The sun., 1903-12-27

profited materially by becoming a soldier
or sailor. in which respect he differs from
tho enlisted man in most other services.
As for the rigid discipline. 1t Is only what
he has always known. The Russian peasant
is accustomed to the iron heel from in
fancy.
As a general rule, the officers are liked
by their men. and the mere fact that every
Russian soldier and sailor refers habitually
to the Czar as the Little Father will give
foreigners some idea of the intense loyalty
which pervades the services.
In the non commissioned ranks, the
grades are about the same as in the British
Navy but the men have less authority,
receive less pay and have fewer privileges.
The pay Of a Russian seaman is only 30
kopecks every ten days, kopeck being
about three-quarters OF cent.
Nevertheless, the seamans mess on
the Pacific and Baltic stations compares
favorably even with that on American
ships. where the sailors are said TO be the
best fed in TIE world The same is meas
urably true Of the Black Sea feet.
The officers messes are supported by
fixed contributions from all the officers
according to their rank, and the British
idea of gunroom and wardroom messes
is carried out on the larger Russian ships.
Eligibility for the commissioned ranks
in both services depends upon birth and
educational qualification. 1t is necessary
that candidates be we'll born.
Their parents must have been of noble
birth, or members Of the Government or
the civil service, or officers jim the army
or navy, or-to quote the words OF the
imperial ukase on the subject persons
of substance who never kept an open store
or market" That is to say. the son OF
rich merchant would be eligible for COM
mission but traders son would not.
In addition to the qualification Of birth
and family. candidates must have passed
the final examination in the gymnasium.
which is about the equivalent Of that for
entrance to the higher class OF American
universities. or the final examination OF the
best American high schools.
The pay of officers in both services is
practically nominal. That Of junior
Lieutenant in the navy is 100 roubles
month. about $50 in American money. as
compared with slao a month for the same
rank in the American Navy.
Russian officers enter. the service for
career never for livelihood. Any man
with social ambitions in Russia must become
an officer Of either the army or the navy.
unless he be person of transcendent ability.
No father would think of entering his son
in the cadet school unless he could give
him suitable income with which to main
tain his rank.
In the British Navy and other fleets the
officers OF the higher ranks receive liberal
allowances from the Government to defray
the expenses of the frequent entertain.
ments given when in port, or when fore
gathered with the warships Of other coun-
tries. There are no such allowances in the
Russian service.
The officers have to pay every cent out
Of their own pockets. and yet nowhere is
more magniRcently dispensed
than on Russian warship. 1t has become
a proverh in all the ports Of the world visited
by naval vessels.
In point of seamanship. the Russian
naval officer compares fav orably with
the officer Of any other service. There
are two good reasons for this.
In the fret place. if not better educated.
his education has certainly progressed
further at the time Of his entrance into the
Naval Academy at Kronstadt than that
of either the English or American cadet:
dlll. Ill NllS sSCoflh piuSS, hC 10 uLASA ioA
more effective compulsion to keep up his
studies when ahoat.
But mere book learning will not take
a lad far in the Russian service. No cadet
is eligible for promotion to the rank of
Lieutenant until he has made trip around
the world in Russian man-ofwar. That
is his post graduate course after he leaves
the Naval Academy.
ba ,sop1o ri Of fiSo irlipn in tho
missioned ranks of both services is similar
to that in the armies and navies OF other
nations, with this striking difference, that
of duty there-are practically no distinctions
of rank among the officers.
In the messroom or at the card table,
the junior Lieutenant does not defer re-
spectfully to the Colonel of his regiment or
to the Captain of his ship as he would do
in other services On the contrary, he
is hail fellow we'll met with him.
hood in a Russian mess, and one officer
stands absolutely upon an equality with
another. 1t is this feature OF Russian
military life which most surprises foreign
officers when they dine on Russian war
ship or with a garrison mess.
They stare in amazemcnt when they hear
a mere boy of Lieutenant call his Colonel
by his Christian name or even chan MN
as he might have chaffed one OF his chums
at the Naval Ac ademy.
Certain distinctions in the commissioned
ranks are peculiar to the Russian Navy
and form an interesting link with the past
A boy enters the service as naval cadet,
and the ranks to which he may be promoted
are the following
Cadet of the Navy, junior Lieutenant,
Lieutenant of the Navy, Captain of the
Navy, Captain of Corvette, Captain of
Frigate, Commodore, Vice-Admiral, Admi-
raj and Adm iral OF the Navy.
These ranks are adopted from the British
Navy in the time Of Peter the Great, and
have remained unchanged ever since then.
The corvettes and frigates disappeared
long ago, but the titles are retained.
One branch Of the Russian Army is totally
unlike any force possessed by other civilized
Powers. 1t is. of course, the Cossack levy,
which numbers $4,000 men. Every able
bodied Cossack is liable to service, without
limit of age.
He becomes liable at ls and the liability
does not cease 80 long as he is able to ride
a horse or carry a gun. But only pro-
portion of the Cossacks serve at one time.
The rest have unlimited leave or belong
to the reserve.
The Cossack feels the burden of military
service more heavily than any other man
in the world. At Is he begins three years
preparatory service in the locality where
he dwells.
After that is over he is drafted into one
of the three Cossack bans for twelve years
service in any part of the empire. He
spends seven years with the colors and five
years with the reserve.