A Commission in the British Army." In The Independent

1900. [the only appearance?] Published Weekly. Vol LII / No. 2713. New York: Thursday, November 29, 1900 ("the last Thanksgiving of the nineteenth century"). 20 pp preliminary ads (paginated i-xx), plus 16 pp terminal ads (paginated xxi-xxxvi). Original white wrappers stamped in yellow-orange.

Early appearance (apparently the first outside of several Australian newspapers) of this four-page double-column article on the granting of British officers' commissions, written during the Boer War. Henty reviews the history of how officers' commissions were bought and sold over past centuries (a practice ended in 1871) -- though he says there were benefits to that system, such as a retiring officer being able to sell his commission to someone else, "a sort of bounty to induce him to get out!" [Dartt]. Henty also argues for abolishing the Victoria Cross (or at least limiting it to non-commissioned ranks), because too many officers are dying in heroic but ill-advised efforts to earn it. This is a near-fine copy of this weekly issue of The Independent (a couple of cover creases, one small worn spot on the spine wrapper). This piece is not cited in Newbolt -- neither the article nor the periodical; Newbolt does not include American publications, but the absence of the article in Newbolt implies that there was no appearance in the UK (but there was in Australia). It is likewise not mentioned in Sandler's 1992 Henty Collector's Ready Reference. However this issue of The Independent is noted by Dartt (pp 39-40), who goes on to write six paragraphs describing Henty's argument -- though here again, no appearance in the UK is cited. Quite a scarce piece.