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TvIESSENGKER
11EID & REESE, Proprietors
The Family Journal.—News—Politics
LiTERATUR B A GRICULTURE-
-Dombstic Affairs.
(GEORGIA TELEGRAPH BUILDING
liflABlISIIED 1826.
MACON, TUESDAYIISEPTEMBEH 27, I870J
Y0L.LXIV—SO. l4
J0 fciegrapii Building, Macon
L-ft end Messenger, one year.......SlO 00 |.
1“ ..,., n t!i9'"
INVESTMENT.
ia » 01 h
j^WeSy^Telegraph and Mosscngor,
Thrilling Story. .. O •
1 00 ; In the second year of onr late civil war I was
j married, and went to live with my hnsband in a
4 00 small villagoon the Hudson, some fifty or sixty
S ' "tbs.. - 00 ■ m ^ 03 front New York. The house we occupied
B ?hWeekiy Telegraph and Messen-' • was a large, rambling mansion of considerable
rolumus, 1 year 3 00 antiquity for this country, and stood a little
6 > • lt ’ .jy 1 60 ; apart from the rest of the village, surrounded
f 0I hv»vs in advance, and paper stopped j by broad fields and commanding a glorious
f* monev runs out, unless renewed. ] view of the river and the hills of the Hieblanda
»bent D ® * _ _ _____ t. 1 It had been ImmU before tne Revolution, by my
\t0tam ' Vt ' : Cisband’s great-grandfather, and though’desti-
T A Messenger‘and Farm j tnte of _ ““Y “modem improvements,” was still
TtlCo r ‘.’^ “ ftii on ' a comfortable and pleasant residence.
^I^wvaiih and” Messenger''and ! M 7 husband was a lawyer, and a large real
V7** _ ill .nift
jjjy Te.c-i"»' ° ^ qq 1 estate owner in the neighborhood, and at the
F*riu»tui “and’Messenger j P? riod of wi i ich 1 write was greatly perplexed,
' i Home 5 00 I hke man y other persons m the North, by the
’ r ““ BL ' 1 go perilous state of the times, especially about the
qq j safe investment of his fnnds, as the suspension
S**’^cement is where remittances arc ! ?. f specie payments,.the great rise in gold and
? V,«* te the office of publication. the military disasters in Virginia, made it al-
TfllAoranh and Mcssentrar ' E ost impossible to tell where at would be safe
W*;\7' 'md Home 6 00 1 1X10 • it: composedly made the desired changes in the
S,mSn.Ci«Ad,^ 1 .wUl 1 W..a, U»
■ -Hits a Urge circulation, pervading Mid-
I fathom and Southwestern Georgia and
I*" 1 Alabama and Middle Florida. Adver-
rtlntiat reasonable rates. In the Weekly
I na dotlar per square of three-quarters of
I each publication. Remittances should
rS i>y express, or by mail in money or-
I jgs, «•’ registered letters.
£ ..nmUJated Telegraph and Messenger | P 0 ? 1 *“?* . , . _
»* c ? 6 . uL circulation, nervadinc Mid-1 to depositor to use onos money in any large
amount. . ,
In the course of his transactions in real es
tate, it happened one day that ho received what
was to ns then a large sam, about ten thousind
dollars, which he brought home and placed in
my charge, telling mo at the same time that ho
i should have to be absent daring the evening at-
j tending to some business on tho other side of
the river, and should not be at home till about
midnight.
“Yon can place the money in the safe, dear,”
he said as he gave it to me, “and to-morrow I
will try to find some way to invest it securely.”
So saying, ho stepped into the buggy which
was standing at the door, and drove away taking
with him our hired maD, Simon, and leaving
me wiih no one in the house but Dinah, an old
colored woman, who fnlfilled, in our modest
household, tho function of cook and maut-of-
all-work, as she had long been in the family of
my parents, who, on my marriage, had yielded
her up to mo as a valuable part of my dower.
Dinah was indeed a character. She was
tall and very stout, weighing she would never
tell how much more than two hundred pounds.
She was very black, and as lazy as she was
black. I do not think any one could move more
I —The Parish FlerlPs Lament,
I vjnirion’a took np with the Ritclielist views,
I jjibs'aatl over cliangod from his ’at to his shoes;
I Ej coat is bo long, and his face is so grave,
I die calls bis good crab stick liia pastoral stave;
I £lis voice has pot hollow, and ead-liko and mild,
I taibe'd think be was yielding to sin if he smiled,
L (B1 j w y what thoy please, but whatever they
i»w,
[toll like tho looks of these Ritcholist ways.
I |j pawn be once was so hearty and stout,
IjilMW wbat tho farmers and folks were about;
fil'd talk with the men as they worked in the field;
Infamr every acre, and what it would yield;
li'ja famous loud voice, and a kind merry face
Ifyt when be was scolding a child in disgrace.
■far be walks through tho lanes in s eortof a maze,
I titbit's what has como of his Bitcheliat ways.
|hd the old village church ho’vo done it up new,
Igi there's plenty of benches, but newer a pew;
|tl[iilaids, and haliers, and things qncor in spel-
liD,
IfcJ ii for the vestry, its quite past my tellin;
Bin used to be two gpvma I had in my cares—
Ifed gown for preaching, a white on for prayers;
Iktaow there ars twenty, wi’ gold all ablaze—
I hi that’s the expense of the Bitcheliat ways.
A moment, which seemed an hoar, passed
while these thoughts rushed through my mind.
I lav perfectly still with my half closed eyes
watching the mirror. Slowly and noiselessly tho
frightful band pulledup its owner, until I could
sec tho head and face reflected in the glass and
glaring at mo with fieroe, yet wary eyes.. - The
man was a mulatto, very dark, with evil passions
written in every lineament. 1 could scarcely
refrain from shuddering at the Bight of his hate
ful visage, and speedily closed my eyes to shut
it out.
1 was not qutto ready for the ordeal through
which I knew I must soon pats. X wanted to
move my light stand a little out of the way and
so arrange the bed clothes that I could spring
from the bed without impediment. I therefore
gave a sigh, and moved as if about to wake,
slightly opening my eyes at the same time. The
head and hand instantly disappeared. I then
clothes; put my watch with tho key of the safe
under my pillow—so near the edge that they
could easily be taken out, as I knew they would
bo, extinguished one of my candles, said my
prayc-rs. and closing my eyes, resigned myself
to my fate, with no very sanguine or definite
hope of escaping from my perilous position'.
I made my breath regular, and a little louder
than when 1 was awake, and lay with my cheek
on my hand, counterfeiting sleep. At last the
stillness became more terrible than even my
first agony of fear. Several times I fancied
that I heard a soft step approach from tho
place of concealment. As of ten I was deoeived
Then again that dreadfal stillness, in which '
counted the tick of my watch through the pil
low. It was a positive relief when hecamo
from bebind the curtain, stopped at the table,
and stood looking at me, as I was well aware,
though my 6yes were closed. I forced myself
to breathe regularly and audibly. He came
closer; he bent over me. He passed the lighted
candle slowly before my face two or three
times. I felt the heat and saw the light
through my closed lids, which must have quiv
ered, though lie did not seem to observe their
motion. Heaven gave me strength not to move
nor to cry out. Satisfied, apparently, ho put
back the candlestick on the staud, and his hand
crept slowly under tho pillow, and one by one
he removed my watch and the key of the safe,
deliberately than Dinah did, that is to move at ' ?° S ‘- 00 - d . 80 l0Dg IookiD S a *- m ? thit J . felt
l&erct lirrps and stoles that's always in wear,
iWape* to put out for tho L’nuiy prayer,
|bl green wi’ whito edgings for churchings—and
hits,
lb pats on a purple and white gown to christen.
I beret things that hang looso, and things that fit
tight,
I ted tea miglitly displeased if X don’t bring ’em
I ii! it'e almost enough a poor body to craze—
ISeicmd the outs of these Bitchelist ways.
I&b there’s bowings and scrapings, and turnings
cl flexions.
IS’ahard work to mind all the proper directions;
Ihii first chant a sentence, then turn round his
1 «<•!»,
bee wheel to the east wi’ a sort of a role;
(it he speaks low and loud, now ho jabbere so
hat—
bit it vraa some thing be wiehod to get paste;
bite tack of tho building they can't heara pbrase,
Ibihe) don't speak distinct in these Ritualist ways.
hike music, its altered, I can't tell you how,
fe the old Psalms of David are never sung now—
pre've got eomo new hymns wi’ some very queer
verfe,
Bjithey twitter and pipe like a parcel of birds,
fcrtell me it’s grand and I should’nt complain,
FI bug for tho old Psalms of David again—
bike for onr goodly and Protestant lays—
|i ibttc dreadful quick chants of the Bitchelist
WIJS. _ _ = : '
I*been parish clerk for nigh thirty years,
Fthepanon and wardens is getting so queer,
fcthework cf my office is getting eo great
puwi'biushin’ tho vestments and cleaning tho
plate.
Paid almost resolve to resign it and go,
^mfiitnds they say “don’t,” and my wife she
“Js'-uo,” ' l y
llbtia in my place, and each Sunday prays
fOcttiy coon bo an end o’ them Bitchelist ways.
H Eecweixmi niooihb, Oloik of St. Vitus's.
Mercury, . ^
The Fuun of Praxiteles.
BY mTAWT.ru BATtDOB.
ft*** not eoe tho Gladiator’s pain,
l~ 0D tr'-> hopeless at liia foct for years
F* Unppealing agony has lain;
aueTer knew the need of tears—
JM grief, nor fear, nor sigh,
“ur eorrow’a shadow, over camo him nigh.
Ifittas against tho woody trunk, and seoms
JflWch might be) a Ciraco at rest;
Photon tip-toe poised, as if be deems
I?dancing steps should earth bo pressod;
j? flexile fingers ho
‘olds lightly rustic pipes of Arcady.
t'-fing ho stands, with lips apart, to track
Rain of echoes that just now
.^iwiftlv floating from tho woodlands back,
lets went fluting—and bis brow
1 Jitb happy wrinklos mars
that never knew of Caro ths deeper scars.
'JSuea at his own music, and at me,
can not meet his sunny eyes,
[taocent of that whose mystery
r ,-r : G-jf gladness underlies ;
' ™ Problems that perplex,
‘ restless Nemeto* that haunt and vex.
'*owd of foYerish nations past him pross—
thought-o’er burdened throng—
gold, and wealth is happiness,
rJ hfa is short, and art is long :
: not eco them—airs
I “--w on him from *nnth«r world than theirs.
alL And by a wonderful dispensation, she
seemed to feel that whatever her ether faults
might be, she was strong on the point of loco
motion. For, when she had been moving with
a ponderous slowness, almost maddening to a
person of ordinary quickness, one of her favor
ite expressions wa3, “Well, Miss Lillie, wbat
shall lfiy into next?” How she accomplished
all she did the brownies only know. ’ ‘
impelled to open my eyes suddenly upon him,
As he walked softly toward the safe, I did
partly open them, and cautiously watched him
through my eyelashes. I heard him fumbling
with the lack, and once ho looked over to
wards the bed. My eyes were wide open, but
I closed them in time not to be detected.
Watching, him steadily, I saw him open the
’™P llsue “ door of tho safe, go back to the stand for tho
Wo used ■ candle, and return to the safe, which he en-
sometimes almost to tremble when there was , tered withoUt drawing the key' from the lock,
specialtanj^nbout onr domestic arrangements, Here was tha 0£ ,p$ rtnni ty for which I had
and yet Dinah always managed to bring affairs j wa i !0 d an( j wa tched. I sprang lightly from tho
to a consummation just when a minute more , oll0 b onn( j reached tho safe, dashed the featureoftheiroiviIization;popuLirelaca-
would have ruined everything, and with undia- ; the ’ door ^ turn ed the key, and with one loud I
turbed front, would slowly onunciate, ’Well, . shriek fell prostrate and senseless on the floor
Mi*t, what shall I fly into nextr” ! of the darkroom.
It was nearly dark when my husband depart- How loDg I lay upon the floor I do not know,
ed, and after giving my orders to D.nab, or j p ro b*bly for a few minutes only; but I was es
rather my suggestions, I left her, and made the j unconscious it seemed, when I came to myself,
tour of the house, to see that all was Mght ana y as # m terval had been a long one. * I was
properly locked up. This daty attended to, I j aroused by his blows upon the iron door, and
went to my bedroom, intending to pass the time , found myself weak after the long nervous ten-
in reading till my hnsband should return. j sion bul J stl)1 1 remember the satisfae-
It was a large room on tho ground floor, with ^ 0Q j thought, as I lay there before
two French windows opening on a broad, veran- - t that he could not escape, mingled with
dab. The windows were draped with long ye!- i a Yflt , UQ and f 00 ii stl dread that he might in his
low silk curtains, between which the moonlight » rAg0 bam ihQ va laable contents of tho safe.—
faintly entered, dimmed by the shadow of the . pounded desperately on the door and swore
roof of the piazza, and partly intercepted by j fearfully at finding himself entrapped. But, as
the fringe of tho woodbine which hung from it. j j u 0 notice of his outcries, he soon grew
My bed stood with its foot towards the windows : q U i e k
and its head about half a yard from the walls. | 1 Presently I rose, and lighting a candle, dress
It was an old fashioned structure, hung witn | ad myself with all possible haste and with trem-
yellow silk like the windows, but I slept with j b i ing fingers, turned often to look at the safe,
the banging drawn back and fastened to tho ; from under the closed door of which I mote than
headboard. The bed was so largo that no one ( ba j f expected to see blood trickling—why, I
ever thonght of moviug it, except in those sea- 1 cannot tell, except that my mind was full of
sons of panics called house-cleanings, when the • i ma g 63 c f horror.
combined strength of three or four men was j j wa8 soon in readiness. I had no moans of
called into requisition to draw it into the mid- j ascertaining the time, as he had my watch in
die of the room. So elaborately carved was it, 1 pocket, and there was no clock in the room,
that it went by the name of Westminster Ab- : q^lting the caodli I hastened to arouse Dinah,
bey in tho family. At one end of the room, at
no great distance from the bed, was a large safe,
bnilc into the huge chimney of the mansion,
with a door high enough for a person to enter
standing upright Here I was accustomed to
who, as I shook her, slowly opened her eyes,
and with scarcely any more than her usual
slowness pronounced her formula: “Well,
Miss Lillie, whatsball I fly—Lod-a-massa, what’s
de matter wid do chile ? You ain't seen a ghost,
place every evening onr silver plats on shelves 1 bab y 0U bone j y
which extended aionnd the sides, on which also : ‘‘Ho, Dinah; X’vo seen something worse than
were place boxes containing papers and other j a ghost I have caught a robber, and he’s in
valuables. Opposite the foot of the bedstead, j tb£) sa f 0> What time is it? - ’ and looking at the
between the windows, was a mirror, running clock that ticked slowly and deliberately, as how
from tno floor almost to the ceiling. Like all ■ could Dinah's clock he!p doing, I saw to my
other furniture in tho room, it was old and hand- , gr t at relief that it was nearly midnight - *
some. How many happy scenes it bad reflect- j Wo had scarcely got down stairs when I heard
cd in the hundred years it hud stood there 1 the sound of wheels. A moment more and my
The night was extremely hot, and I therefore j fiusband was in my arms, listening wuhamaze-
Ieft the windows open, though I drew the cur- . ment to a rapid narrative of mystngulsr adven-
tains before I soated myself at the table in the . ture j won id no t suffer him to open the safe
centre of the room, lighted the candles and be- xirrti 1 Silas had summoned assistance from the
gan to read in order to pass the heavy time be- j neighboring houses. I feared that my desper-
fore the return of my husband. _ j a to prisoner might still escape. When the bafe
After a while X heard the clock strike nine, at; opened, there sat my burglar on tho tiunk,
which hour Dinah always went to bed. Her j ba if b i. U pelied for want of air, a knife) in one
chamber was in tho attic, the third story of tho '■ fiond, the package of money in the other, and
house. Remembering some household matter 1 lbo buinei }.oat candle at his feet. Ho was rcc-
abont which I wished to speak to her, I started j ognized as an old offender,' who had not been
humedlj up and went into the entry to inter- j oat of state prison, to which, in due course
copt lier before she got up stairs. I had to wait • Jaw, ho was soon scut hack for .ft term of
a minute before she came, and our colloquy con- >ears> w hj 0 b, i devoutly hope, may last as long
tinued three or four minutes more. j as he lives; for 1 confabs I should not feel loisy
"When X returned to my bed-room, feeling tbat be was again at large. The look
somewhat tire J, X resolved to go to bed, ns at Q f ra gc ho gave me on coming out of the safe
that late hour in the country it was certain J w j]j no t soon be obliterated from my memory,
that no. visitors would call, ana _my husband | My husband, I need hardly say, was greatly
could let himself in with the latch-key, whioh i p] 6a8e d with my investment, and*complimented
he always carried. I thought, however, I would j me b jr,]fiy on the courage and coolness which
t ■ rcbeming deepota rise and fall,
frXe&ving nets for freemen's feet;
F r i irito nobler hearts enthrall,
iTjates, Truth hides, and armies meet;
I f7' reiietlees dread
1 "tver threatens some beloved head.
L Kreen leaves quiver, elovered banks
:! l cunthino and the breeze, ..
--..-eyed t quirrol8 play their Joyous pranks
TJUietruiiku of mossy trees, - . 1 A ’ t f 1
g^birds trill happy love
try to keep awake by reading, and nccordjngly
placed a light-stand and candles at tho head of
the bed. X then closed and fastened the win
dow, undressed and got into bed. The key of
the safe I plaocd, as usual, under my pillow.
After reading perhaps an hoar, I grew weary
of the book, and quietly laying it down, re
mained for some minutes meditating, with my
oyes fixed on the mirror opposite the foot of the
bed, in which I conld see myself reflected; to
gether, with the yellow silk curtains behind my
head. I was thinking, not unnaturally, how
happy I was with such a loving husband and such
a large sum of money secure in our safe, when
suddenly I saw in the mirror a .sight which
made my heart stand still. A hand appeared
between the curtains, drawing them slowly
apart, and grae
It was a man’s
as if belonging to a mulatto, or to one greatly
tanned by exposure to the weather. My first
impulse was to start from the bed and scream
for help. I repressed it by a strong effort of
will, and lay perfectly motionless, except that I
partially closed my eyes, keeping them only suf
ficiently open to watch the mirror! As quick
as lightnihgmy mind took in tho situation. In
the few minutes of my absence from the room
while talking to Dinah in tho entry, a thief, a
robber, possibly a murderer, had stolen in by
the piazza window, and had hidden himself,
either under the. bed or behind! its draped head.
He was doubtless armed ; and if I cried out, or
attempted to escape from the room, he aonld
easily reach the door before I conld, and far bis
own security, would probably put me to death.
Dinah was too distant and too feeble and clum
sy to afford me any assistance,.and was by this
The iman
highly on the courage
had doubtless saved my life as well as the
money. The love and pride with which he re
garded me, and with which he always, to this
day, rehearses my exploit, were of themselves
a sufficient compensation for the horror andthe
agony of that long Bummer night,
Strasbourg by Night.
A correspondent within the fortifications of
Strasbourg vividly, seta forth the scene present
ed nightly in that beleaguered town: ‘’Day
is the timo for rest in the lines before Stras
bourg. At night men gird up their loins and
prepare for work; then, pioneers and fatigue
parties go forth to their labor under the friend
ly cover of the darkness; and then, too, in
, _ their turn, the French gunners peer into the
grasping cautiously the headboard, night, and open their heaviest fire on every
an’s hand, large and coarse and dark, gpeck of light that indicates the presence of the
-*“■* ’ " * " foe, and on every spot where they think it like-
^}ing boughs the shade-flecked turf above. 1 time fast aaleepdir the third story. The !
saxae ii »■■. doubless knew that my husband had that day
'j"nli him; there Fancy sings ! received a Urge sum of money, and had gone
that lnltthe weary brain ; ; aoros tha river, leaving me alone, or nearly
“'U1 mew in Beauty’s freshening springs, ! alone in the house. He had entered, caring
/V ii p&noDhed from nain : ahU />»*• mnnAV And. anxinn* fthovi all
IOT 1,1 P^ophed from pain ;
I Co-. tlie enchanted wave
I kite Achilles, arrow-proof and brave.
r»rh re4l “ *hd him I part;'
TVtho poet’s sesame.
Bit c,f unlock, the sculptora’s art
I Fj i‘,. Portals lost the key;
I It, vf r tom conld seize
“Pniug chisel of Praxiteles.
j , Records, thou! forever fair,
ru; ;:“l a, od and tho Praised, 1 .j
I-. ; hiumpa Sculpture still could dare:
. ,°P on her altars blaze!
■t. ,- a ; has grown cold
>V, Tripod Street thou stoodstof old.
AnXnbgdtiOSO'
only for the money, and, anxious above
things to escape undetected and unrecognized.
If I let him know that I was aware of his pres
ence, I should expose myself to murder, i and
perhaps to outrage worse than murder. ; My
obvious policy was to keep quiet arid to feigu
sleep. I thought also of the money, and > was
not altogether willing to resign that without an
effort to save it, and to have at least some clue
to the identity of the thief. I oonfess, however,
that this last consideration was a very stroDg
j one, and aim afraid that, if I oonld have seen
my way clear to an escape from the room and
the house, I should have fled incontinently,
without stopping to see more than that terrible
h «4. •
ly that working may bo going on. The view of
tho beleagured town at night from the cafe of
Lion d’Or, at Brumath, was beaulifnl—beauti
ful. but awful. A great conflagration lit up the
lurid sky ia the direction of Buprecbisao, and
the trembling townsfolk whispered among
themselves that the ‘Minster’ was in flames;
they were wrong, for in the morning the tall
cathedral spire pointed grandly to the sky. In
stantaneous flashes of lightning issued every
second from the heavy canopy of smoke, and
were followed iri s few moments by the doll re
verberating roar of the heavy guns, while every
now and then a shell would burst in the air,
scattering points of vivid light through the
blaokneas of the night. It was beautiful, but
the beauty was infernal, like that of a tiger, or
of the ocean in a storm. At midnight the fire
was raging terribly, and the whole sky was
lighted np with the brightness of the flames.”
GEN. BEAUREGARD ON THE WAR
The Ex-Confederate Soldier Interviewed-!
Why the French were Whipped-r^tal
Errors In Attach—A11 Opinion of JVapo-
Icon and Trotha. - -- w !—t-cmoQ
A correspondent of the Lynchburg Bepubli
can writing from Alleghany Springs, Virginia,
relates a conversation with General Beauregard
about the war ia Europe. Some of the Gene
ral’s views are of interest:
Tho dnesti.-K was asked: -Y/kat wasArhe mat
ter with France i Consider her former military
fame,- that of the first waring nation in Europe
—consider her patriotism, the devotion aud
readiness with which she went to the field, her
noble, unsurpassed postponement of eveiy po
litical question, of every, faction in her legisla.
tive body to win the safety of her country—
even tho ‘Tuipracticables” like Favre and Thiers
shotting “resistance to the death!” Look at
her ready and even excessive loans to the gor-
ernment ; her public Bpirit risen to a heiglt
that disdains all compromises and hurries to
offer all possible sacrifices. -Then why her di
feat, and her defeat continued and aggravate
on every field V ’Why this succession of disas
ters? Is it not possible that there may hare
been treachery in the French canwp, as whin
the Emperor is reported to have made the ex
clamation that “he was betrayed”—and, indeed,
you noticed the last accounts, “the French s*l
diers in Belgium turned upon their officers aid
massacred thorn 1 ”
CAUSE 01? THE FRENCH FAXLUBE.
General Beauregard replied at length, and
with a clearness and detail of conversation that I
do not pretend to report, but in the third aid
distant person. Tho hypotheses that had been
named, the suspicions of treachery, or of grass
incompetenoy thrown on particular French ofi-
cers were possible; but they were not necessa
ry to answer the problem of the French defeat.
After all, it might be found in slight causes—
■War, modern war, had got to be such an elalnr-
ate competition, one so close and exacting, that
the least shade of superiority in any respect
might incline the balance. The French system
of attack was a traditional one; they relied on
momentnm, dash. He referred to an articli in
the Full Mall Gazette which compared the xrili-
tary systems and practice on the field of France
and Prussia. The latter had the advantage in
the close and scrupulous calculation of every
thing calculated to give advantage to the siagle
soldier acting as a combatant, and inspired vith
the idea that on his individual effort depexded
the fortune of the field. Here was a govern
ment that had studied the military efficiency of
tho man almost exclusively, to the highest
point. A government mere exacting thax the
Oriental despotisms; but more intelligent than
these. The whole society of Prussia vas a
vast, elaborate organization, a camp; tie su
preme idea everywhere visible that the man be
longed to the government. Form, severity was
tion was enforced; oven its social industries
were organized; in Prussia no man conld pur
sue a trade unless he had served an apprentice
ship, or performed certain public conditions.
Tho idea of the great Frederick had bead con
stantly cultivated since his time, to mak« a na
tion of soldiers; organization and discipline in
every department of life ; aud to-day we see its
results in tho most perfectly trained armies—
soldiers the most ohedict, yet enthusiastic, hav
ing that peculiar combination of steadiness with
spirit, that makes the best soldilrs in the world
—and that is the end, the culmination of all
military education.
ATTACKING IN CLOSE COLUMN.
“Who”—and General Beauregard spoke with
a suffused face—“could doubt the courago of
the Frenoh soldier ? The bravest people in the
world may fail under the ccmplications of
science—the force of a single fact overlooked
in the grand and elaborate competition of war.’’
He had notioed, as far as anything conld be dis
covered from the confused dspatches of the
newspapers, that the French and adhered to
their favorite, traditional practice in the field,
that of attacking in close column. On the
other hand, the Prussians deployed their lines,
seemed to have the constant idea of- develop
ing the largest front of fire, and all the news
papers had invariably remarked the slowness
and deliberation of their fire. It was a circum
stance noticed with carious unanimity by Oil
the war correspondents. An article in tho Vir
ginian, under his hand, read: “The Prussians
never attack in squares.”
THE ABM OF PRECISION.
What tho General designated as “ihe arm of
precision” had changed the whole obaraoter of
modern war, and ho feared that the French had
not sufficiently accommodated themselves to tho
tmpoitaut and radical innovation mado in small
arms. Their favorite idea of attacking in close
column and carrying the' field with a rush was
good informer circumstances; brilliant; supplied
the two conditions of physical momentum and
moral inspiration. But the arm of ptecisiou
had changed all that.
UEAUREGAnn's INTERVIEW WITH THE EMPEROR.
“I had an iuterview,” said General Bettre-
gard, “with the Emperor Napoleon in 1SGG.”
l'he fact, as known to this writer, and obtained
by him, not from Gen. Beauregird, but from a
member pdf the press of Paris, is' that' General
Beauregatd visited tho French capital in 18GG;
was received there—at the Grand Hotel—with
an ovation that surprised his modesty, and ; was.
invited to a special interview with tho Emperor,
who, with characteristic ard, indeed, noble de-'
sire to acquire information, asked our great
Southern general pointedly what most. remark
able .and significant fact he had observed in the
war oat of which he had just come with world
wide and'immortal reputation-; {General' Beau
regard replied with a dissertation on the usp. qf
the small-arm. He gave the Emperor a mahiiaX
illustration of the subject, repeating hist re
markable conviciion of the change which tho
arm of precision had made in the art of war.
That arm hud made calculation the virtue of
the modern soldier. Formerly, with .the; old
smolh-boro musket, the soldier fired in the air;
his enemy was only a mass In front of him,;.-
now with the chassepot and needle-gun, where
a man could kill at 2,200 yards,- he fired Upon
an individual enemy; he cooldselect him. ; . It
had become an exact mechanical task fori the
soldier to kill his enemy. : He (General B.) ! had
one advice whi>-h he constantly gave to his sol-'
diers on every occasion; it was his dogma, i his
constant remark whenever he had the oppor-
luuifv to spe.'.k to the private soldier : “lire low
and fire slow.”
world has been suddenly drawn upon a man of
whom I never heard before.”
General Beauregard—Well, sir, be may be
“the coming man.” I know his record well; he
is one of the mostjthorough soldiers in France—
a man who adopted the deliberate, characteris
tic choioo of the thorough soldier, to serve up
through all the subordinate grades of the French
army. Remarkable of him, he made himself
unpopular in the Frenoh army for his freedom
and independence in pointing out what he
thought the defects of its system. -The French,
nice and exacting in every other affair of life,
pride themselves on not giving attention to mil
itary details. General Trochu has had the bold
ness to criticise repeatedly that affected mag
nanimity that neglects details, and that has of
ten lost the great opportunities of history. He
is the reputed author of the remarkable military-
views I juat showed you iu the Pall Mali Ga
zette. Curiously enough, France has not been
fortunate in her recent military traditions. They
are those of Algeria, China, Mexico; in every
instance) (excepting Solferino) that of an- infe
rior and despised enemy easily conquered by
The Akermnn Bill to Postpone an
Election to December.
A Bill to be entitled an Act to provide for an
Election, and to alter and amend the laws ia
relation to the holding of: elections:
Section 1. The General Assembly of Georgia
hereby enacts, That au election shall bo held,
beginning on the 20th day of December, f870,
and ending on the 22d of December, 1S70, for
members of Congress to serve daring the unex
pired term of the 41st Congress of the United
States,.and for members of the 42d Congress;
for Senators in (he State Sanate for each dis
trict numbered in the Constitution with an odd
number; for members of the House of Repre
sentatives of the General Assembly; for Sheriffs,
Clerks of the Superior. Court, Tax Collectors,
Tax Receivers, County Treasurers, Coroners
and County Surveyors, of the several counties
of this State.
Sec. 2. That the said election shall commence
on th'e said 20th day of December, and continue
between’tho: hours now fixed by law for three
separate days, e-tT 1
Sec. 3. Tuat said election shall bo managed and
that system of attack m winch the, quality 01 the superintended at the Court-houses at the oouuty
soldier is dari, dash, a sudden enthusiasm rath- Hea t, and at any election precinct that may exist
than tho quiet, sedulous confidence of the
man behind the machine who is taught the Val
ue of position, and the virtue of a perfect self-
possession. ! * !l JjjU.:'- ! -
“Whipped by Fortifications.”
Editors Telegraph & Messenger ;;o ” 1 '
As “Grafton” has tacitly admitted without
argument, the position assumed in. my article
of the 13th inst., I will correct him iu a few
particulars, and submit the subject to author
ity, time and experiment- for verification.--
He says: “In a careful study of the life of
Napoleon, I found nothing< so promiment as
his total disregard of the ideas of the great
military men who preceded him. * * *
It tons this originality which directed his vic
torious eagles successfully.” Let Napoleon
answer: After Austerlitz, at Schonbrunn, he
caused Maret to read to him certain chapters
from Jomini’s.“Treatise op Great Operations;”
whose text was, the Campaigns of Frederick
tho Great Having listened for a few minutes
he exclaimed : They say the age does not ad
vance 1 Why, here is a young Major, a Swiss
at that, who teaches us what my professors
never taught me, aud what veryfcio Generals
understand” Soon after h6 said, much ex
cited: “Why did Foucho~allow such a work
to be published ? It teaches my whole system
of war to my enemies. The J book must he
seized and its circulation prevented.” After
reflecting a few moments he again said: “But
I attach too much importance to this publica
tion- The old Generals who command against
me will never read it, and the young men vrho
will read it, do not command j nevertheless,
such works must not be published hereafter
without permission.” Such' is the admission
of the Great Napoleon—his system was Fred
erick’s, and so on to Caesar, Alexander, Cyrus,
or later, Tamerlane and Genglis Khan at the
GraBioiie, Issus, Arbela, Brundusium, the
campaigns of Frederick, Monlinotte, Maringo,
Uim, Jena to Baulzen, it has passed, modi
fied, but the principle ever, exemplified to the
present time. Lee at Richmond, in 1862, and
Chancellorsville; Jackson in the Valley, and
in Pope’s rear, exemplified the principle. It
is old; as old as the time when genius first
sought the ascendant uponetheiibattle field;
and the imDrovements in arms, im strategy, in
railroads and telegraphy will only expedite and
assist, they canuot change, alter or divert war
from its ancient and legitimate principles.—
Said Jomhri to Gen. McClellan, a few years
since, with Magenta and ; Solferino, of the
Franco-Austrian, and Sadowa of the Austro-
Prussian war before him: “Woe to tho Gen
eral who trusts in tbe modern inventions, and
neglects the principles of strategy ; those prin
ciples will remain unchanged through all the
improvements of the futurcj and can. never be
inconsistent with them: future history wil!
show that under no circumstances can those
principles be violated with impunity.” And
he is right. The humamnind may be en
dowed in future with a greater comprehension,
but it will never master higher principles, or.
more comprehensive, than those taught by
Xenophon, Jomini, and Napier, and practiced
by Jackson, partially by Lee, by Napoleon,
Frederick, Caesar. Alexander, Cyrus and the
hosts, perhaps, who precedeefthem; *
I am not authorized tQ say why- breech
loaders were refused by the graduates of West
Point, but Supposed; at the time, it was be
cause tho majority were not worth, for service,
the iron of which they were fashioned^» No.
Arms of longer range, quioker firo and heavier
calibre may be invented ; new maneuvres may
be practiced and lines discarded, but he who
" .eres to the principle^ of war, as practiced
taught by theHighauthorihes referred to,
c^n never err, and nufribers alone can defeat
him. “Grafton,” nb more than thd true print
ciples of war," condemns the cooping up of
armiee in fortified or other places, where they
can be “contained” by the beleaguering army;
but I contend, that when weeper armies are
flanked by neutral territories, and ftqnt
superior forces, there ^ nothing ;in; tne art
war which forbids them assuming the di
fensive, be it iu forts, on mountains, or plains,
behind brea3t-workd or rail-piles, so tho de
fence is superior to, the enginery^mployed. to
t ike. Futurity may and perhaps will produce
her great military genius, but my opinion is, he
will hardly produce greater results with men
as his agents, than either of the great com
manders I have mentioned. - Nil.
or be established iu any incorporate and or
ganized city or town by managers chosen as fol
lows :
Sec. 4. It shall be the dnty of the Governor
of the State,'by and with the advise and con
sent of the Senate, as soon after the passage of
this act as possible, to appoint five fit and
proper persons of intelligence and moral worth
for each election precinct established at tha
Court-house, or in any city br incorporate town
in this State; and said J five persons,, or-any
three or morG of them; may and shall hold the
election at said Court-house and precincts in
said city or town.
Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the Governor
to cause the said appointees to be duly notified
of their several appointments as aforesaid; and
it shall be the duty of said appointees to appear
at the said Court-house and at said precincts in
said city or town on the day fixed by this aot for
the said election within the hours prescribed by
aw, and hold said election.
Seo. G. It shall be the duty of the Governor
to famish each of the Judges of the Sapexior
Court witha list of said appointees in the seve
ral counties of their respective circuits, and at
the next term of said court in each county,
after the said election, it shall' be the duty of
the Judge to inform himself if said appointees
have appeared as required by this act and held
the said election, aud if any such appointees
have failed to appear, and the absence of his
signature to the returns required by law to be
made to the Clerk of said Court, shall be prima
fade evidence ot such failure, it shall be the
duty of the said Judge forthwith to fine such
appointee one hundred dollars; provided, that
said fine may be remitted on said appointees
satisfying said Judge that his failure so to at
tend was caused by severe sickness or other un
avoidable causes, or that he was legally disqual
ified from serving.
And provided farther, That said appointees
shall each of them be citizens of the county for
which they are appointed, and voters of the
same.
Sec. 7. In addition to the duties now-pre
scribed by law for the.maaagers of eleotions, it
shall bo the dnty of said managers to preserve
order at and near the polls, but they shall have
no power to refuse ballots of any male persons
of apparent full age, a resident of the connty,
who has not previously voted at the said elec
tion. .
“ Seo. S. They shall not permit any person to
challenge any vote, or hinder or delay, or inter
fere with, any other person in the free andspeedy
casting of his ballot, • ' ”
Democratic Meeting In Butts County;
trdba - • 1
The common fault of the soldier in the use of
musketry was throwing the eye on the sight at
the extremity of his weapon ; thus instinctively,
unconsciously—it being below the level of the
eye—to raise it too high j and th9 deflection of
a hair’s breadth in any of the modern arms of
long range made all the difference in tho world.
The obvious remedy was the double sight near
the breech ip oorrect this instinctive elevation
of the piece. But, above all, deliberate firing
had been his point of instruction. Modem war
was becoming an affair of death-dealing mach
inery ; ;it abolished muoh of the romance and
chivalry of aims; but after all the speaker came
back to tho leading idea, that the close com
petitions of modern war were to be decided by
mechanical differences, these sometimes of the
slightest description ; and that a single defect
in the French military system might supply all
the explanation that public curiosity has needed
for their series of defeats.
PRUSSIA A GENEROUS ENEMY.
Still Another.—The Montgomery Mail says:
Ool. George Reese, of Chambera county, Ala
bama, an opposer of secession, a Union man
through the war, and one of the first in Alabama
to esponse the cause of Republicanism, has re
nounced the party and espoused the cause of
the Democratic nominees. Like his friend Saf- ~
fold, who has also come out from the foul crowd, P la ^^ards the unhappy Emperor-even climb-
he thinks the Republican party as now organized ; ln S «™-8to£ bouses
iu Alabama, should not live Mother dayf toaigua of hie empire! a ,
promise of a glorious sun-burst of vtotory for | ^ “ J irkr that there was
Di
In the conclusion of the conveisation General
Beauregard remarked that he thought Prussia
would prove a generous enemy, -and would not
exact humiliations. He spoke with great feel
ing of the unworthy frenzy of the French peo-
the AUbaraa ^emoTracy ETryday^t, I860, that there, was
we hear of some xecruiti their rWfrom the ! *T“i , 2 Pin,,r
camp of the enemy. The ^1-^1 j than the romantic peasantry of England,
reasons, has speoial gratification in making this! ,. , . _ , * L
latest conversion a matter of record and con- “General, what do youtkmk of Trochu, Goy-
”~r TV 'r j ‘”Jacksos, September 13; 1870.
The Democrats and Conservatives of Bntts
county mot at the Court-house to-day, accord
ing to previous appointment. ,
pn motion; J. B. Dunlblo iyttS' caHed to the
Chair, and Wiley Goodman reqtteSfSd to get as
Secretary. The objeet of the meeting was ex
plained by the Chair—it being to send delegates
to the Congressional Convention to meetinFor-
svth on Wednesday, the 21st Instant.
On motion, B. F. Ward and H. 'B. Fletoher,
were chosen delegates to represent - this county,
and W. A. Elder, and H. O. Benton, alternates.
On motion, Judge T. O. Jaoob, of Forsyth,
was seated as a member of- the Conventior^'to
take part in its deIiberationii«},ft i H 6 t!T v ft A!
On motion, the delegates were instructed to
use all honorable means to secure the nomina
tion of C. A Nutting, of Bibb, to theunexpdred
term of the 41st Congress, and Col. James S.
Boynton, of Spsldiog, to the fall term of the
42d Con gross. -1 * l -.' ‘
T?Aon1vAt1 That thin mfiftHnu aa.
See. 0. It shall be the duty of said managers
to prevent rioting, disturbances; and rioting at
or near the; polls,'and to secure the end it shall
be their duty to present more than one person
and he, only while voting, approaching or re
maining within fifteen feet of the place of re
ceiving ballots, and said managers may, if they
see fit, require the persons desiring to vote to
form themselves into. a . line, and when a line is
thus formed stud .managers shall prevent any
persons not' in the : line from approaching the
polling place nearer than fifty feet, but in no
case shall more than one vote at any time be
permitted to approach the polls nearer than fif
teen feet. V, . ■ •
Seo. 10. It shall be the duty of the Sheriff,
Deputy Sheriff, Town Marshal, Bailiffs and Po
lice officers, the whole to be under the orders of
the Sheriff or his Deputy, to attend at one or
other of said places of voting during the elec
tion, and obey all lawful orders of said mana
gers,' or either of them, and to act as conserva
tors of the peace, and for the protection of the
voters against violence, intimidation and all
unlawful attempts to influence voters or to in
terfere with the perfect freedom of each voter
to cast his ballot according to his own wishes.
Seo. 11. The said managers, or any two of
them, shall have power, by patrol, to 1 order! the
arrest and confinement during the day of any
person disturbing tho peace at cr near the polls*
or disobeying any reasonable order for the en
forcement of these provisions for tho preserva
tion of order and the protection of voters; and
the sheriff and his deputy shall also have power,
without warrant; to arrest,' or order the arrest
of any person for the causes aforesaid. j
Sx,c. 12. It shall be the duty of said mana
gers to receive each ballot and deposit the same
in a ballot-box, and it shall not be lawful for
either of them, or for any clerk, to open any
closed ballot until the polls are closed and the
_ j, counting of the votes is commenced,
fronted by Sse. 13. It shall bo the duty of said mana-
tne art ot gera to prevent any person, except themselves
and the three clerks by them to be appointed
and sworn, to remain in the room when the bal
lots are received, so near the ballot-box or
polling plaoe as to examine the tickets, or to
handle any ticket, and they shall have the same
power to enforce tineas other duties herein cast
upantham.—,—
3ao. 11. The said managers may select throe,
competent persons to aot as olerks in keeping
the list of voters and tally sheets, bat said olerks
shall not be permitted to handle any ballot or
examine the same.
Seo. 15. One of said managers shall receive
the ballot from the voters and hand them to a
second, who Bhall deposit the same in a box,
and at no time shall any vote be received, un
less there be at least three of said maj^g^”
present.
Sec. 16. Said managers, clerks and offioert,
except police officers actually on dnty, shall re
ceive from .the Connty Treasurer three dollars
for eaoh dak’s dnty at said election.
See. 17. It Bhall be to the power of said
managers, or any three of them, to fine any
Sheriff, Deputy Sheriff, Marshal, or police. of
ficers not more than one hundred dollars, as for
oontempt, if he fails to obey any lawful order
of said managers, or eitherof them for theen-
forcement of the laws, for keeping the peace,
or preserving order, and for the protection of
the freedom of elections on toe day of that el
tBaitfi htotolds v«5i»w to baoltse XIoAtojT,
Seo. 18. Said managers shall each of t%em
iake the following oath ' J ” < ‘ ’
Seo. 20. Each of the said clerks shall., be
sworn fairly; impartially, and truthfully, to
keep the list of voters, and fairly and honestly
to keep the tally-sheets at said election.
Sec. 21. It .sliill be the duty of the ordina
ries of the several counties of this State to far-
nish stationery for the purposes of said flec
tion ; also, to have ready, and furnish for each
of the sets of managers provided for by this
oot, a ballot-box sufficiently large to hold, tha
ballots likely to be cast at said polling place—>.
said ballot-box to bo made so that it cannot be
opened withont serious damage to the box, on
all sides except one, aud on that aide to have a.
movable lid, with an opening there sufficiently
large to admit the pushing in of the ballots one
by one—said lid to be so constructed as that it
may slide into grooves in the box, and have a
lock thereon; and it shall be the dnty of the
managers to open and examine said box at the
opening of said polls, and then to lock the same,
and at the close of the polls on each day it shall
be the duty of eech manager to put upon said
lid a strip of paper with his name thereon, and
affix the same by adhesion to the box, so that
the box cannot be opened withont the rupture
of said paper, and this being done, the box
shall, for the night, bo entrusted to the keeping
of one of the managers, and another of the
managers shall take the key; and it shall bet the
dnty of any such managers entrusted with said
box or key to permit no one to tamper, in any
way, with the same, and if such tampering ba
done, the managers entinsted with.the same
shall be prima facie guilty of having done the
same, and on conviction, Bhall be punished as
provided in 4G08 section of the Revised Code
for the punishment of misdemeanor?.
Sec. - 22. An election mauagar or oJerk, <a
other officers on duty in tho holding of any
election, who shall be guilty of atiy fraudulent
practice in changing auy ballot, or in using any
trick or device by which any false return is
made, or any ballot-box tampered with, or who
shall, in any way, be guilty of any false or
fraudulent practice or act by which any vote
actually oast is not fairly counted and returned,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on con
viction shall be punished as provided iu section
4C08 of the Revised Code.
Seo. 23. Repeals conflicting laws.
- • From Haeon Comity.
. Montezuma, September 20, 1870.
Editors Telegraph and Messenger: The
new crop of cotton is coming to very slowly.
Some of onr farmers say that guano ruined
their cotton, and that those who bought and
used none bad the beat crops, and others say
they will not make more than enough cotton to
pay for guano and cost of cultivation. ThoM
who have bought all their supplies will fall be
hind, or at best have nothing left when they
pay np. Nevertheless amid all the gloom we
can boast of one or two planters who hare made
fine crops—kick np their heels like spring
iambs, and defy the State and the whole world,
'including Mr. David Dickson and “what I b>"«
about farming,” to come ^ gU 0^^
* rVr* * . . " Fejee. Muaapph> -
ing be published to a:
of the 4th Congressional Dtstrict.
The meeting then adjourned.
J. B. Dumbln, Chairman.
Wiley Goodman, Secretary.
will jnot
ave been
any person
do so by some
Uffltll
Ready GetorebanD vo* “Gobbliso.”—The
Pt delay, or
speedy qaat-
speoialcorrespondent of.the Tribune, at Paris, .
telegraphs: “Alsace and Lorrtiaa are treated • I wiU to good faith, to^the beat ^ toyhbipty.
as integral paria of Prussia. 1 The -nfflfiti
and pnblio acts relating to their
were all ready when Prussia commenced gwr-
erning those provinces,, having been prepared
beforehand at Berlin.”
The New York Commercial Advertiser state*
that Generals Beauregard and Ripiey are to.
Paris holding commandB in the defence of the
city. If any other paper has the- new« *e have
; /naetjtk ~‘V«
graralation,
riua-'iej jWauiMJ'i cjJ _i
ernorof Paris? The attention of the.wfc^e ;l ?•: cT ,V:fW
has
legal tribunal.
I will permit no ons to challer
hinder any voter from the free am
tog of his ballot.
.•_I will to good 1 .......
endeavor.to carry into effect the
this act, andthe
80 kelp m«G<xL
(Any manager may administer this oath to
the others,) < <
Sec. 19. Nothing to this act prohibiting dial-
lenges at tits polls shall be construed to author
ize any one. to vote who is not; by the Constitu
tion, a qualified voter to the county of’election;
but all persons not duly qualified to vote, are;
and shall continue to bo, subject to aH the toins
and pejtoltio* flxed by. lawianssa they soto -ii*
legally., . • . ?, - u js>
.'qx: A Lady’s Opinion on Ptenfem
A young lady having been invited to attend
a picnic, thus declines, which will be found to
be but the experience of a great many peo
ple : If to broii, and to bake, and to butter;
to bottle, to slice and to pack; to get off before
von are ready, and before you are ready come
back; if taking a seat on a pie-dish, and los
ing your moat in the grass, and having bon
drop in your pudding, and snails take a bath
in your glass; if toads holding hop on your
sandwich, and beetles inspecting your bread,
;when brambles and thorus catch your feet,
and worms pelt down on your head; if scatter
ing in every direction to seek for foliage and
cover, and find yon have been outstripped by
some Sarah Jane and her lover : if in gather
ing up all the fragments of such an Arcadian
feast, you can’t tell whether r twas moat Kfco
entertainment for man or for beast; ifthal
kind of thing is enjoyment, in longer or short
er measure, and you’re ample enough to be
lieve it so, why then help yourself to Ahc pleas
ure ; but for me (I speak from ekperienoe, dm
subject I’ve closely perused), the reply will be
found in the Soriptures; “I pray you to hold
meexcused.” ' '
Count Benard, the Civil Governor of At
sace, and Count Fenckel of JPonncnMamfit, ace
both from Upper Silesia. Count Renard ia the
wealthiest man in all Prussia, and paya.ineome
tax upon nearly *#1,000;600' yearly. - The. other
Governor is also extremely rich. In
Count Renard belongs to the Free Conservative
party—Count Fenokel to the National Liberate.
Both Governors are Oathotfes. E —’ ” Tn-- 7
,? £v
CHALK AND MAPS.
Ton Xoltke’s Contempt of French .Strategy
—The Military Edncatlon in Algeria—A
Carious Conversation. . -Ian
prom Galignani's Mts*enoer.']j i ± m ^ ';j,.
An interesting letter appears in the Salut
Public of Lyons relative to the instruotion
which Prussian and French officers are re
spectively obliged to possess. The writer
says: 1 : 0 - ,v
McMahon is supposed to have adopted tac-
ticts whioh are not new, namely, to.act above -
all with bis artillery—said to bo formidable—
and to spare his men as much as possible Na
poleon L, of whom General de Mo’tke is only
the pupil, never proceeded otherwise. He it
was who first imagined the great concentra
tions of troop3 by - rapid marches. M; de
Moltke, his fervent admirer, has always man
ifested the greatest contempt for our strategy;
I remember having heard quoted some of his
very words addressed to a French officer on a
mission to Berlin. “l)o not talk to me of
your military education in Africa. If you
have never been there, so much the better,
when you become general you will be glad of
it. The war you have been carrying on for
forty years against the Arabs is a gutrrillerie
of an inferior order. Never any skillfhl
marches, no feints, no counter-marches, rarely
any surprises. With that school yon will do
nothing more than form other schools like it.
The first great war will demonstrate your in
efficiency, and were I not in presence of a man
of your merit, sir, I should not hesitate to
laugh at your ignorance ot the trade to which
you devote yourself. Amongst you—do not
deny it—a pioneer is almost a ridiculous ^per
son, and in general the working-man is one of
mean intelligence. Here, on the contrary, the
most conscientious studies are in the order of
the daj’, and the lowest captain knows as
much as your staff officers, who arc so bril
liant in the ball-room. Have you even a su
perficial smattering of the elements of the
military art in leaving your special schools?
I am tempted to doubt it. Come, now,” con
tinued General de Moltke, taking the other by
the hand, “I wager that you do not know wbat
is the most valuable piece of furniture for the
chamber of an officer in garrison. Come with
me.” So saying, the old Prussian led his in
terlocutor into a small bedebamber suited to a
sub-lieutenant; a small bed without curtains,
three straw chairs, shelves of books from the
floor to the roof, and in the middle of the
room a black wooden board ion an easel; the
ground strewed with mors-Is of chalk. “It ia
with this that we beat our adversaries every
morning.” murmured the old tactician who
was destined to give afterwards so severe a
lesson to General Frossard, the Professor of
the Prince Imperial. “And for drawings,
here is all we want,” and M. de Moltke ex
hibited some geographical maps. What a
singular conversation, when one thinks: that.
it took place in March, 1870, for I oopy it lit
erally from a letter dated the 21st of. that
month. What may we not have to say about
the lessons to be derived from it? We shall
profit by them at a later period.
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