German system.
And now when defeat came no one was responsible. "In Germany," said a German commentator, "had the Army failed as the British Army has failed, had the War Minister organised defeat and been caught unprepared, that minister would have been execrated as a traitor and imprisoned in a fortress for the rest of his natural life." But, then, though we had copied much from Germany—all the trifles which do not go to make success—we had neglected the real virtues of the German system—its magnificent education, its careful study of war, its unceasing preparation, its constant manœuvres, its lofty sense of duty to the nation, and its organisation by which there is a man to hang if things go wrong.
Responsibility of Statesmen and Generals.
[Dec. 1899.
The mistakes of generals in the field kill hundreds, the ignorance of ministers in the Cabinet slays thousands. And for the terrible roll of wasted lives, for the long-drawn agony of the heroic defenders of Ladysmith and Mafeking, it is needful that someone should be hereafter called to account. Our soldiers, we have seen, did their duty. They faced death and mutilation because they had learnt in a noble school to offer up the last and greatest sacrifice—life itself—sooner than face dishonour. To men who bear themselves thus, both statesmen and the nation owe a duty in their turn. They must provide the best weapons, the best training, the best leadership, the best equipment, that the sacrifice may not be made in vain; they are responsible in the sight of posterity and of God, if they needlessly waste human lives or bring sorrow and bereavement upon thousands of homes; they are not asked, like our devoted reservists, private soldiers, and officers, to face the scorching heat and the devouring thirst of the march, the chills of the sodden bivouac, the blood and torture of battle; they have not to confront death;—the one has only to be ready to resign place and power, and the other to watch carefully and intelligently and to be prepared to make pecuniary sacrifice. Yet how many statesmen have resigned for the Army's sake, and how many of the public have troubled about or interested themselves in the Army's efficiency?
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR.
PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE WAR OFFICE.
[Copyright 1900 by Underwood & Underwood.
Secretary of State for War since 1895; was Under-Secretary for War, 1872-74, and Under-Secretary for India, 1880; Governor-General of Canada, 1883-88; Viceroy of India, 1888-93.
