Explore "The Story of Cortez; or Pluck in the Sixteenth Century. A Lecture Delivered at Aldershot Camp, Nov. 1858" by Charles Kingsley on Textopian.
It seemed to me that, having to speak to-night to soldiers, that I ought to speak _about_ soldiers. Some story, I thought, about your own profession would please you most and teach you most. Some story, I say, for it is not my business to tell you what soldiers ought to be like. That, I daresay, you know a great deal better than I; and I only hope I may do my duty as a parson half as well as British soldiers do their duty, and will always do it.
So I thought of telling you to-night some sort of a story -- a true one, of course, about wars and battles -- some story about the British army; but then I thought there are plenty of officers who can do that far better than I, -- so I will take some story of foreign armies, and one of old times too. And though no soldier myself, but only a scholar, and reader of queer old books, I may make my scholarship of some use to you who have to drill and fight, and die too, for us comfortable folks who sit at home and read our books by our fireside.