142 GENERAL BOURBAKI’S CAMPAIGN. 
Werder to be ruined and disgraced, and discontented with their very 
existence, without glory or profit. If he had had 600,000 men, all of 
whom had served in the army and all of whom were directed by military 
intellivence of the highest order, they would have told a very different 
tale after the battle of Le Mans and the battle of the Lisaine. And 
this fall of France, terrific as it was and costly as it was, costing, as Mr. 
Giffen, the great authority on statistics, has proved, at least £700,000,000 
of money to her people, for this appalling pecuniary sacrifice between the 
19th July, 1870, and the 2nd February, 1871, what had France to show ? 
The sacrifice of her capital and the loss of territory! Money, territory, 
fame, and provinces gone in six months! Will money save a nation? 
No, says Lord Bacon; and I think I ought to direct your attention to that 
essay on “The true greatness of kingdoms and estates.” Money will 
not save anation. As Lord Bacon says, “the man who has better iron 
will take all your gold ;” and, as he says again, ‘“rumbers will not save a 
nation.” What cares the wolf how many the sheep be? Nor will even 
military weapons save a nation unless in hands well trained in their use 
and nerved by discipline. The French had ample abundance of good 
weapons. What-will savea nation? One thing, and one thing only, 
a military spirit transfused amongst every section of the nation, from 
the highest to the lowest. And Iam sorry to say that I believe that 
in England that military spirit does not exist as it should, or the 
volunteers would not be going about hunting everywhere for officers. 
If the volunteers cannot get officers and efficient privates, I advocate in 
the strongest possible manner, in the interest of every man in Hngland, 
even in the moral and physical interests of the working classes as turning 
them into men, and teaching them to walk erect, I advocate a system of 
universal service of some kind. We must be ready at any cost. China 
was not ready, and China is in a comtemptible state; 400,000,000 of 
people with a civilisation 2000 years old, and protected from their adver- 
_ sary by the sea, as we are protected by the sea, turned into the laughing- 
stock of mankind by a population of less than one-tenth their number. 
Why ? Because that population is at present relatively a military race, 
and for no other reason. Gentlemen, this most certain oracle of time, 
has had no more striking example than the proceedings of the army of 
Bourbaki as against the army of Manteuffel and Von Werder. 
I thank you very much indeed gentlemen for the attention with which 
you have listened to me. You at any rate are not lacking in this 
military spirit, your regiment has proved it in every part of the globe 
for generations; but I wish its elevating influence, and its example could 
be felt and followed by every section of British society, 
“There is the moral of all human tales ; 
? Tis but the same rehearsal of the past, 
First freedom and then glory.” 
(that is, what is better and more necessary than freedom, military 
power). 
“ First freedom, and then glory—when that fails, 
Wealth, vice, corruption,— barbarism at last.” 
(Loud and prolonged applause). 
