, 1877-09-15

founding muddle by which the impression
was created that Russia could not fight,
and OF the deficiencies in everything but
actual fighting force, in commissariat, in
transport, and 10 communications, which
to this moment half p~aralyss this magni-
hcent army. The strain was unexsmpled f;
for the War Office, with the organizations
OF the eighteenth century, had to WELD
the resources OF the nineteenth, had az
1t were to transport a modern nation on
o%xcarts, and the brain-power in the de-
partments was not quite equal to the
needs. Everything was done somehow,
for q Gear is a terrible master, AMI tina
system is stern but nothing is quite we'll
done, and no body of men, from the
governing Staff to the Iuteadencies, is
quite equal to the immense requirements
made upon its powers. The pans ar3
good, but they do not al just tn amseIv3s
day by day. The corps d0rm5s are full,
but they cannot march swiftly. The re.
sources are enormous, bus when the
men are in motion they ara left OCCASION,
ally for hours without TODD. This is not
from indiscipliuo, or careIessness, or pecu-
latiou either. In1iscipIine in Russia does
not exist, or clrelesSneSs, except in the
form of reluctance to take trouble, while
p2cGIation duflcg wartime is felt rather
W iae treasury than the armies. Tie
evil arises from the perpetual promotion
Of men who are net qualified, either by ia.
nate genlusO or great experience, 10 deaf with
emergencies such as make up the entire
history Q fevery great war,-in fact, from
a HAIoipnNU nR hp.i, - ~ - f,m 81, .-..Le
The evil is, we imtgi'e, greatly exa7.
pefu'ed by d practice for the growth of
which in modern Russia, we can scarcely
acco unt,-that OF preferring members OF
t! e Imperial Family for the highest mill.
tary commands. There is nothing what.
ever in the situation OF the Russian
Throne TO account for this custom, which
ia not justified in any way by the ancient
history of Russia. The Gar is not afraid,
like q Bonaparte, of an over-successfuI
General, or educated. like a Valois, to
believe in the sacreduess OF his blood, or
accustomed, like a Bourbon, to consider
pedigree the first qualification for com
mand. There is nothing to prevent him,
like Peter the G eat, from making a pea.
SAINT Commander-in-Chief, and much to
induce him to choose any officer in whom
the army has from experience perfect
confidence. Let The man conquer the
world, and still he can be no rival, in
Russian peasant opinion, to tie represen.
tutivo of Ruri&. Nevertheless, the prac-
tice OF giving the preference to Grand
Dukes even for active commards-com-
mands on which the whole future Of
Russia dcpends,-has hardened itself into
a system, until in tits, the greatest war
Russia has waged since 1915, we fad in
Asia or Europe no General outside the
Royal Family fairly at The top. The
evil effect OF that is twGfold. No family,
not even the Hohenzollerns, and parlicu-
larly no family limited IN numbers, can
De expected to produce q series Of great
or even considerable Generals all at The
same time, and the chance of the d~iscove.
~ of genius, or at all events, of the sort
of genius which Is equivalent to armies,
is wi!tu!'y cut off. The reservoir Of
ability is reduced to q little pond. Aud
what is much more serious, the c~1pacity
Of the officers next 10 tho highest circle
is seriously diminished. Not only are
they deprived of the Generals irst hopA,
an independent renown. but they are de.
barred from throwing their Whole power
into thu advion thnu q. III LL.A