WAR MEMORIES.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1675, 20 December 1911, Page 4

WAR MEMORIES.

AND THE LESSONS THEY TEACH

(Concluded.) The Times had several correspondents on each side. One of them, Colonel Pemberton, attached to the i'Vonch Army of the West, was killed. He was credited with being a bravo soldier, was certainly a good writer; no doubt fie was anxious to see all ho could of war on the grand scalo, and so got into the firing zone and was shot. On 'the side of the Germans William Howard Russell was attached to the staff of the Crown Prince (afterwards Emperor Eredenck William), Alfred Kcllv was with, the Army of tho Red Prince (Eredenck Charles), and Colonel Brackenbury was on the line of communications, looking into transport and commissariat. Towards the end of February, 1871, when the investment of Paris had lastod four or five months, the Republican leaders entered into negotiations for peace. This was known, and it was surmised that surrender of the capital would be one of the conditions, but nothing definite was allowed to publicly transpire. The Times, however, had accurate information, as to the course of negotiations, and, knowing that I aris was to be entered on the Ist of March, made tho necessary arrangements for transmission of' the news. How the information was obtained, or who made tlie arrangements, is not material to the story.

Russell and Kelly met on the last evening of February, made their preparations, and wrote events up to date. On the following day they were up before daybreak, ready oil tlie call to accompany 'the victorious army into the capital. The German troops entered Paris from the west in dense columns, marching along the Avenue de la Grande Armee, across the Place de l'Etoilc, down the Champs Elysces, finally piling their arms in the Gardens of 'the Tuiieries and other open spaces. Russell and Kelly, attended by a courier, rode with the leading columns until they were well into the Champs . Elysees, then turned and galloped back through the German lines. For a long way round Paris 'the railways bad been torn up during the siege, and the Wo correspondents had to ride about thirty miles, on relays of horses wliich bad been arranged for, stopping every little while to show their passes, before they reached a station on the Northern Railway which was under French control. Hero an express train was waiting for them, and they made a long and tedious journey north to Calais, writing their despatches in the train. It was dark when they reached Calais, where a specially chartered steamer was in attendance with steam up. They handed their packets of correspondence to tho courier, put him on board, saw the vessel off, and remained in tho town for the night to get a well-earn-ed rest.

The steamer had a good run across the Channel, and made tho Aclniiralty Pice at- Dover a little before 10 o'clock. Here the courier boarded another special train, which cut out the hundred miles or so to London in rather more than two hours. At the Lmlgato Hill terminus a hansom cab was waiting, which rolled him round in a few minues to Printing House Square, where he arrived shortly after midnight. For the next- three hours all hands on the paper had a very strenuous time; but the work was got through, the last formo went into the foundry at 3.20, and an hour afterwards the papers wore speeding away on the early morning trains to all parl s of the country.

Result: While the other London morning papers had a twenty-lino report of the occupation of Paris supplied by Renter's Agency, which some of them expanded in a barefaced manner to about a quarter of a column, tho Times of tho 2nd of .March chronicled the event in a page and a half of special correspondence, by two of the heiro descriptive writers of the clay.

For some years after this there was a lull. Then came the war between Russia and Turkey, ending in a critical time for Britain, whose- fleet sailed up the Dardanelles and anchored in trout of tho Russian advanced posts wiUi tho decks cleared ior action. A year later came tho Isandula disaster, when a whole battalion of the Twenty-fourth Regiment', with a large number of camp followers, were •killed to a man by the Zulus. South Africa has been the grave not only of great reputations, but of many bravo men.

The eighties brought, among other ■happenings, the bombardment of Alexandria and tho battles of Egypt', tbe death of General Gordon, and several expeditions in the Soudan. In the nineties came the Spanish-Ameri-can war, and near tbe close of tho century the etrugglo against tho Boers, which taxed tho strength of the British nation more severely than any event since the great Indian Mutiny. More recent doings I need not dwell upon. As I write, fight-ins: is baking place in Persia, in Morocco, and there arc rumours of possible war in Europe.

Now for the moral. If there have been all tlicso wars during the last half century, and a good many more, that I have said nothing about—Britain against China, Ashantee, and Afghanistan, Indian frontier expeditions, Somaliland, and elsewhere; Japan against China and Russia; South American revolutions, and other conflicts—it should follow by the law of averages that there will be about 'the same number, a few more or less, in the next half-century. It is hardly possible that a country like New Zealand, with va&t nndevelo-ed natural wealth and a comparatively small population, and offering a tomutdiig field for the overflowing populations of European and Asiatic countries, can escape being involved. Therefore it is necessary to be prepared. It is as true now as it was two thousand years ago that if you wish for peace you must prepare for war.

One cannot help reflecting that there are many points of resemblance to an army in a well organised city newspaper. It has its experienced Commander-in-Chief, its headquarters staff, its scouts, its chiefs of divisions, its rank and file. It lias its squares and its columns, which sometimes got mutilated, but genially end by presenting •' a • good- solid front to the--foe.. The aim o,f the newrS strategist is to buildup/a •perfect,; well-disciplined

force, ready at call, responsive to command, its watchword duty. Of the many who enlist under the journalistic banner, some fall at the post of danger, somo drop oub of the ranks to follow less strenuous or more congenial pursuits, some live to become old soldiers, like yours truly.—The Colonel, in the New Zealand Journalist.