ency) that is
really difficult, demanding long and exhaustive study. And who has the
patience or the inclination to do it? Everything is sacrificed to
making a good show at the reviews. If only one has been able to cut a
good figure then, one has got out of it well! A teacher must have good
and bad pupils in his class, of course; but woe to the commander of a
battery who is disgraced by having a bad officer under him! He has not
been able to educate him! So, instead of an incapable man being got rid
of when he deserves it, an enormous amount of pains and trouble is
wasted on him--absolutely wasted! Disgusting love of show! Instead of
our holding forth everlastingly to these young people about upholding
the honour of their position in the eyes of the world, they should
rather have it brought home to them that they ought to win their own
self-respect by honest and conscientious attention to duty."

"You exaggerate!" murmured Reimers.

"I wish indeed that I did!" rejoined Guentz. "But just you go to every
individual brother-subaltern and say: Is drilling recruits a pleasure
to you? Do you get up early, determined to work hard all day and to
endeavour to train good soldiers for the king? or, do you on awakening
growl that the devil may take the whole dirty pack of recruits?"

"Why don't you rather ask with what thoughts they awake during
gun-practice and the man[oe]uvres?"

"Because the one depends upon the other, my dear fellow. Without
the training of recruits there would be no gun-practice and no
man[oe]uvres. It is just as if we were military teachers. Well,
gun-practice is to a certain extent an examination for the men; while
the man[oe]uvres, as you know, don't teach the men anything new, but
are rather a test for the higher officers. But the teacher who only
wants to make a show at the examination, and who does not expend
all the enthusiasm and inspiration of his calling upon the teaching
itself,--I have no use for him!"

"You really are unjust!" exclaimed Reimers.

"Well, perhaps so----"

"You see, you allow it yourself!"

"But in a different way from what you mean. I say that the subalterns
themselves are only in part answerable for their faults, the other part
of the responsibility is borne by the entire system."

"What system?"

"Why, the system of our entire army service, of our military
education."

"Has it not been tested in three campaigns?"

Guentz was silent for a time, and then he answered,