Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-26

! ger to save the life of comrade in an en-
| CINE room accident. In due course, he VIII
| be rewarded and promoted. and throughout
| his career his superiors will remember the
/ deed in his favor; but it will never become
public. Rewards, promotions and distinc-
tons are announced only in war time or in
cases of very exceptional merit, and even
| in those cases no reference whatever Is
made to the occasion of the reward or spe-
cial commentator in any published reports
! or orders
Criticism Forbidden.
No criticism of anything connected with
| the army or navy is allowed, even though
| it be of conlmendatory nature. No officer
| or enlisted man is permitted to criticise a
| brother officer or enlisted man, except in
| the strictest line of duty. Breaches of this
+, rule are most strictly punished, and to 1t
| is largely due the harmony and goodfellow-
| ship of the Russian services. Any public
| criticism of the service, or of even any
| minor department of it's administration, is
sternly prohibited and heavily punished.
| This rule prevails. of course, in other serV-
ices, but is often more honored in the
| breach than the observance. In Russia 1t
| is most faithfully observed. The Sampson
Schley quarrel and the Butler controversy
| would be equally impossible there.
| The Russian naval and military services
are compulsory, the rule being that every
! male of sound physique shall enter one
service or the other at the age of twenty
| years. But the recruit is allowed to choose
| which service he will enter. 1t might be
supposed that this would lead to difficulty,
as there might be more men choosing one
service than were needed, and less choos-
ing the other. But it is not so. The sys-
tenn works well, and helps to make the
men contented.
Enlistment is for three years. with the
privilege of re-enlstment only upon condi-
ton that the candidate has been promoted
during his term. In this respect the Rus
sian service differs from most other serv-
ices This peculiar provision has the merit
of insuring that all the veterans are picked
men, while soldiers and sailors of only
average quality are eliminated in due
course.
Naval Recruits.
The recruit for the naval service is
usually received after passing his physical
examination, at one of the great Russian
naval bases-Kronstadt, ST. Petersburg,
Port Arthur or Vladvostok. After brief
term in barracks there he is sent to a
training ship, and thence promoted to a bat
tie ship, cruiser or other vessel-the class
of ship to which he is sent being. deter
mined by his proficiency, peculiar feature
of the Russian service.
The Russian navy is modelled very closely
upon that of England. The Russian army
is modelled on the German. In both cases
the examples chosen as the best have been
copied to the minutest detail. There is
hardly any difference in the days routine
on a Russian and an English man-of-war.
The duties of men and officers the messing
arrangements, the stations, the drills, the
regulations-all are practically the same.
Discipline is administered under articles
of war formulated by imperial ukase. 1t
| is far stricter than in the British service,
| which, again, is far stricter than the Amer
lean. All government in Russia is, of
| course, essentially autocratic. and the spirit
| is nowhere stronger than in the naval and
military services Yet there is no discon-
tent in the Russian army and navy, how
ever much there may be among some
grades of Russian civilians.
The reason Is that the man In the en-
listed ranks lives better, dresses better. and
has more money to spend than the average
peasant of his class in civil life. He has
profited materially by becoming a soldier
or sailor, in which respect he differs from
the enlisted man in most other services
AS for the rigid discipline, 1t is only what
he has always known. The Russian peas
ant is accustomed to the iron heel from
infancy AS a general rule, the officers are
liked by their men, and the mere fact that
every Russian soldier and sailor refers
habitualIy to the car as "the little father"
will give foreigners some idea of the in
tense loyalty which pervades the services.
Get Small Pay.
In the non-commissioned ranks the grades