LORD ROSEBERY ON THE VOLUNTEERS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")
Si.—In the House of Lords on February 15th Lord R,osebery said :—" I have the highest respect for the Volunteers. They have given their time and their energy to their country, which have not, I understand, been alviays very cordially requited. Bat can these two hundred and fifteen thousand Volunteers, by any stretch of the imagination, be called soldiers in the scientific sense of the word?" It is this peculiar method of expressing " respect " which forces upon Volunteers the con- viction that their efforts are not "requited." If Lord Rose. bery will visit the London drill-halls upon any evening of the week, he will find scores upon scores of Volunteers who, after their day's work, devote, as he says, their time and energy to learning the business of a "soldier in the scientific sense of the word." No doubt it is beyond hope that these men should be able to assemble in full for a month's regimental duty; but there remain, at all events, brief musters at Easter and in August, which are surely worth something to men of intelligence who keep in touch with their drill throughout the year. To point to the civilian army of the Boers would be a platitude; nevertheless, some of us are sanguine enough to regard the zeal and self-sacrifice of our own Volunteers (never more conspicuous than now) as little short of amazing; but if this tone of patronising contempt is carried too far, it may be found in some evil day hereafter that a mighty power, which lay ready to our hand, has been fettered and impaired by deliberate discouragement.—I am, Sir, &c., R. L.
[Our correspondent is perfectly right to protest against Lord Rosebery's amazing statement. We believe the Volun- teers would to-morrow fight in defensive actions every bit as well as the Boers (and no troops could fight better), and after a month in the field would be equal to most Continental Regulars even for purposes of attack.—En. Spectator.]
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