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    ENGLAND'S NAUGHTY BOY.

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    as well as to the body , and the amusements of the rising generation will consist in preparing themselves to defend the rights and liberties of their native land . But this glorious muster is not intended for foreign conquest ; it threatens the liberties of no neighbouring nation ' it supports no alien domination ; it props up no effete superstition- it is purely defensive ; and as such it stands alone in the history ' of the world . ' This ia the second time the display has been made , and there seems reason to believe that this time the spirit will not be allowed to die out . # And now comes the question , how are our rulers welcoming the exhibition of a national spirit so magnificent ? We are bound to say that we cannot give to this question an answer altogether satisfactory ? In the beginning of the movement military men generally into the hands of

    discouraged it;—they did not like putting arms civilians . They knew how long it took to make a soldier out of a bumpkin , and they foresaw a great deal of careless and useless drill , and an amazing waste of cloth , leather , trouble , and time ; but they forgot that the Volunteer force would be composed of men who never were bumpkins , and who could in a few weeks be made soldiers of the very highest character . Gradually the truth dawned on the Horse Guards . An army of well-disciplined gentlemen rose before the official eye , and the apparition was not a welcome one . The nation will see that it can do without us!—such was the conviction produced . England will want no home army , and the colonies will soon raise their own- ; we must not allow it to be imagined that tradesmen , and clerks , lawyers , doctors , farmers , and private gentlemen can handle arms like those to the manner educated . Our craft is in danger . They must not be permitted to make shrines for our goddess ! Great is Diaica of the Ephesians ! So spoke the WhitehallThe brave and

    do . By our system of railways they can be thrown in any numbers on any part of our coast ; and as this mode of conveyance renders artillery of any calibre as portable as rifles or revolvers , we ought , in one month's time , to be prepared for any invasion that could be attempted . The very fact of such preparation would prevent the attempt , for it is a good and a true saying , the best Peace Society is a well-appointed army and navy . One point we would especially notice at present : the movement is pre-eminently a middle-class movement . We have seen the way in which it is regarded from the summit of the social pyramid ; it is , unfortunately , not popular with the working-class—or , rather , to speak more correctly , the class

    of artisans . We regret this , not because we would have many of that class incorporated , but we would have the spirit spread throughout all classes , and we should like to have a few brigades of artisans , were it only to represent the rest . A small subscription would supply them with uniforms—the simpler the better , and they would feel that they were not left out . We would conclude these remarks by pointing out that the Militia and the Yeomanry Cavalry are not to be forgotten ; they must , the latter especially , be encouraged by every means in cur power ; and the truth must be present to the minds of the whole nation , that our present position is too serious to allow of any hinderance to our effective and permanent defence .

    town-clerk of our day , opposite . patriotic Duke of Cambridge took fright , and again , and again declared that Volunteers were all very well as long as they did not usurp the place of the regular army ; but if once they did this , they would be " prodigious , ominous , and viewed with fear . " The Pkixce Consobt reminded his regiment of Guards—his regiment—which had once been Wellington's ! that a soldier ' s duty might be to take arms against his countrymen , and to defend a dynasty against a nation ! Nor was this all . Volunteer officers were not permitted to luss hands at the leveey they vrere merely to pass before Her Majesty and bow—their rank was ignored , and they were formally told that it would be so . Hints were give » them from high places , that it would be well for them to wear their uniforms in piiblic as little as possible . The Honourable Artillery Company declined to co-operiite with the London Rifle Brigade , or to permit the Volunteers the use of their ground for drill and parade ; and even Her Majesty was recommeinded , in reviewing them , not to do so in her

    military costume , with the ribbon of the Garter across her breast , but in plain attire , making a differeuce to the disadvantage of those who served her without pay , and found their own uniforms into the a , is this right ? Is it creditable ? Is it patriotic ? All the Princes of the House of Hanover have been fond of military pomp and parade . All have taken a great interest in their troops . Her present Majesty is no exception to the rule . Soldiers always enjoy a large amount of court favour ; and all the nation expects is , ¦ ¦ t defenders

    us with all that would be required in the way of rifled cannon , ammunition , arms of all kinds , and everything necessary for our national defences , and after that we should require a very small army indeed . We should make no aggressive wars , we should be secure against any invasion , we should bo internally the most powerful and externally the most pacific of nations , and _ all the corrupt system of patronage and preferment now exhibited in our military service would die a natural death . Of course the authorities at the Horse Guards can see this as well as we cnn ; they know that it would mightily relieve the burdens of the country 5 that our position would be stronger than ever ; that public works at home would make at once an astonishing progress ; that the whole spirit of the notion would be raised and ennobled ; but then—what would be-. dome of Dowb ! ....

    Practical men , who don't belong to "the family" would settle the matter in a , most unsatisfactory way : they would reply , let Down beoome a oheesemonger , orlethim make , shoes , orbe a . !' professpr of tailoring , or hair-cutting ; or , if he be too proud for this , there is the law and there is medicine . He will do no harm there ; no one will give him a brief because his great uncle was Lord Fitz-Boodle , or employ him medically because the back stairs of the palace were familiar with his father ' s steps . But this solution would not suit the Horse Guards ; we must have a perpetual provision for a

    perpetual progeny of Dowbs , and therefore red tape must tie up our rifles , and those who shoulder them bo recommended to sneak under a hedgo to do it . But wo will gladly leave a disagreeable tome ; let ua again turn to our noble Volunteers , and point out what they can

    that some respect be shown to ' volunary . We can easily unaerstandHEhircniIe ~(^ lT ^^ the whole movement as a thing to be tolerated simply because it is irresistible , rather than to be encouraged because it is beneficial . If they could put down the whole rifle corps , they would gladly exchange it for two or three extra regiments of regular troops ; but as this cannot be done , the next best thing is to throw it as much as possible out of the sunshine of rojal favour , and to disparage it whenever an opportunity occurs . V

    , . , These things will only induce the country to think more seriously of the whole plan . Our present enormous military expenditure is unnecessary , and the public will soon find this out . ^ A lew years at our present rate of payment would , if the funds willingly supplied were nronerlv emuloved . fortify London and all our outposts , furnish

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    QUITE young , scarcely in what Buekk called " the bone and gristle of manhood ' , " only about seventy years old or so , a real boy in Methuselah ' s reckoning , an odd hundred or two younger than his big brother Jonathan , who fought , and kicked , and struggled with his old mother till he broke her apron-string , with a most un-Chinese defect of reverence for the ancestors , and went away with few affectionate remembrances , and set up shop a lonff way off , and now has got a good deal of conceit and a black for consideration

    footman , and sends to the old lady , but only a , materials for her calico night-gowns and cotton stockings . The youngest lad was the wickedest of the . two , and was kicked out of the house , Whether he liked it or no , and sent to a distant school of very hard discipline , not very much better than a workhouse . But the prodigal , graceless , hopeless reprobate , has long been showing signs of amendment , and his old mother ' s bowels yearn over him more than over Jonathan , and she fondly wishes him well , and sends friends to see him , and writes hinv letters and

    gives him her blessing . . This is something like a sketch of the two main branches ot England ' s offspring . — - ' . - ; _ -. There is about Australia so much good , hearty , loyal Englisn feeling that we naturally like her , and perhapsall the ^ betteivfor her wicked early days , and the obloquy and disadvantages against which she has had to struggle—worst and chiefest , a bad name . It is not very long since she celebrated a grand anniversary , and her chief spokesman made pointed allusions to her evil and early days , which we should have expected to have been suppressed ; but there was no disposition to blink the story of her origin , and an Australian candidly avowed all , whereto on Englishman would have deemed it ungracious to venture upon allusion , at least upon such an occasion . There is no ' denying- that a large portion ot her-neople . 4 iave-been-ci : iminala ,., or- ^ thfildiildren of , criminals ; add

    to these , many who have left England for her shores with broken fortunes and tainted characters , unable to get on in the mother countrv , and a fur smaller portion who have carried thither hope , energ ^ capital , and a good name . Either a little leaven has leavened the whole mass , or Australians a standing contradiction to the necessary fatality of bad blood , a notion against which we have always ourselves been inclined to rebel , in spite of many proverbs , many prejudices , and some argument We have not many opportunities of philosophising on regions mainly stocked , and societies mainly formed by those who have " loft their country ior their country ' s good ; " but ik was only the other day we were reading 4 i ,. f s : iw . vin t . K « nnhnVntiim of which is fed not merely by political

    criminals , but by others who are far from being the choicest products of Russia , is by no means below the average Russian population in its conduct and momls ; but wo cannot afford space now for the discussion of this subject ; instead ot debateable theories , we have pleasant facts before us . . _ The thirty-first of Mnreh last was a dny of just pride to Sjdney , and of reasonable interest to England . We give our Australian kindred our hearty congratulations on the commemoration winch took place on that dfty . We left Lord Brouoiiam s and Mr . Gladstone ' s University addresses to be noticed by others , though they afforded abundant matters for reflection , and were fully worthy of the scenes , the associations , and the orators ; orators who ., % ' _ u j _ i ; ii . i « * v cfi . i »>» f . ) inn fr » f ^ lnritv . flllCl Still nevertheless could do little to strengthento lorifyand still

    , , g , less to modify , the ancient institutions ot which they are the temporary patrons . We view the address of Sir Cjuiijm Nicholson at the Sydney University Commemoration with fur V . ™ . " / tcrest . This latter Institution is still in its trials , and on its trial , aWfromiOhe future W thecolonyrwill , in a great ; meusure , toU its tone . Had it been established in a inenr spirit « » ' » » t' «» of the mother country , wo ought , as Englishmen , st . l to ! , nvo considered it a good friendly loyal sign ; . but , t foiludew ond encourage . * have ovidently not taken up theirtask : in nm' dW £ « fashion . They have thought over the mat er i > ¦ I " ^ o *; ko and earnest spirit , and mean to make it a good work « £ > »^ u £ wm . ' How strangely thing * turn out ! Had « ny ono ^ J » J ^ Jj % years ago wlmt was likely to bo tlio latest « ind nios * W ™ building in Sydney , ho would have answered without hosrtation

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    Jtjne 30 , I 860 . ] The Leader and Saturday Analyst .. 607

    England's Naughty Boy.

    ENGLAND'S NAUGHTY BOY .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 30, 1860, page 607, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2354/page/7/