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    history on the Tixat Boh-apabte , while it pretends ffea * tmiversal opinion is in its favour ? ; Even in three years a good « tep has been mafle'towards Fere la Ghaise and Pompadour . Probably the theorists of whom we are speaking would shrink from the idea of throsting 'J > ack humanity under the yoke of despotism for ever . . They mean their empire to be-transitional , and faney that * despot

    will resign when he has carried out their theories , « nd inaugurated a polity which it seems is to % e founded , not on political intelligence or -political virtue , but on manual industry . 'They expect , in short , that a long continuance 01 absolutism will produce a greater ^ p titude'for self-government , and that an established despotism , or rather a confederacy of established despotisms , will recognise this increased aptitude , and abdicate before it !

    To save men -from such phantasies as these , no profound political wisdom or great political erudition is needed . Nothing is needed but a knowledge of the commonest facts of history and the commonest laws of human nature—right moral sympathies — patience under temporary failure—and faith in God .

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    THE 2 JOK-COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN THE MESS-ROOM . It is not fitting that the British public , dazzled by the ITauxhall brilliancy of Xiord Palmebston ' s eloquence , rivalling the strains of a Maitoebs on behalf of our " old nobility , " or distracted by the reverberations of the bombardment of Sebastopol , or the inauguration * of a new . movement for securing the appointment of proper men , should forget

    . that the . army still remains the close preserve of the Plutocracy , the oligarchy , and . parliamentary connexion . Not one single step has yet been taken towards opening the upper ranks of the army to any one not belonging to thejjrivileged classes . Every time he speaks > on * the subject JLord Paxmekstoit . grows tnore eloquent in favour of the existing system ; and we may safely conclude that IJord -Harding * : and his friends are

    as resolute as the Premier to shut out the pick of . the unmoneyed multitude . W ^ hen we reformed our political institutions in 1830-32 , we did not touch our military institutions ; and hence it is that the two are not in harmony ; and that the British army , in ¦ many respects , as regards organisation , arms , equipment , is actually below that of Piedmont .

    Now the key of the position occupied by jout great enemy the Horse Guards , and so . zealously defended , by squads of colonels and herds of squires , is the promotion of men from the ranks . Lord GoiWEBion , we are [ persuaded , -showed true military coup d ' ceil , when he brought forward his motion to that end . The promotion of the non-commissioned officer is the thin end of the wedge , ; . the making of that promotion a reality and not a sham , will be the wedge driven home . in the first place , if non-commissioned officers share the prizes of the army , if emulation take

    the place of punishment , as an incitement to duty , a much higher class of men will enlist in . the service . By higher , wo mean young men as poor , but better educated than the present class of recruits ; more ambitious , and more capable , who will make the art of war their study , and the management of regiments their pastime ; who will devote their leisure , in fact , to the library and the class-room , instead of the tavern or the lounge . Wo don't . / want : leartnod professors in the army ; wo want .. accomplished soldiers . It is certain .. that ,, a little competition witfh non-eouunaisT » eioned officers , Bworn devotees of their

    profession , wrould weed the army of the dandy officers , arid spur on the real . soldiers . But until promotion by purchase is abolished , or until commissions are thrown open to men from the ranks , it is not likely that many of the elite of the classes without money and influence will enter the army . In the second place , while the present absurd and profligate system of extravagant living is encouraged in the army ; while officers

    are spendthrifts , not soldiers , it is not possible that the mess can be congenial to the man promoted from the Tanks . He would not be at home there ; for he would not be a soldier among comrades , but a man promoted from the ranks for his ability , among other men called gentlemen by birth and education , promoted or appointed beeause they could command money or influence . The non-commissioned officer , converted into an ensign , is a discord in the scale of harmonies , unless he

    have a natural quickness in adapting himself to society . Moreover , he would find that his pay would not be sufficient for his wants , unless he held some lucrative regimental ap-¦ pointment as well as his commission . Therefore , in the mess-room he would be out of his element—that element being the field . Therefore , as long as the present system stands , even if some commissions are thrown open , there will be painful difficulties for the aspiring sergeant to surmount—but mark , difficulties made painful by the

    relative social , not military , incompatibilities . This explanation suggests the remedy—abolition of the system of purchase ; promotion from the ranks , to a fixed extent ; promotion by seniority up to the rank of Major , and by selection beyond . But the promotion from the Tanks must be real promotion , leading to the highest grades . At present the public are hoodwinked by gwasi-promotions from the Tanks . What promoted non-commissioned officer is likely to rise to the rank , say of Colonel ? We should be glad if some Member of Parliament would move for a return of

    the names of the non-commissioned officers who have received commissions since March 28 , 1854 , stating the date of their appointment , their rank , and whether they hold any appointment as Quartermaster , Biding Master , or Adjutant . How often does a man from the ranks go beyonda lieutenancy ? We must have the non-commiasioned officer in the mese-room ; that ie the key of army reform . We muBt have him there by

    degrees , but have him we , must . And so by degrees we trust the mess-room will be cleared to some extent of ill-bred , profligate , and dishonourable men , by leavening the lump of privilege with the £ lite of the unprivileged classes ; men having more brains than bank-notes ; more solid acquirements than corrupt influence ; the bearing of genitlemen ; the hearts of soldiers ; and devotion to their profession .

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    " THE STRANGER" IN PARLIAMENT . [ The responsibility of the Editor in regard to these contributions is limited to tho act of giving them publicity . The opinions expressed are those of . the writer : both the Leader and " Tho . Stranger" benefit by tho freedom which is loft to . his pen and discretion . ] What has the Tory party gained by doing what the Duke of Wellington ( according to his congenial Boswell , Lord Ellcnborough ) doclined to do- —fining great guns at little birds ? ( And it may ;

    be parenthetically suggested , that if fowls were precious -in proportion to their sizo , a goose would be preferred to a bird of paradise , and Lord Ellenborough would got on . ) On Monday , Lord Derby did nothing but show , with olaborato parade , the weakness of his forces : and though it ' s a great thing to have a great goneral , it scarcely answers to arrange for & . display of want of iforec , in order io indiattto what ia . tremendous follow you JUavo at tho Iwad jof , your . troope . One . can well understand xhat

    with De Clare first among the favourites for . next Wednesday ' s race , his noble owner , can . care uncommonly little for the historic Tory party jXord Derby is loo much given to understand by 'ftne country " " thelurf . " But , it is incredible that , this carelessness can be tolerated by his followers , and it is certain that the commoners . among them deeply deplor e the blunders which on Monday allowed the world to perceive the utter absence of cohesive power in the party which w , as beginning to : talk impertinently of Lord Palmerston ' s failures and confidently of the imminence of Lord Derby . The debate annihilated the

    Derbyite prestige , and the division made Lord Palmerston safe—say for the session . Mr . Disraeli , standing ( behind the throne } monumentally , in an attitude and a pallor to catch the eyes of the ladies' galleries , heard the speech of his chief , and must have then and there relinquished his ambition—must have seen that that sort of man , thus let loose to gabble recklessly his deplorable commonplace , would be always undoing in an hour the intrigues df a year . The catastrophe was the more awful for the grand preparation . It was the finest " House" ever collected Lord Redesdale is right in comparing the galleriesto

    the Casino : —the rustle of silk was in the place jail the night ;— there were long lines of gaily-clothed ladies —( but most of them virtuously doing something to destroy the Casino simile—they were so plain )—collected there by the rumour of " society" that the coming man was to arrive at hist—and that he was to annihilate Palmerston the first night . The Derbyites were very proud of this addition—an elephant — to their menagerie , and fomented an eagerness for the exhibition—and lots of rats -were ready to go into so respectable a company if the thing looked at all promising . The Commons deserted

    their own House to get among the Peerage ^ they crawled like street-boys into the most improper places of observation—they filled every nook . The excitement was enormous : . that coolestof all classes , the stenographers , were observed with new pencils , palpably purchased for the great occasion . Of Lord Ellenborough ' s speech , this is all that can be said : — that poor Lord Panmure , muddleheadedest of old Whig noblemen , made an exhaustive reply to it ! The best of the Ellenborough speech was its brevity : lie compressed his feeble affectation of much strength into an hour . Perhaps the condensation was clever ; but

    the Roman oration did not suit : for what is the use of Tacitus' style in talking truism ? The speech was a leading article-like arrangement of some familiar views , and not suggestive , if accurate , facts ; and the result is certain—that splendid audience was disappointed , —on the country the Oration on Nothing has not told . The public , indeed , missing the alleviations of the fine presence , the beautiful voice , and the perfect eloc ution of Lord Ellenborough , and has been puzzled to know what all the fuss was about : — the public likewise not understanding how the clubby characteristics of Parliament , and the social

    position of tho man , influence an incident such as Monday , when , in Lor d Ellenborough , men and women saw , first of all , a personage whose life has been " odd , " and who is much " talked about . " Sensitive that his elep hant had not been a great hit , Lord Derby did not ge t into the howdah with much dc / at , and made a painfully-rubbishy speech , in which tho indolent and irresolute man , trying to disguise a want of will and want of perspicuity , was fldgetily bidding for office without conditions . Ab to Lord Hardwicke , who has a quarter-deck voice , and " the man who wouldntt ; rescue , " &c ., ; sort of manner—with a gesture which suggests that it is only deference to the galleries that prevents him hitching his trousers by way of

    emphasis—ho hallooed half tho ladies and all the Commoners « way , and , gonerally speaking , conducted himself with tho too customary importinencc of his class . A sudden oratorical success was niado by a little round-bodied , round-headed , awfully-dressed , red-faced peer , who turned out to bo tho able Lord Elgin , who on this occasion gave tono to tho tlobate , and . tho cue to all tho rats , by saying that tho groat objection to the motion was that it would . turn out incapable mon , and bring in still . moro incapable men . Tho only debating speech of tho dobatc— bo few of those Peers can jnanago moro than prepared ; tw . addlo — was tho . Duke of Newcastle , aud ho hud , in aelf-defonco , to . talk too mucn

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    470 THE LEADER { Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 19, 1855, page 470, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2091/page/14/