*History Repeating Itself*.

And yet there remains the fact that both enemies and friends are
surprised at our efficiency. This is no new phenomenon. Again and again
in the course of history the British armies have had to win once more
the reputation which had been forgotten. Continentals have always begun
by refusing to take them seriously. Napoleon, who had never met them in
battle, imagined that their unbroken success was due to some weakness in
his Marshals rather than in any excellence of the troops. "At last I
have them, these English," he exclaimed as he gazed at the thin, red
line at Waterloo. "At last they have me, these English," may have been
his thought that evening as he spurred his horse out of the debacle. Foy
warned him of the truth. "The British infantry is the devil," said he.
"You think so because you were beaten by them," cried Napoleon. Like von
Kluck or von Kluck's master, he had something to learn.

Why this continual depreciation? It may be that the world pays so much
attention to our excellent right arm that it cannot give us credit for
having a very serviceable left as well. Or it may be that they take
seriously those jeremiads over our decay which are characteristic of our
people, and very especially of many of our military thinkers. I have
never been able to understand why they should be of so pessimistic a
turn of mind, unless it be a sort of exaltation of that grumbling which
has always been the privilege of the old soldier. Croker narrates how he
met Wellington in his later years, and how the Iron Duke told him that
he was glad he was so old, as he would not live to see the dreadful
military misfortunes which were about to come to his country. Looking
back, we can see no reason for such pessimism as this. Above all, the
old soldier can never make any allowance for the latent powers which lie
in civilian patriotism and valor. Only a year ago I had a long
conversation with a well-known British General, in which he asserted
with great warmth that in case of an Anglo-German war with France
involved the British public would never allow a trained soldier to leave
these islands. He is at the front himself and doing such good work that
he has little time for reminiscence, but when he has he must admit that
he underrated the nerve of his countrymen.

*Assurance Beneath Pessimism.*

And yet under the pessimism of such men as he there is a curious
contradictory assurance that there are no troo