| Show THE GENIUS OF insubordination NOTHING outside of a declaration of war has occasioned so much stir in military circles for many years as has the mutinous attitude recently assumed by the grenadier guards in certain army quarters the sentiment created by this incident was akin to dismay as it was an indica tion of the demoralized condition of the british soldiery one strong case cam of visible disaffection means the existence of many others which have not yet reached the sticking point 1 hence the great anxiety of the queen and the chief military authorities had the regiment been called to face a national foe on the field of battle the response of the men would have been unhesitating the grenadiers Grena diers diere essentially a home regiment have shown on the field that they readily faze face death jn in war and have a splendid fighting record but they evidently have not that deep sense of duty that would lead them to contentedly accept of the dull lifeless routine associated with being stationed at a military post in india their heroism is exhibited only in active strife not in the hardships that soldiers have frequently to endure in times of peace the treatment of the ringleaders ring leaders of the mutiny shows a striking con between the method of enforcing discipline in the british army now and yea years rs ago the chief offenders were sentenced by court martial to brief terms of imprisonment the time in the past Is ie within the memory of man when soldiers guilty of a similar offense would have been promptly shot whether the gradual laxity in punishment for military insubordination has produced a corresponding tendency to rebel against authority is questionable it is doubtless not the sole cause but cannot otherwise than have a hearing bearing upon it the main rt rason ason is we believe the general ten tendency Jency of the times throughout out the world toward the popularization aaion of power it if exists every where and in various forms the masses are seeking to be the masters should they ever become fully aware of their tremendous power there cap can be no doubt as to the result all else that is earthly will be diluted weakness compared with their potency there have been numerous indications luring the last few years that the soldiery are becoming affected with this genius of the age the spectacle presented by tho the grena diers being but a small contribution to the evidence p besen table in that line the logical result of this tendency to repudiate organization anti and disregard authority will be political anti and social changes oi of a revolutionary lutio nary character |
