THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1879.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3337, 2 September 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1879.

Tot Idea that universal liability; to military service should be acknowledged throughout the length and breadth of the: British Empire has been advocated for years past by the organs, of. the, military press in England; they urge that it is absolutely essential to the security, as well as to,the,preservation of. the honour of the country. The truth of the proposition is really self-evident to those who are not blinded, by either over«confidence, prejudice, apathy, or the habit of letting the wish be father to the thought. When ire hear of the astounding forces of other continental powers it suggests to us the belief that some huge struggle sooner or later is impending,-and that it is advisable for Brittania to train the most of her manhood in the use of arms. The hackneyed and obvious truism that men are more profitably employed in learning the arts of peace than in learning the arts of war has been often urged. No one denies this. In the sense intended by those who advance this argument soldiering is certainly waste of time and energy, which preferably might be directed to increasing the wealth and prosperity of the commonweal. But it is no matter of choice. The advocates for the extension of soldiering in England do sot suggest it for soldiering's sake. They see but too plainly the evils of having a, nation in arms; but they see still more plainly other evils that by their stupendous proportions dwarf and overshadow the inconveniences and losses inseparable from training the manhood of the empire to war. The fact of Europe being vast congeries of camps.. is undeniable. The forces of Britain are ludicrous, taken in comparison with those of other countries. True, we have an unrivalled fleet, but this will not alone ensure the security of the Empire. Taking history for our guide, the moral to be deduced is that wo must be prepared to act at any time on the offensive, defensive warfare will not always maintain our ancient prestige. We have already stood, quietly by and allowed a powerful ally to be overborne by the preponderating force of the united Germans. This has been an exception to our general line of conduct. And to this day England blushes for what was done, or rather left tihdoheiin her name. But when her interests have been attacked, when her 1 honour has been touched, (saving that one isolated case of the tearing up of the Black Sea treaty), England has ever sprung to arms without counting the cost or the consequences. Is it safe to j assume that she will not do so again? We were within an ace of being implicated iv the Eusso-Turkish war, when she prepared to send an expedition to the Mediterranean station. It is thought that in the future it may be the policy of an enemy, or a coalition of enemies, to avoid the evidently tough task of invading and subduing Great Britain, and to draw her nolens vohns into operations away from home. The colonies and dependencies of England would then be menaced, and attacked. The home of the English people is really the wide world. They have outgrown their nursery ground, and must look probabilities in the teeth, and be prepared to defend what they have acquired. It is only a short time since that England wta alarmed by au authority iv naval

inaf.!ors,, who showed that Germany had made enormous stridoa toVaiils dispating the supremacy of tho sea. 3But ereu admitting the supremacy of the British nnvy, it is a moot point whether % siicces- ' ful invasion of E-igland might'not be made by a Power or Powers possessed of enormously preponderating land forces. And in the event of Britain being drawn into military operations outside of tho British Isles, her nary might prove to bo of no more use than that of France was iv fighting Gtrmany. The Navy is an invaluable defence, and it can hardly be too powerful, numerous, or efficient. But there are limits to its capabilities, and if Britian would hold its own against the insults or aggressions of other great powers, it must be able to oppose army to army. It is to her sons in the colonies that Brittania must look for her armies in future. If Germany with her population I can count on the services of three millions of fighting men, .England and its colonies might have six millions if her manhood were trained to arms. There is no lack of Britons. There would be no difficulty whatever in obtaining their services, there may be a question as to the cost, but there is none as to the men being available., We contend that tho colonists of every British possession should be trained to arms, so that the mother country may trust, not to chanco or forbearance for security, but to own organized forces. The cost might be heavy, but so are the premiums of insurance on our lives j and property, and who shall define what is or is not a reasonable premium of insurance to pay upon the wealth, the prestige, and the glory of the British Empire P Universal liability to military service, then we contend, to be absolutely necessary to secure the safety and the honor of England in the eventualities that may be looked for from the condition of Europe. Is it to be admitted" that Britons are now so degenerate as to say " We will give neither our money, nor our service for the Empire?" Let their money perish with those who say so. A crisis is coming in the affairs of the world, and when the real gravity of the position is recognised, patriotism and selfinterest will combine to induce them to repudiate the timid counsels of the " peace at any price " party.