d,
whether for good or evil. The non-commissioned officer then ceases to
depend on his pay alone; and that puts temptations to dishonourable
conduct before many a perhaps otherwise conscientious man, besides
inevitably engendering dissatisfaction with his profession.
Furthermore, the one-year volunteer system takes away just those men
who, with their higher intelligence and culture, might most effectually
oppose the socialistic propaganda that goes on in the ranks, and who
might in a certain sense exert an enlightening influence on those
around them. The colonel regards all prohibitions and regulations
against the inroads of the revolutionary spirit in the army as more or
less futile. The only practicable expedient is the influence over the
privates of thoroughly trustworthy elements in their midst. The fact
that the one-year volunteers live in barracks among the privates
certainly makes severe demands on the patriotism of the younger ones;
but then it renders careful surveillance possible, and affords a
valuable insight into the life of the common soldier, into his ways of
thinking and his views of the world in general. Falkenhein maintains
that for the same reason this arrangement, although in some respects
inconvenient, is highly desirable for the _avantageur_ as a future
officer. The French military authorities, who have lately instituted a
similar system, have, in his opinion, done perfectly right.

The hardships of the life serve both to sift out the incapables, and to
produce officers who are more mature, more manly, and who do not look
upon their inferiors as utter aliens.

The inspection of the regimental shooting went off without a hitch. In
his subsequent criticism the general spoke of the pleasure it
invariably afforded him to inspect the 80th Regiment of the Eastern
Division Field-Artillery,--a pleasure of which he had never been
disappointed. He ended by saying: "I congratulate both the regiment and
yourself, Colonel von Falkenhein. The regiment, because it has such an
excellent commanding officer at its head; and you, because you have
made your regiment such a splendid body of men." Hardly a very
brilliant or very witty remark, this; but it sounded pleasantly, and
one could not reasonably expect higher praise.

Falkenhein was in the best of good humours. "Come, Reimers," he said
after lunch, when he had accompanied the general to his carriage,
"We'll give my two bays a little exercise. They've had no