THE BRITISH OFFICER: THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR"] Sra,—Is it not time that some one came forward to vindicate the English officer against his detractors? The cant of patriotism may be sickening, but the cant of anti-patriotism is not less so. As against the opinion of Mauvillon, quoted by. your recent correspondent, I would set that of Moltke : "The English subaltern in India has a self-reliance and 'a resource which ours have no chance of learning?' And again : "Gentlemen, remember the English officers are not like you; they don't go to the front in first-class carriages." Coming, as he does, with rare exceptions, from a narrow caste of hereditary fighters, the German officer is no doubt born to lead—and his courage and capacity to lead no one can deny—but love of knowledge and self-denial are certainly not his strong points. The French officer, that is, the
man from St. Cyr or the Polytechnique, not the pro- moted "sons-off.," who is a legacy of Gambetta's make- shifts, and is fast disappearing, is far more cultured, and like the product of our own public schools. In old days the British officer was, no doubt., not a cultured of painstaking man, but then neither were the generality of the class from which he was drawn. I have known the German both in private life and in caricature on the stage, and even cari- catures resemble, though en laid. As for the examination he has to pass, it is only qualifying, and quite within the reach of the English boy who fails for the Army. The Captains, who correspond in position to our Majors, especially since the day of "mud-Majors," four to a battalion, do almost all the real work, and are zealous and intelligent men, but a man is lucky if he gets a company after fifteen years' service—i.e., about thirty-four or thirty-five—and a good deal of his time before that is on his bands, and is agreeably spent in " ladykilling," beer and wine swilling, and the smoking of as many cigars as he can get. About the time of autumn manceuvres he takes care to be in fair condition, but the rest of the year he com- pares very unfavourably, both physically and mentally, with our younger officers. Skobeleff, a very good specimen of the Russian officer, and a born leader of men, was yet a Tartar at the core, as his death showed,—a thorough condottiere. But was the man who planned Tel-el-Kebir a poor hand at and averse to surprises ? And even in the Peninsular days the " dandies " showed their mettle, and that they could plan and lead a charge as well as a cotillon. On the morning of Ligny Wellington said as he rode off : "Well, if Napoleon is the man I take him for, Blucher will get a good thrashing to-day." And how about the poor old Turk getting well on the flank and the communications of the Russians at Plerna ? No, Sir, I think we may boast now as of old that it is England first and foremost that " sendeth forth the man to rule by land and sea."—I am, Sir, &c., II. HAVELOCK. Folkestone.
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