Misgovernment by Right Divine

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 23, 1864

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 23, No. 13.

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Misgovernment by Right Divine

MISGOVERNMENT BY RIGHT DIVINE.—How wastefully the baker's dozen of royal and noble, "cousins" who control the European continent and live upon its fruits, administer affairs, is shown by some curious figures recently published in France, by government authority. Mr. Legoyt, chief of the statistical bureau of the French Ministry of Agriculture Commerce and public works, reports that in 1862—Europe being wholly at peace, and with no bloodshed threatening—Austria yet kept up an army of 476,000 men; France had a small peace establishment of 573,000 men; Prussia maintained an army of 214,000 strong; England had 300,000 men under arms, besides half a million of volunteers; and Russia had 1,000,000 soldiers. Italy keeps up a force of 314,000 men; Turkey has 424,000; Denmark, 50,000; and Sweden 67,000. Of the numerous smaller States each has a considerable standing army, down to the smallest of all, which has a "field force" of a drummer, a fifer, and three privates. Mr. Legoyt estimates the effective strength of the European armies—in a time of profound peace, when Earl Russell declares that there is nothing to do but to "rest and be thankful"—at the enormous unmber of 3,875,847 men—nearly equal to the whole population of the State of New York—maintained in absolute idleness, at an annual cost to the people of over $700,000,000.—N. Y. Evening Post.