160 
THE BRITISH ARMY ON THE CONTINENT OP EUROPE. 
firing’; (2) that Marlborough had, however, completed the re-armament of his 
artillery by reviving the field howitzer, which with the French (called obus ) re¬ 
mained neglected since the days of Spinola—half of his field and siege trains being 
shell weapons; (3) that English powder ? guns and gunners were infinitely superior 
to any on the continent. 
I have done. I must not cross the Eubicon year 1700; but have said sufficient 
for my purpose, which is to invite you to share with myself in three bare con¬ 
victions :— 
(1.) Eace courage in troops is essential to the success of a commander. 
(2.) Dr. Maguire has this evening conclusively demonstrated, through three 
centuries of European history, that this essential virtue is pre¬ 
eminently possessed by natives of Britain—particularly by the 
lecturer’s compatriots. 
(3.) Above all. That progress, the arts, the sciences, are ever preparing 
newer and better Arms for the coming Man; and that Man is he 
who, having discerned the best arm for his purposes, has the 
capacity, in the propitious “ hour,” to employ that arm to its best 
advantage (applause). 
Chairman —Gentlemen, Major Simpson will now say a few words. 
Major C. E. Simpson (Lincolnshire Eegiment)—General Maurice and gentle¬ 
men, I do not know if 1 can add anything of interest to what Dr. Maguire and 
the officer who followed him have said, but I should like to express the interest 
-with which I have listened to the lecture and, as an infantry officer, to thank the 
Eoyal Artillery Institution for being allowed to be present. The impression 
which Dr. Maguire’s lecture has left on my mind is not one of unalloyed 
exhilaration, because whilst the history of the exploits of our forefathers cannot 
but stimulate us to maintain the prestige which the British soldier has won in 
Europe, it is hard not to feel the responsibility of having so high a standard of 
military excellence to live up to. Dr. Maguire referred to the “ Invincible 
Spanish infantry”—the oblivion which has almost overtaken it is a reminder 
that constant effort is needed to maintain the prestige we have inherited. I do 
not wish to be misunderstood, I am not a pessimist, far from if, but listening to 
a lecture of this kind, not merely as a student, but as a practical man, responsible 
in a limited sphere for the training of troops who may be' called upon to play 
their part in the future, I cannot but be sensible of the duties which such a 
history entails on those who have to continue it. 
On one thing at least we may safely congratulate ourselves and that is that we 
beloim- to the same race as those we have heard of to-night, so that the material 
of which our armies are composed is excellent. Tommy Atkins has shown not 
only by what he has recently done wherever he has been tried, but also by the 
o-reat interest he takes in military training and in any military history by which 
it may be illustrated, that he is not less soldierly nor less patriotic than his fore¬ 
fathers. I think that is a most hopeful sign for the future. Dr. Maguire, at 
the conclusion of his lecture, expressed the opinion that the whole nation ought 
to be well instructed in our national military history. In that opinion I heartily 
concur, and think that, as officers, we are most favorably situated for carrying 
out, in the part of the nation, the army, to which we belong, a share in that work. 
A couple of years ago I was about to leave my regiment in order to go to the 
Staff College as a Professor and I gave a lecture to the men of the battalion on 
the history of the regiment to which I have the honor to belong. At the con¬ 
clusion of* it an officer said to me: “ Well, Tommy Atkins does make, I think, 
