rengthening the muscles of the arm and
making the man handy with the weapon--can be equally well attained by
a couple of parades for the purpose weekly. Perhaps still better, if
before every afternoon parade and every mounted duty throughout the
year the men are exercised with the lance for a few minutes only. In
this manner the muscles of the arm will develop more rapidly and much
time will be saved. Similarly, more can be gained by the method of
imparting the instruction pursued, if attention is restrained to the
thing that the man must know only, and everything superfluous, such as
the learning by heart of the names of every portion of the weapon and
so forth--at any rate with the recruits--is left out, and at the same
time all such opportunities as occur in stable duty, on the march, in
the cleaning hour, etc., are made the most of.

Finally, speaking generally, not only is more time than is necessary
spent on squadron drill, but also more than is advantageous. If one is
constantly drilling for four weeks at a stretch, that is ample, and
then there is time for a considerable extension of our shooting
training; and if the inspection of the squadron is postponed for any
particular reason, then shooting and field-service days can be
interpolated, which in itself is a very good thing.

If in these ways time for the elementary training for dismounted work
and for shooting can be gained, it is still easier to arrange things
for the foot training of the squadron as a unit. During the drill
period the pauses to rest the horses which must be granted to them
can be utilized, and in the field-service exercise the schemes must
often be framed so as to afford practice in dismounted operations in
suitable ground. For the technical training of the men it is of
particular importance that they should be accustomed, with immobile
horses, to couple (? knee halter) them rapidly, and with mobile horses
in bringing them up or retiring them.

These two essential practices receive far too little attention in the
German Cavalry. The chief difficulty of the latter lies in the way in
which the spare lances which the man cannot hold fast in his hand fly
backwards and forwards when in rapid motion; and the ease with which a
lance can be jerked out of the shoe, and then trail on the ground can
give rise to the gravest disorder, not to mention danger.

It is most desirable that something should be done to remove this
evil. The best, perhaps,