260 . Ten Years of my Life. 



plenty of opportunity to see with what joyous readiness every- 

 body followed the summons, proving that these soldiers were 

 not mere killing machines, but enlightened citizens, who 

 understood perfecdy that they were called upon to defend what 

 is most sacred to every thinking man. 



Oflicers commanding Prussian soldiers must possess qualities 

 to make them fit to command such men. Discipline is a 

 powerful agent in an army, and formerly it was the only means 

 to govern the wild, unruly rabble. It is still an indispensable 

 necessity, but in the Prussian army of to-day it has to be main- 

 tained in a manner different from that applied a century ago. 

 Those barbarous punishments, of which we read shudderingly, 

 cannot be applied any more; brutal force alone will not do ; 

 discipline must now be sustained by the intellectual and moral 

 value of those wielding its power. Ruffians might be com- 

 manded by worthless men, if they had only courage and know- 

 ledge of their military duties; Prussian soldiers, as I described 

 them above, can only be commanded by officers who are 

 gentlemen in every respect. This necessity is fully acknow- 

 ledged by the Prussian Government, and the utmost care is 

 taken in the education of officers. It is not sufficient for them 

 to know their duty in the field and on the drilling-ground ; 

 they must possess a certain degree of general education, enabl- 

 ing them to hold their ground in every grade of society. 



The examination through which ofiicers have to pass is 

 rather difficult, and no influence whatever can make it more 

 easy. I know princes who found it too hard and could not 

 become officers. I know even a case, where a count, con- 

 nected with the most influential persons, had to enter the army 

 as a private soldier for three years, because he was not able to 

 pass his examination as a volunteer ! 



It is therefore not to be wondered at that the epaulette is 

 the key to every society. Everybody knows that an officer is 

 a gentleman, which is by no means the case in all other coun- 

 tries. This favoured position of the military officers in Prussia 

 is the necessary and natural consequence of its military system, 

 and also the reason why many nobleman and others who have 

 means enough to live independently remain all their life long 

 in the army. 



It would, however, be erroneous to suppose that all effects 

 of the former state of things have died out in the Prussian 



