To the greater number the laws
of duty and honour are a dead letter. I know that the
gendarme does not always respect private property. I know
that the factions rely at least much as we ourselves do on
the support of the army. What good is it to us to have
fourteen or fifteen thousand men on foot, and to spend some
millions of scudi annually, if after such efforts and
sacrifices, foreign protection is now more necessary to us
than it was the first day?"
"Monsignore," I replied,
"you place things in the worst light, and you judge the
situation somewhat after the manner of the Prophet Jeremiah.
The Holy Father has several excellent officers, both in the
special corps and in the regiments of the line; and you have
also some good soldiers. Our officers, who are competent
men, render justice to yours, both as regards their
intelligence and their goodwill. If I am astonished at
anything, it is that the pontifical army has made so much
progress as it has in the deplorable conditions in which it
is placed. We can discuss it freely because the whole system
is under examination, and about to be reorganized by the
Head of the State. You complain that young gentlemen of good
family do not throng to the College of Cadets in the hope of
gaining an epaulette. But you forget how little the
epaulette is honoured among you.
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