COMMENDED ESSAY, 1895. 381 
duties were made generally to correspond with the number of trainings 
received, always provided that the special aptitudes of individuals were 
duly taken stock of. 
Assuming that the separate training of the Artillery Militia could be 
advantageously shortened as here suggested, there would be more time 
left for practice and practical exercise in combination with the Regulars 
to which we shall presently refer. 
The members of the Volunteer Artillery at home and in the Colonies 
are not soldiers, nor does it seem desirable that any attempt should be 
made to make them so. They are merely citizens who have agreed to 
perform in time of war certain duties in aid of the Regular Artillery, and 
learn those duties in time of peace. As the Volunteers are an unpaid 
force, it is neither right nor expedient to throw more work upon them 
than is absolutely necessary. We may therefore assume that in every 
scheme of defence the Volunteer Artillery will be told off to those works 
which are of the least importance, and provided with the simplest 
armaments. 
The Volunteer Garrison Artillery being strictly localised, there is no 
question of their services being required elsewhere than in the works 
with which they are thus associated. There should be, therefore, very 
little difficulty in reducing their company training to such a minimum 
that the busiest of these citizen gunners should not be able to complain 
of the tax levied on his time and attention. A certain amount of drill 
for the purposes of military display would no doubt be advisable, but 
this need not occupy much time, nor need we consider it here. As to 
drill for disciplinary purposes, that is out of the question ina force which 
passes under military law only in time of war, and in which the senti- 
ment of patriotism and the pressure of public opinion must take the 
place of that unquestioning obedience which is second nature to the 
professional soldier. The training of Volunteer Officers and higher 
N.-C.0.’s, that is of those who aspire to take their place with regular 
officers in the chain of fortress command, is a subject distinct from 
the training of the men and will be noticed in considering the training 
of officers generally. 
There is obviously no maximum limit to what we desire in the Artil- 
lery Officer of the Regular Army. He cannot possibly possess too much 
general knowledge, or too many technical acquirements. He is at once 
a leader, an instructor, and an administrator, and he is responsible for 
doing his share to keep up the general standard of efficiency among the 
officers of his own and other branches. For him there is no short en- 
listment, his services are given for life, and his duties range over an 
extended sphere, embracing the possibility of service in the field and at 
sieges, as well as in the defence of coast fortifications. 
There is for him besides the chance of at any time being called to 
staff employment, and in the future, the prospect of higher command 
requiring a knowledge of every arm of the service. 
For this reason it is difficult to say to what branches of military study 
he ought most especially to devote himself, so long as he keeps himself 
abreast of the times. Happily the Artillery Officer of to-day is no- 
where behindhand in this respect. He begins with an excellent general 
Volunteer 
‘Artillery. 
The Training 
cers— 
Regulars. 
