"Will Colonel Anson permit us to observe that he utterly
mis- takes the position of the Spectator with regard to military organi- sation generally? On that subject this journal has never been democratic, but anti-democratic, to a degree which offends half its supporters. It has maintained consistently that a standing army is in itself a good, and not a bad thing ; that a military career may develop qualities higher than any other ; that in this country the Army should be large, and though voluntary, based on universal and compulsory service for one year ; that disci- pline, when honourable and purposelike—i.e., when devoid of degrading punishment or silly exactions of respect off duty—can- not be too rigid ; and that it is expedient to attract rich men into the Army, by setting aside the one service—the Cavalry—in which wealth is a benefit to the State, for rich men. Only, we add, those rich men must enter by competition, their wealth counting as so many marks, and when they disobey orders or oppress the State, should be shot, just as if they were coster- mongers in uniform.
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