The Springfield herald., 1897-12-24
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS.
THEIR LEADING TRAITS.
They Know How to Obey. Live FruEaily
and Form an InvincibIe Fighting Ma
chine.

hecently L saw one or the most I'M
pressive sights it has ever been my lot
to behold. l was in the town of Sama-
ra, on the river Volga, in eastern Rus
sia. had just rung for the samovar
for our breakfast when heard sound
outdoors like the tramping of many
feet. 1 went to the window and looked
out.
Down the street L saw marching to-
ward us the first body of Russian SOL
diers l had ever seen. AT the very
first glance they impressed me most
strongly. The tall redcoats of Great
Britain, the crack bersaglieri of Italy,
Germany's countless troops, prim and
trim to affectation-nOne of them re-
sembled these Russian soldiers. The
Cars men had no bright uniforms, no
shining accoutrements, no smart caps
of jackets. Their clothes were of a
rough brownish cloth. There were no
gilt trimmings, no brass buttons even,
nothing to show II soldiers uniform eX-
cept that the clothes We're all alike and
trimmed with n little braid. Across
their backs were slung their blankets,
and every other man carried tin tea
pot.
The infantry troops Of most of the
European countries must wear nous
taches, and must be clean-shaven other
wise, but of these Russian soldiers all
wore boards. 1t was not the trim,
pointed beard of western Europe, eth
er, but the full, tawny-colored beard
that is SO characteris,ically Russian
the beard that comes from never shay
Ing, that helps to keep n man warm
when the thermometer is thirty degrees
below zero.
Presently l looked around for the
band. There was none. And l saw
why. For in moment l heard the
faint notes of single fife and then
suddenly the whole troop burst into
singing. That was their music. 1t
made me think of the times when prim-
tive peoples went forth to battle sing
ing, and l felt, as have so often felt
in Russia, that had been carried bod
worlds history. The song of these
Russian soldiers was timed to their
march, and like n chant, strong and re-
sounding, and with risings and fallings
that gave it II strange force.
No soldiers that | had ever seen had
the look of rugged hardness and en-
durance, of solidity and power, of i'm
perturbable determination, that these
men possessed. As they marched by,
keeping step to the time of their war
song, / began to realize why it was
that nations called Russia the "peace-
maker of Europe why Germany and
France and Austria We'd with one an
other in seeking the favor of the great
Slay empire. Russia is composed of
100 nations, from the Lapps of north
ernmost Scandinavia to the Persians
of India. In n trip of 800 miles along
the Volga l have passed through the
country of fourteeen different peoples
all Russian.
No victory gained over Russia would
be augfiht but barren one. Was any
victory ever more triumphant than that
over the Russians bp Papoleon? Yet
did any defeat ever bring more ruin
and destruction in its path than that
self-same victory? And is there any
nation to-day that would care 10 under
take the invasion of this empire, now
many times stronger than when the
great Corsican found ruin In its con
quest?
After all, it is the people themselves
that give Russia her great military
strength. About 90 per cent. OF this
people are mouZhiks (peasants), who
live n life that would be one of intol-
cradle hardship to the lowest class of
people in the United States, vet that
to the mouzhik is one of comfort and
plenty. The Russian peasant-nnd the
soldiers are simply peasants doing tem-
porary military service-lives on tea
and black bread for breakfast, tea and
soup for dinner and tea and black
bread for su ,,per. This is his fare ev-
cry day in the week and every week
in the year. And lie likes it. His
clothes are the toughest and fewest
ina Unable. A cotton shirt and trous-