The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-13
RUSSIANS MAKE room rAss.
They Do Not Take Kindly "a Life on the
Ocean Wave.

A10a ~ - 49,
ideal OF a modern man-o'-war's man.
The impression made on the observant
foreigner In any Russian naval port,
alike by the raw recruit n by the fin
ished article. is distinctly ~unfavorable.
and experts who have been on intimate
terms with the Muscovite seamen as
sert that the Russ makes the worst
sailor in the world.
Russia. at the outset. is unfortunate
in regard TO her supply of raw material
available for the marine service. To
make a good man-o'-war's mar ready,
resourceful. obedient and cheerful.
early familiarity with the sea Is almost
Indispensable. and in many circumstan-
ces there must be some liking for a sea-
faring life TO compensate for the hard
ships certain to be endured and the
more rigorous discipline enforced on a
battleship. But Russia, despite her
vast extent of territory and great coast
line. has practically no seafaring pop
ulation of her own race. Her
for naval recruits are limited to the
Baltic coast, the shores of Courland
and the Baltic provinces. so designated,
with the Finnish sea line. The trusty
and reliable fisher folk Of these regions
are not Russians. nor have they any
sympathy with the Slavonic rac that
rules and, as they hold, Cypress them.
Omitting the few Firms, they are Ger
man in origin, in feeling and in aspira-
ton.
They differ from the Russians in that
most important essential. their religion.
The treatment they have received at
the hands Of the emperor's ministers.
on account solely of their adherence to
the Protestant faith. is such that they
dislike. or rather. hate. the Muscovite.
The Baltic recruit detests his superiors
and instructors. for they are the Slavs
who Cypress him and suppress his
nhnrrghna H. gnaAVafV. 40 If-,f,lgaa ~
cause his Teutonic instincts impel him
to obey. But his obedience and his per-
of the duties allotted to him
are purely p~erfunctory. He has no
pride I'm the service, and he looks for
ward to the time when he will be dis
charged n return to his home To for
get. as far as he can. his term of EN-
ployment in the imperial marine. The
Russian naval officers know the feel
ings of the Baltic population, and, in
stead of doing their utmost to concil-
late them and improve the relations
hat subsist between the German and
Slavonic elements. adopt a system Of
rigorous discipline and repression which
they consider effective. The conse-
quences are desertion md drunkenness.
IL Is owing to this that no Russian sea
man who is not a Slav-that is. who
halls from the Baltic-is ever allowed
ashore in a foreign port. for he rarely
returns
The increasing requirements of the
Russian navy for seamen and stokers.
as well as for artisans. have rendered
IL impossible to rely entirely on the
supply of recruits from the Baltic pro-
Vinces and Courland. The Firms are
not bad sailors. and are hardy and
tough, but there are not many Of them.
and their physique is not such as to
enable much dependence to be placed
on them as fighters. while they resent
rigorous discipline. Severity i'm the case
Of these people frequently induces sui
eide. Hence, to supplement the num-
bers required. ecourse is had to ordin-
airy recruits from the Russian interior,
who are drafted into the marine SER
vice. Now, II there is anything the true
born MuscOvite a~bominates. IL is the
sea. He is naturally an inland Great
ure. a man Of the steppes and plains,
safe only so long as his feet touch the
firm earth. And, like all such folk. he
regards the sea with something Of the
awe hat inspired the early Slav race
To designate the ocean n death by
one and the same word. To him service
at sea is a punishment, n his de-
meanor on board shows sufficiently that
he considers he is doing penance. He
is invariably stupid. and his stupidity
leads to punishments as degrading as
they are useless. BEYOND obeying orders
w IN Af Aa'Ns " u biAA II ~
incapable OF acting on his own initia-
tive in any circumstances.
He is never cheerful save when his
very liberal allowance of vodka is
served out to him. and his one idea ~
happiness is to get as drunk as his
captain" He will save up his pay in
sbrder to go ashore and indulge i'm a
drinking bout with his messmates. cal
culating I'm advance exactly how many
glasses of spirits his savings will pro-
Vide him with. He will hand over the
amount 10 the tavern-keeper. specifying
the number of riumki to which he is
entitled. and II is no uncommon thing
In n seaport town to see the conscien-
tious dramshop proprietor pouring a
glass of spirits down a sailors throat
long after he Is quite unconscious, to
make up the requisite total. Unable to
read n write. the Russian man-o'-
wars man has no in his spare
time when afoat; he can only drink
and gamble as he sees his superiors
doing when off duty.
or course his training is a matter on
which experts alone are qualified TO
speak fully, but he receives most Of IL
ashore and not at sea. The gunners
gain experience in handling weapons
Of position mounted ashore likewise.
and II is safe To affirm that two-thirds
Of the men I'm Inc Russian imperial
navy have never fired shot or shell from
a gun afloat. The Russian sailor.
though physically sound enough. has
none Of the smartness Of the British tar.
or the cheerful. II less alert. readiness
of the French salt. Stolid and stiff
under inspection. he is loose and sham
bling when the eyes Of his superiors are
of him. His obedience is absolute. hut
IL is the obedience that Is fatal To nj
tiative. The discipline to which he is
subject Is so rigorous as 10 COW and
kill those feelings Of sturdiness and
self-reliance which strike an English
man as among the first requisites Of a
thorough man-o'-war's man.-London
DaGt