ly
suffice--and the abler men should not only receive instruction for the
higher branches of their duties, but must also be rationally taught
how to teach others. The non-commissioned officers' school must also
receive thorough attention; if it is not conducted seriously, it
involves a scandalous waste of time, but if the men receive a really
earnest and stimulating instruction, it helps most materially in their
intellectual development, and thus reacts most favourably on their
military capacity.

As concerns the practical exercises of the squadron, these must, as
far as possible, cut themselves free from the spirit of minor tactics,
and work as directly as they can towards the requirements of War on a
great scale. The destruction of railways and bridges, service on
requisitioning duties, etc., must naturally continue to be practised;
for though in spirit they belong to minor tactics, they are also
required in great Wars. But, above all, one must break with the old
one-sided schemes of outpost squadron--officers and non-commissioned
officers, posts and vedettes--and the whole subject must be treated on
wider lines more in accordance with the changing requirements of
active service. The different purposes for which localities are held
and utilized in different manners, the use of woods, and waves of the
ground, must all be drawn most thoroughly into the scope of the
exercises; and whilst still at squadron work the men must be made
clearly to understand the difference between mixed outposts and those
of Independent Cavalry, and the chief importance of their whole
training in this branch of their duty must be laid on the latter,
which is even nowadays not yet sufficiently the case. Further, there
must be thorough training in duties of security and reconnoitring at
night, and in particular of the defence of cantonments against
nocturnal attacks.

In general, it must be clearly understood that all squadron training
can only be elementary, and hence must be regarded as a stepping-stone
towards the whole field-service training. Where this is left
altogether to the squadrons, the men never have the opportunity of
becoming acquainted with the conditions of time and space which limit
their action when in large bodies. Continuous exercises also, always
in the same units, lead only too easily to empty repetition and many
misunderstandings. The Squadron Field Service training must,
therefore, be limited in time, and as soon as it