MR ARCHIBALD FORBES' LECTURE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3600, 25 January 1883, Page 3

MR ARCHIBALD FORBES' LECTURE.

"ALL EUROPE IN ARMS." Mr Forbes gave the third of his series of lectures at the -Theatre Royal last night, the subject being "All Europe in Arms." The attendance was not nearly so encouraging as on previous occasions, although we noticed a good few visitors from the country districts present. The lecturer introduced his subject by relating the astonishment a German visitor to America had experienced on discovering that there was no standing army in that country, where twenty years ago 2,000,000 of men served under arms. It was very different on the Continent of Europe, soldiers being found in every part of it. From this point Mr Forbes went on to speak of the characteristics of soldiers of various nationalties, paying a high tribute to the indomitable courag-o and splendid fighting ability of the Germans, who were also well disciplined. The French, too, made good soldiers, but of the military prowess of tho remaining Powers of Europe not much was to be said. The Belgian soldier was described in the words of Bismarck as " a great deal of top-coat but very little soldier," while another army was humorously spoken of by the lecturer as .*'consisting chiefly of a band of music." 'The Russian soldier was '' incapable with an exceeding great incapacity." After graphically describing some of the great wars of recent days, aud dwelling for a moment on a few of their attendant horrors, the lecturer quoted as a justification for the maintenance of the vast standing armies of Europe the adage, "If you wish for peace be ready for war." It was always the safest plan, he said, for a country that .had just come out of a big war to get ready as quickly as possible for a bigger one. A judicious amount of humor was infused into the lecturer's account of the billetting of the German soldiers during the FrancoPrussian war. The remainder of the lecture consisted chiefly of statistics of Continental and colonial forces, and concluded with a reference to the position and strength of the English army. On the whole the lecture, was listened to with apparent attention, Mr Forbes being heartily applauded at the close.