The Soldier

The recent Germán proposition to csll out tho landstnrm, whioh has hitherto corresponaed iu Germany t. the French levee en masse, increases the availablo resources of the empire to the extont of 175,000 men. None o: these will be over 42 years of age, are the majority will have passcd through the reserve, and the landwehr. Having attained a veteran ezperience of tho trials and discomforts of military service, they thought they had reason to expeefc exemption from them in the future, but their hopes seeui doomed to disappointment. When this measure becomes law, the Germán army will have the astonishing total of from 1,700,000 to 1,800,000 men, all accustorned, by regular periodical training, to the duties of the soldier. On the 9th of last month, the conseils de revisión of France began their examination of persons subject to military duty in the territorial army, so-called - a sort of landwelir - nnder the new law, devised after the Germán plan. These oomprise all men between twenfcy-nine and forty years of age, and they amount in to'tai to the vast figure of 2,400,000 men. More than half of these, of course, will be found unfit for service ; and the French are not so amenable to military discipline as the Germans, it is safe to infer that the experience so f ar will be continued, and, in spite of pains and penalties threatened, only a fraction of those who are liable, will put in an appearance before the conseils. The active army of France, we may add, is at such a low ebb that it would be hard for the War Minister to place more than 200,000 men in the üeld at short notice. France may love war - and she certainly hates Germany - but she does not take kindly to the Prussian military system. The French army on a war footing on paper, besides the territorial army above referred to, amounts to 689,000 men, beside the reserve of each. The active army of Austria numbers 897,000 men, besides peven annual contingents and a landwehr. The nominal effective foi ce of the Italian army was on the lst of January, of this year, 737,514 men, of whom 392,991 had reeeived a completo military education, 247,987 were imperfectly instructed, and 96,523 totally untaught. Bassia is now busily engaged in following the general movement. The country has been divided into fourteen military oircumscriptions, and the work of enrolling those liable to military duty is rapidly going forward. lts completion will give Bnssia the largest military forcé and reserve in Europe. Add t these enormous figures the men actually on service with the navies of Europe - England, 68,264, (including naval reserve); Bussia 36,000; Franoe. 33.570; Turkey, 21,000; Sain, 14.000; Germany, 12,450; Austria. 11.530; Italy, 11,200; Holland, 6,260 ; Denmark, 4,800 ; Norway, 3,500; Portugal, 3,300. Europe, it will bo seen, from these figures, begins the new year with a largir number of armed men than she hits had at any previous epoch. Glanoing at these figures, the reader may gather some comfort in comparing our situation with tbat of tke oldworld. Our little army of 25,000 men, and the militia of the States, numbering 153,C00, ïepreseut all the military service