Every Swiss a Soldier.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 63, 3 January 1908, Page 3

Every Swiss a Soldier.

To the layman the task of converting a peasant into an effective, smart, and well-drilled soldier in six weeks may seem little short of impossible. When is remembered however that every Swiss boy is taught how to use a rifle almost before he is out of short clothes, and that has joined a cadet corps before he has entered his teens, the result will not appear so marvellous. Anyone who has seen Swiss troops on parade and on the march cannot fail to be struck by the exceptionally fine physique of the men. No country in Europe—perhaps none in the world—can furnish material so admirably adapted for the making of the ideal foot soldier. The daily life of the Swiss inures him to hardship and fatigue; the high educational standard so rigidly maintained in Switzerland gives the Swiss soldier a higher average of intelligence than any rank or file in Europe; he is ingenious and resourceful by nature he combines the dash of the Frenchman with the stolid, patient courage of the German. Add to these qualities that our Swiss is a tireless marcher, and that his standard of markmenship is immeasurably higher than that of any other army, and all that is left for the severest military critic to desire are the few parade-ground tricks that can be taught by any drill-sergeant.