| Show GREAT ARMIES the rapidity with which the united states can raise equip and place in the field a great and effective force of men is a good example to the other nations but they will hardly profit by it at once perhaps in large measure because cau se they axe are unable to do so the other part of the measure is made up of unwillingness because of inability to ret re t alize that there axe are other avat available lable agencies besides armies with which to settle disputed questions the governments ern ments of such nations seem to think that the greatest possible security is brought about and maintained by keeping their subjects constantly beneath the shadow of a war cloud and letting etting them at intervals hear the howl of the leashed leasher dogs of strife as they tug at their chains and froth at their muzzled mouths the united states gets along with a peace footing force of less than I 1 men but its resources are so clastic and its capabilities so vast that this number can be swollen all at once until 1 it is multiplied by tens and hundreds contrast this comfortable and eapen pensive situation with the awful burdens which the people of the chief european pow powers ers have to bear in supporting military establishments and note the difference russia has the largest standing army and each year it is growing larger and larger every year some som e conscripts join the army which in time of peace numbers men on a war footing this rises to men and the calling out of the reserve would increase it to trained soldiers should necessity arise the second and third bands of the or militia consisting of untrained men could be called out thus swelling the army to the enormous total of men france is the next in scale of mighty military a standing army of men rising to in time of war which the calling out of the reserves would increase to despite this tremendous force the army is increasing year by year and it will be if it is not already increased by some men the german army which is rightly considered a model of military perfection perfect iod numbers akon men in peace within a few days of the declaration of war germany could put trained men into the beld and the calling out of the reserves would increase this number to nearly neadly as many as prance france and eighteen times as many as the united states deemed it necessary to overcome spain with an army whether on a peace or a war footing Is an expensive arm of the governmental service even our little standing force requires an appropriation pria tion every year that runs up into the millions so just think of wh what atkind kind of a burden it is that the taxpayers of cf russia have to bear with a force thirty eight times as large to maintain year in and year out those of france and germany differ only in the matter of degree and not very much degree at that we have much to be thankful for in this land of the free and home of intelligent than militant forca |
