Newspapers / The Asheville Democrat (Asheville, … / Nov. 21, 1889, edition 1 / Page 6
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I I ' . r r- By lAX O'RELL, Author of "Jonathan and His Continent J" John Bull f John Bull's i I Daughters, Etc. il-THE FRENCH AT WAR. j About the Army Interesting Information and Its Members from the Highest to the Lowest Rank. Jacques Bonhomme does not loe his army as John Bull loves his. John gives ovations! to his soldiers, showers decorations onjtheir heads when they return honie from a little expedi tion that will enable fiirn to publish a new map with one - more little corner marked in red; but if lie goe3toa pub , lie place of entertainment, and meets a soldier in uniform there, away he hur ries, exclaiming: "Thii place is not re spectable; soldiers are; admitted I" In the singular the warrior loses all his prestige. .- . ,-. Very different are Ithe feelings of .I.1IVH1PS tnwnrda "Ilia ri7-mv TTa lnraa it X w .j. u..v.N,, M.V in the singular because his boy belongs to it (every Frenchmanj has to serve in the army); In the plural, however, it represents authority, and he is well aware that the army is ready for use as a police force in case he should Sever be tempted to make his voice heard; too loudly in de manding a reform.! This is why French : i-u ,i:rr V v ouiuicia xn Lucia uxjLLeieiib garrisun towns live a life apart. I Theyj do not mix with the people, and have "Coventry." 1 U to put ut) with JLne t rench arm v isl viewed through - . i . ; o . many spectacles. The Conservatives see in it the preservers of order; the Radi cals a danger to the li Derties of the na tion; the League of the Patriots call it the hope of France! To: the French Mary! Jane it is the repository) of tender senti-i 1-u.cj-iio, buo ucvucaiuifi mo garrison town, a source of ; income. Ball giving ladies like it because1 ;it provides them with dancers who are as ornamental as useful, though the officer's uniform is no longer the gorgeous dress it was in my time, when a lieutenant's full uniform cost from a half to a jsyhole year's pay. French girls have a deep, conviction that no man can make love like a youngslieu tenant; but papa ; was 'always apt to frown on him, knowing that this Romeo had generally mor6 gold c-n his shoulders than in his waistcoat pocket, and that, according to the army iregulations, no officer might marry a lady with less than 30,000 francs dot ! " i , But here comes the regiment. Let us open the window and have a look at the "Children of France,?as Beranger called them. ... ' "j ' In front march the sapeurs, with their long, bushy beards covering their chests. Look at one and you vill see them all. Sapeurs are all alike; jto be able to tell one from another is a Jproof of marvel ous perspicacity. Under the empire the sapeurs used to march ivith large white leather aprons covering their chest and legs, hatchets over their shoulders and .huge busbies on their peads; and they formed an imposing looking body. The aprons are now done awtay with, but the hatchets arft rp.faifiprl " !Mne:fc fhor.fR- ..w bliV VAl cers' orderlies were taken from this part of the regiment, and its was a, pleasant sight to see one of these good fellows, who are mostly iniddlo agedi fatherly looking .men, with his apron on, leading about the children of some rnarried offi cer, who made use ofj him as a dry nurse (not so dry either,! fori we till say in France Vto drink like j a sapeur"). These big, kind, bearded nurses have always been favorites with their little charges, and are great at telling stories, long stories, ending fti the heroine's marrying a general The office of tlie sapeurs being to; precede the regiment and clear away all obstacles that could impede its march, the hatchet was ori ginally a vary important part of their accouterment. But in these days virgin f prests are not plentiful in Europe, the high roads are excellent and the colonel prefers to use them; so that now the chief utility of the formidable tool is to chop wood to make the pot boil. Next come the drummers and hn triers. How martial they look pith their heads high, every head :turned! to the right and every bugle parallel, making the air re sound with their j fanfares! They are very popular with the soldiers. It is the buglers who, with their stirring notes, cheer the men wlfien they show signs of flagging on a long, weary march. I have seen them at the foot pf a steep hill, tired, perhaps, with hours of marching. "Sound the charge," says the ! colonel, and immediately, as if- by magic, the limp legs and backs straighten, and the column of men step out! bravely, singing to the notes of the bugle: j II y a la goutte a beire la-haut 1 II jrala goutteaboire. The summit of the hill reached, the goutte is dispensed by the Cantiniere, and generally takes the form of a small glass of brandy, which in time of peace has tc be paid for at the rate of ;a penny the glass. The bugler hag no need to pull out his purse; every trooper is ready tc treat him. Those of the men who have Been ftntivA sp.rvirA ran tiAiror frnwaf Vnm -WW W- . MW w AVA.w UVIf those same notes that have just cheered them up the hill nerved them when they had to charge the enemy, and know that in many a terrible battle, when; the ene my's guns did- their deadly work too well, one or two surviving buglers have brave ly cheered on the diminished' ranks to the last, and perhaps turned the fortune of battle. j. j . Next to the buglers comes the band. The appearance of the bandsmen is not particularly martial; the uniform is a little bit neglige. We are in the pres ence of artistes now. j Why the trombone Should be the old est member of the band I have never been able to discover; but it is a fact that he Is, nine times outs of ten J a erav head ed, spectacled man, with a grave expres sion ana tnree stripes on his sleeves. He feels the weight of his responsibility. It is all very well for ih6 clarionet to take life lisrhtlv: if henlavsa note a little flat it passes m tne erenerai num of the musit without any disastrous conseauences: but a wrong note from the trombone is awful to think oil Ko he looks neither to right nor left, and never loses siffht of bis ma jestic instrument. As a man who only plays accompaniments, the trombone ia modest; and seems to apologize for the noise he makes. I "The ! cornet plays solos, and 'the ap plause he has won from the public in the place d'armes has made nim vain. Hold- mg ms instrument m the air, he is not only seen and heard, but can see the ef feet he produces. He is voung and good looking; waxes his mustache and perfect lady killer. Cornet players tenors, are conceited. is a like The flute i3 reserved. The habit of casting down his eyes on his tiny instru ment has made him bashful. j L The clarionet is a picture of misery. With head bent down, he looks like a plaintive philosopher giving utterance to his sad views of life T The masher of the band is the" hautboi. His uniform is unimpeachable, and more than once the colonel has frowned on him for showing too much white collar. He gives private lessons in town. ! The ophicleide is funereal His general expression is one of solemnity, j The only time his face lights up at all is when he has to play the "Prayer of Moses" as a solo. That is his triumph. i The bandmaster ranks with the c uar termaster. In his numerous leisure hours he composes variations on the principal airs oi j y vviniam xeu ' ana "JNorma" -a thankless task, seeing that these airs of Rossini and Bellini are good enough for most people in their original form, it is his pride to see his name on a But pro- gramme in company with these great ones, and so he works away at his 'lAirs from 'William Tell,' arranged (deranged?) by N bandmaster of the Fortyj-sec-ond Light Foot." Just as every English chemist has composed a special tooth powder,1 every French bandmaster has composed an arrangement of "William Tell." r; . Here comes the colonel on horseback. He looks sad and careworn. No won der, exclaims Jules Nnriarv t'Vi -w-vy vasva sand men to. manage, and the variations on vvunam Tell" to hear every day at dinner. , I pass over the lieutenant colonel and the chief of squadron to have the plea sure of introducing to you a few subal terns, the non-commissioned officersiand the French Tommy Atkins, who is called "Pitou" by his compatriots. J ! The married officer keeps to himself, and does his best to keep his wife at home. . French susceptibilities, in .bar racks especially, are soon wounded,' and he wants to avoid tho possibility of quar rels j that might arise from the dear ladies' tattle. He does wool work in hia spare moments,, and looks forward to the time when he will be able to retire on his pension. He is a peace loving man. In the army matrimony is the grave of sloiT- ill' . -J ' ; i. I . i The serious officer is the one who looks for promotion. He is a soldier, by pro fession and by vocation. He studies tactics and military j history, and prac tices; fencing, shooting at targets, swim ming and all athletic sports. He has the Mmrrn i hs of NaDoleon at his fi ends. YtoU Will alwaVS RAA him 'Tviinir over maps. He studies geography and the German language! He is of opinion that wlien the French can all speak Ger man, the Prussians will have a hard timel ; j . ' ' :: I The officer of fortune is the one who has not got any and runs into debt. Give hinj a wide berth; he is the bully of the regiment, very quick to takej of fense, and overticklish on the point cf honor. I J j The officer who has risen from ithe ranks is ivery popular with the soldiers, vhese wants he knows much better than do the young lieutenants fresh from, the military School. His messmates sayj"he is not a gentleman." He is, however, a J rr good soldier and a trusty, straightfor ward man. It is true that his manners are not refined. He can speak very French, but prefers bad lansruasre. fair and can swear for a quarter of an' hour with out using the same oath twice. I remember, durinfr flip FranrnRrns sian war, I happened to be quartered for a day in an aristocratic household in Lorraine: with a lieutenant of thistvpe. Trembling at the thought of my wp rthy friend's unruly member, I seated myself at our host's dinner table. 'All went well until the conversation unluckily fell upon military marches, when the ! ady of the blouse wanted to know whether the feet did not suffer very much with such a quantity of walking to do every day in the hot weather. "I'll tell you what, ma'am," said he, t'you must never wash the feet I never do. Greas them well with tallow and they'll be all right." ; j j The lady wished she had not spoken, i Later on there was a whist party formed in the drawing room, and! my comrade was asked if he would make a fourth at; a little table where three old whist players were already seated, ready to enjoy their favorite game, j ! "With pleasure, I'm sure," said! he, comfortably installing himself in! the empty chair "only I must tell ybu 1 never played before." j ' - The face of the old gentleman opposite, as he looked at him over his spectacles, was a study. ! , ' ; The sergeant major is pretentious. He will tell you that if he Were a civilian he could occupy a position that very j few officers would be able to fill. When retires to private life he boasts of having been a sergeant major. J The corporal, to be seen ia all his glory, must be studied when he' has a written report to make to the colonel. He is a good fellow, who rales four inen, and defies all rules of grammar. His spelling is phonetic; yet he loves long words, and his reports bristle with such words as nevertheless, notwithstanding. He is regarded by his four men as ah au thority on legant diction.1 A private may be able to spell, but a corporal never such is the deep rooted belief of all French officers. I was present one day when a corporal came to the doctor with one of his men who was unfit for the saddle. The doctor examined him1 and found him suffering from rheumatism. The corporal proceeded to fill up the requisite form for the man's admission to the nearest military hospital. . i "Can you spell rheumatism, corporal?" said the doctor. - ,"1 think I can, doctor, thank you,n re plied he, saluting. That corporal was Louis Coetloyon, one of the leading journalists of Paris, who had volunteered soon after the out break of the war. We had a good laugh over the incident when . I .told the doctor of his blunder. "What business has he to be a corporal if he can spell?" exclaimed the surgeon, who was a little bit sorry for what had happened! ' Pitou serves his country for the mod est sum of two sous a day. He receives one sou cash, and the other is placed tc his credit until his term of service is over, when he is presented with a sum representing as many sous, plus interest, as he has spent day3 in the army. Of course his pay is not often hi3 only source of revenue. Many soldiers work at some trade inside the barrack, and those who come from the middle classes are well supplied with pocket money from home even the peasant's son is sure to receive a little help every month. He rises at 5 in . the morning, and as there is no food served before 8, he goes straight to the canteen and has his petit verre (a tablespoonful of brandy). He tosses it at one draught, drains the dregs out in his palms and touches up his hair with it. ; j Great fraternity prevails in the bar racks.' If there are any empty pockets, their owners are not allowed to go short. He who received a little postoffice order yesterday is always ready to pay. The poor fellow who has nothing but his sou a day is never left out either, and not one of his comrades who treat him would think of alluding to his inability to re turn their kindness. He is drilled eight hours a day. At 8 a. nu and 4 p. m. he has hi3 gamelle containing j a piece oi beef, cooked and served in a good, thick soup of vegetables. This savory and nourishing repast is eaten with bread, and forms his only food in time of peace How often during the j war, when the officer's dinner was but a dream, have 1 relished a dish of this appetizing com pound brought me by my good orderly! I cannot relate here the thousands of jokes that the barracks have furnished, and will always furnish, to the French comic papers. But I cannot refrain from mentioning the cdrious fact that one finds Hibernianism common ! among the ranks, while not to be found elsewhere in France. I remember one bull that Paddy might be proud to have perpe trated. ;'-'..' h . I Pitou, ordered by a corporal to dig a pit and bury a quantity of rubbish from the yard, is in trouble. He has per formed bis task, but there is ho room in the pit for all the mold which was dug out to make it; so he comes to hi3 cor poral to ask what he shall do. j "You fool," said the corporal magnifi cently, ''make the pit larger, of course." i In war time the French soldier is ad mirable. The good humor with which he goes through the greatest hardships is simply wonderful. ; If the! provisions are not at hand he breakfasts off a joke or a song. The only thing that puts him out is to get short weight when the ra tions of bread, rice, coffee, sugar and salt are served out. He always goes straightway and weisrhs them, to make sure he has his due, and if there is a de ficiency of the tenth of an ounce he will grumble all day; but if his rations are right, he is right, ready for anything the aay may brmg, merry as a lark. His philosophical way of taking the inevita ble, and putting a good face on personal misfortune, is proverbial. At the battle of Worth, one of my men had his riht hand completely shot away by a shell. Seeing the poor fellow look at his maimed arm as he was being carried away, I went to him and gave him a word of sympathy. ; ! "Ay, mon lieutenant," he cried, "I shall have to learn to make cigarettes with one hand!" j The whole character of the French sol dier is there; To be ContiiUtd. 35 NOTICE. I have been this day qualified as administra tor of the estate of John Wells, deceased, and notice is hereby given to all persons holding claims against the estate to present them for payment before the 12th day of October, 1890, otherwise this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. i I ocl7-4w W. H. REEVES, Admin'r. FOREST HILL PARK HOTEL, South Main street, Asheville, N. C. For Summer and Winter .! Guests. ."Hot and Cold Baths. J. B. HARRINGTON, Trop'r., ASHE YILLE CARRIAGE AND MACHINE SHOP, J. H. WOODY, Proprietor. 21-25 WILLOW ST., ASHEVILLE. i Machine shops complete. Can repair or duplicate any parts of Machinery. Carriages, Buggies, Road and Farm Wagons made or re paired. AH work guaranteed. Horse-shoeing by expert "workmen. No quack business done. Give me a call. novT-ly CHICAGO AND ALTON R. R. EMIGRANTS GOING WEST OR NORTHWEST Will save' time and money going via Chicago and Alton Route. Vestibuled train bev tween St. Louis and Kansas City. Reclin ing chair cars and tourist sleepers free of charge to all Western States and Territories. For low rates, maps and descriptive books write to or call on i Bi A. NEWLAND, j Traveling Passenger Agent. No. 65 S. Main St., Asheville. N. C. ; 31. SMITHJ THE HEAJDGIUARTERS F()R BRIGHT TOBACCO ! Having been selected bv the to 'sell all their tobacco, we take they gave us last season. We can with confidence say that we shall be in better shape to sen them the coming season than ever before. Our warehouse is being enlarged and otherwise ren ted and our accommodations are first-class in evbry particular. We are glad to say to our f rieai and customers! that the outlook for tobacco is very flattering, the grades they produce are in de 1 maud, the manufacturers need them and are represented on our market, and they Tpay more i them here than elsewhere. Offerings are large and prices good. , - Asheville is the Place to Sell Tobacco Raised in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee ;: 1 ' ' ' r ' : t' ; ; ' . - L 1 We have, with great expense, made the Farmer's Warehouse the leading Warehouse in tl State, where you attend the sales of your own tobacco, or have it sold in a few days after shi'i t ment. ! We have with us this year John R. Baird, floor manager; E. B. Davis, auctioneer; Jot A j Campbell, book-keeper; J. Arthur Reagan, assistant book-keeper.' Elsewhere we fgive a pa: tial list or actual sales made recently. SMITH To mm We have been having- very heavy sales during the past two week: and prices were never before known to hold up so well in such: rush ; in fact, we have not had more than a dozen lots of tobacc called in on our floor during the whole of this season, which is proc enough that we have been getting high prices. There can be n disputing the fact that Tobacco sells as high on the Asheville mart et as anywhere in the world, and we have every advantage here tha any market) can have. ; Your neighborhood is no doubt full of paK drummers, who are not responsible for what they say, but put uj most any kind of a statement in order to get you to ship your tobac co to the house which they (mis)represent. They are not ther themselves to see that your interests are protected, but tr,ust it altf gether j to parties with whom, Jin many instances, you are not ac quainted, and sometimes with men who are not even judges of ti bacco. We notice in a circular from Danville that they quote s many thousand pounds at an average of $30, but they don't quo! that as any one particular sale. We do quote one sale of as man thousand pounds at an average of $21 for everything on ti floor, trash included. If we would run over our sales, as they hai done, and select the high prices to make the. average, we could quot as many thousand pounds at $40 or $45 instead of $30, which the quote as being extra good sales. We. quote below the prices on oir nidi k.cl, wiiicn, 01 course, win vary accoraing Dark Logs ...... 63.00 to 88.00 Bright "j ..... Fillers, common. . " good..... Strips, common.. 1 8.00 to 16.00 2.00 to 6.00 6.00 to 15.00 4.00 to 10.00 10.00 to 18.00 good If you want to get the worth of your tobacco and go home pleased: bi in if tA tod t . 'kv! HOUSE, which always strives to please every customfr. and Jt'li1 Sl'L.BANNER WAB We have ample accommodations, plenty of room, and everv facil tv for hir e' t0- t Your Friends, i I y lacillty lor handling your tobacco. - h j CHAMBERS & PERRY ' : - FAEMERS' ASHEVIELE, X. C., : J Faimers' Alliance of Madison county as the Warehouse , at whir this opportunity to thank our & ROLLINS, Props the Patrons Cntters, common. . . 16.00 to 22.00 fine. . .. .. 22.00 to 35 nn j English.. . 20.00 to 25.00 Wrappers (Mahogany) medium . 815.00 to 822.00 good .... 25.00 to 30.00 it immm Proprietors of Banner Y.Y. WAREHOUSE. many friends for the patrona? of the wn t fo) m to quality: , Wrapfancy . . . . 40.00 to 50i orange . . 30.00 to lemon . . . 40.00 to 55 f canary .. 50.00 to 80.f u 11 i C t tl n b w s CJ tc tl t C al ai & si u: Warehouse.
The Asheville Democrat (Asheville, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 21, 1889, edition 1
6
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