. Yes ; it was the moral and not the military display that made the deepest impression on the thoughtful spectators on Saturday. Queen Victoria had a right to look proudly glad as the 21,000 Volunteers swept past her in regular waves. She knew they 'represented the national Spirit, which, happily for England and her institutions, has again entire possession of the people. She knew it was a sign that het subjects have returned to healthy instincts and manly life, and that splendid as was the mere outside show of the mass before her, the spiritual force animating and moving that mass, the real thing which demonstrated itself was more splendid still. We cannot quit the subject and its lessons without two glances towards the future. In the -first place we must im- press upon the Government the absolute necessity of not let- ting all this magnificent strength go to waste for want of a little strict supervision and timely instruction. The future of the volunteer army depends upon its officers, and the future of the officers depends in a very great measure upon the judicious pressure brought to bear upon them by the inspectors. if those inspectors do not find fault, if they do not inquire into the systems on which companies and battalions are organized and conducted, they will fail in their duty to the volunteers and to the country. At present the officers are the weak points in the. ma- chine. The officers, in the event of war, would be .entrusted with very valuable lives, and a very valuable public force, and, there- fore, should be made to feel the heavy responsibilities of their position. Those who appoint them to command companies do not do their duty when they select unsoldierlike men, who in turn select bad non-commissioned officers. The maintenance of effi- ciency, so far as it, has been attained, and the improvement of corps, entirely depend on the ability of the commanding officers and their power to win and keep the respect of their men. What is wanted is system and it is that which the inspectors should make it their business to impart or to insist upon. The other point we have dealt with elsewhere. It is, that a local Militia on .sound principle* should be raised, so that the-working classes, too poor to bear the expenses of volunteering, should take their place in the national armament, and reap their share of the advantages in improved health, a manlier carriage, and the moral benefits arising from a sense of power. Then England would be safe. Her local Militia and her Volunteers complements of her Regular Army, would insure her against any foe.
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