MAKING OR BREAKING. 
179 
First, we have the lad of a mechanical turn of mind, who has, 
perhaps, refused the Engineers, to devote himself to the Garrison 
Artillery. He is, as a rule, an excellent and conscientious officer, and 
frequently surprises his comrades by his sterling soldierlike qualities. 
He may not have had, as a boy, opportunities of riding, and shrinks 
from joining a Field Battery with the amount of equine knowledge 
derived solely from the riding school. His horoscope may be cast 
with some degree of certainty. Zeal and creative genius will lead him 
to invent a fuze, and its non-adoption will furnish him with a grievance 
which will provide fuel for his combative faculties. He will then run 
a tilt against the authorities, and in so doing, will acquire a polished 
and incisive style of writing which will stand him in good stead hereafter. 
The subsequent transition is easy. Artillery College, Department of 
Director of Artillery, possibly manufacturing departments—where, if 
his former grievance be still unforgotten, he may be disposed to deal 
leniently with any efforts of his juniors, on which he may be called 
upon to sit in judgment. With the exception of the small matter of 
the fuze, this class of lad gives no trouble throughout his career. He 
has an aim and object from the first ; is more thoughtful and less apt 
to run riot than his comrades, by whom he is usually voted slow ; but 
give him a real difficulty to overcome—put him in what is familiarly 
termed a ({ tight place ” and the grit in his composition will at once 
become apparent. 
Next, we have the boy who, from not passing high enough in his 
examination, or from—well, anyhow, who is not likely to get into a 
Field Battery, has to cast his lot, against his will, with the Garrison 
Artillery. This lad wants skilful handling. He will be found to be 
easily led for good and evil, especially evil. The making or breaking 
of this lad is in his Major’s hands and the responsibility is not one to 
be shirked. A considerable share of this responsibility may, moreover, 
be accepted by the Lieut.-Colonel. Without undue interference, he 
can exercise a parental and very beneficial influence over him. A 
complete contrast to his more studious comrade, the boy will resent 
the comparatively dull and uneventful life of the Garrison Artillery, 
the spurs of his more favoured brothers in the Field Artillery will be 
a constant thorn in his side, and he will supply the excitement for 
which he craves, by indulging in extravagances which his limited 
means should prohibit. Debt, with its concomitant miseries, will be 
the inevitable result, and he will go to India and stay there, a dis¬ 
appointed and needy man. 
These may be set down as extreme cases, but they are by no means 
rare. There are, of course, shades of both, but the two classes are so 
distinct that a blend is barely possible. Now, I maintain that the 
initial treatment may be similar in both cases; the bettering of the 
first and the saving of the second may be effected by the encourage¬ 
ment of “ smartness,” and by instilling a sense of responsibility. 
It seems to me that we are prone to ignore the surroundings of a 
youngster who has just got his commission. He has emerged from 
the chrysalis into the butterfly state, and yet we ask him, (can anybody 
say with truth that we expect it ?), to take kindly to books and instruc- 
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