The National Reserve.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 789, 13 August 1915, Page 17

The National Reserve.

Dear I^ance —A gentleman in England sends 1 me the following, which he says is an extract from a letter he received from a friend in New Zealand some time ago. He expressed' himself as keenly interested! in the movement described, and is anxious for a further account of; it. YVihat proved of interest to one so far away from the scene may possibly be not without interest to those taking part in it. The letter evidently deals with the infantile stages of the National Reserve; it has marched a long way since then.'

"Among the many organisations that owe their origin the wax is one that has sprung into existence here lat-ely. I understand that a somewhat similar organisation exists in your part of the world'; and, in fact, I believe we got the idea from you. The name it is known by is 'The National Reserve.' I belong to it myself.

"So far as my own observation of it goes, its aim is to provide its members with a form of entertainment that shall be at once cheap and amusing. It exactly corresponds with the criticism I once saw of a certain, actor's portrayal of the character of Hamlet: 'it is funny, without being vulgar.'

"I understand that the original purpose it had in view wasl to fit a body of men, who were ineligible for service abroad, for the duties of home-defenoe; but this object has, I believe, been lost si "-tit of —at least-, it has by me—and' I now follow it purely as a mild recreation that blends gentle exercise .with amusement. There is just that spice of danger- about it that endears it to a Briton. But of this, more anon.

"It is essentially a democratic institution ; the lawyer hobnobbing with the paper-hanger, and the professor with the dustman. Each is as good a man as his neighbour, except in those cases

where he is better. We are under strict military discipline—in fact, the discipline is at times so strict that one has difficulty in doing as he likes; but this is only at times, you understand. "The section I belong .to is very conservative in its ways, and evinces a strong objection to learning anything new. It goes to the parade-ground to serve its King and country, not to frivol away its time learning a lot of new-fangled ideas about drill and so forth. Let me illustrate what I mean: Suppose we have fallen in, and the order is given "Form Fours." It is at once apparent that the members resent this as an unwarrantable departure from custom. They tacitly refuse to form fours —tacitly, mind you ; for there i.s no open rebellion against authority. The uninitiated would think they were really trying to execute the order. They will form fives or sevens or nines, if you like : but fours—never. "The gentleman who stands next to me is an elderly gentleman—a very elderly gentleman, but he is very much in earnest about the whole thing. It is really surprising to me how a man of his advanced age—he must be sixty-five at least —manages to keep opt of step as well as he does. I don't think I have ever known him to fail, and I have been a member since the commencement. I thoufht at first that he must have more than two legs. I didn't see how it could be done with the regular tion number, but subsequent observation dispelled this idea. ''I spoke earlier of a spice of danger ; well, it exists in two forms. The first iiS that, when we are - standing in line with our rifles o.n our shoulders, "at the slope," and the order comes. "About Turn," you run a great risk from - the fact that either vou or your neighbour will turn-about the wrong way round, with the result that your head or his will receive a severe blow from the other's rifle, which will knock you out of time. I consider drilling in our section is! about as dangerous as football or boxing, but you stand a bigger chance of being "knocked out" at drill. . I should say that, on the whole, the risk is about equal to that in the trenches. "The second danger you are exposed to is that of being made an officer. The risk here is by no means a light one. Several of the men quite near me have been made officers —men, too, quite in their prime—who, to judge bv appearances, were in no danger of this happening to them. In some cases their fate meets, them without any warning whatever. One case in particular I remember.

A man was absent from parade one night. At the next parade Sergeant Blank's name was called, but without response. Nudging Ms neighbour in the ranks, a man said, "You are Sergeant Blank." "My name's Blank ; but I'm not a seme ant," replied the other; "I'm a private." "No you're riot; you're a sergeant." And he was, poor fellow. He had been made one in his absence." Yours, etc., R.J.P.