Evening star., 1903-10-28
IN THE RUSSIAN ARMY
RUMoRS OF THE DISCoNTENT EX-
STING THERE.
An English View Of the Situation and
a Contrast Between the Slav
Force and Other Armies.

From the London Spectator.
We shall wish well to the civil revolution
in Russia II 1t ever arrives. because We be-
lieve that with the transmutation of the
autocracy into a regime limited by the laws
a vast amount of human misery will disap-
pear, and the Slavic character in many re-
spects a fine one, will be purged of that
hopelessness which at present paralyzes its
development Russia rules the northern
world from Norway to Japan. and would,
we believe, under an organization like that
of Germany, rule 1t we'll, perhaps come to
that honest arrangement with Great Brit
ain which would give to all Asatics. who
make up two-thirds of humanity. century
of peace and prosperity, and of their long
deferred chance OF developing quietly what
is In them. But we cannot look forward to
a military revolution in Russia, such as
correspondent Of the Times seems to appre-
hend. with any kind of hope. A concerted
breach Of the military oath strikes us al
ways as a declaration of war upon the civil
population and its rights. 1t must in the
nature Of things be accompanied by
period of horrible anarchy and is certain.
IL history Is any guide, to be followed by
disastrous civil wars, to be waged, 1t Is
true. among soldiers, but sure to renew in
a deeper form the misery of the general
pOpuldtlO1. Ho OHly escape lTtU lIldl ia
a country like Russia would be an able mil
itary dictatorship and a rush of armed and
boiling Russia upon western Europe There
would be repetition OF the scene in 1193-
1915, with the suspension for generation
Of all the civil progress Of mankind. We
read therefore. without the slightest pleas
ure the series of documents published In
the Times Of Wednesday, and with a strong
impression that the public here will exag-
gerate their collective effect. They are In
teresting, of course, because the vast
northern empire is usually so silent; but
they do not show that the Russian autoc-
racy is in any acute danger from its own
swordsmen. Great officers In Russia, with
General Kuropatkin at their head. do. 1t Is
clear, suspect that ideas tending to mutiny
are circulated among the soldiery: but
then the effort to propagate such ideas has
been traced among many conscript armies.
Discomfort in Armies.
There is no more loyal army than the
German, and the German staff Is always
searching out and denouncing the social
istic' literature occasionally found in bar
racks. There Is no more patriotic army
than the French, and General Andre has
heaps of proofs before him of discomfort
bred in barracks by a variety of causes
religion, food, punishments, 'haZing' and
sheer ennui-of all of which the labor party
whenever 1t is excited takes advantage.
There is, too, in France definite preaching
by the whole socialist party as to the ad-
vantage of changing the present military
system for that of Switzerland; but 1t pro-
duces no effect. The discomfort in Russia
is probably deeper, for its finances are more
taxed by the weight of provision for the
army, the officers are more separated In
feeling from the men, and unless matters
have mended very recently there is more of
the corruption which shattered the army Of
Louis XVI. Still, there is no evidence that
the mischief is widely spread even in Rus
sia, that any regiment Is ready to revolt
or that the army as a whole demands any
relaxation in the existing system. The
precautions adopted by the generals are,
we fancy, dictated rather by annoyance
than by fear.
Mutiny always strikes civilian observers
as one of the dangers latent in the great
states of the continent, and prima facie the
observers have much to say for them selves.
The conscription which produces and feeds
such vast armies Is nowhere popular with
the conscri pts. While drawings existed,
to be drawn was considered a grievous
misfortune; and now that in most countries
service Is universal the term" is regarded
as little better than Imprisonment. "A
barrack life is a dogs life is part of the
soldiers creed. The men neither are nor
can be paid the wages of other careers;
their food is of necessity the cheapest that
will sustain strength and is made worse by
eXasperating monotony; the daily work,
especially in Germany, is exceedingly hard,
and the tyranny, especially of the nom
commissioned officers is bitterly felt. That
tyranny, We see reasons to suspect tends
ly because as the chief of the military
district of Kazan'' recently remarked with
much acuteness, education tends to indi-
vidualsm and therefore spoils'' recruits,
at least for the Russian system of disci-
pline, and partly because training has be-
come more Intensive" and severe.
Nothing Like Persistence.
No man can tell the evaporation few
bad recruits can cause in sergeants and
nd ic
that, protected as they are on the CONT
nent by the terrible punishments for I'm
discipline" many Of them should develop
into oppressors. Nevertheless, there is
nothing like resistance. The army in al
most all countries is in possession of COM
plete potential power. could upset any gov
ernment, appoint any dictator and resettle
the terms under which soldiers should live.
But it never does anything of the kind,
even the pronunciamentos of Spain leaving
the private soldiers as they were The
military hierarchy Is never overset
regiment may murmur or fret, or even
shoot officers in time of action, but the spell
of discipline is never broken through on any
large scale. In what that spell consists,
whether its root is patriotism or profess
sional pride only that swathing of habit
which Carlyle believed to be the strongest
of controlling forces, may be disputed, but
its existence no one dreams of doubling
States are in reality built upon a profound
confidence that whatever happens the read
mess of the common soldier to obey will
never disappear. The soldier will kill you
If he is bid'' is the secret thought which
makes monarchs brave and statesmen ad-
venturous. after ALL said Bismarck.
force is with u.s." And there is much more
evidence at hand as to the submisSiveness
of the soldier. At this moment the haunt
ing dread of the kings, which arrests all
their movements and Is visible even in the
arrangements for their travels to friendly
capitals, is the dread of ASA SSination. And
their grand preventive against that danger
is to place along the streets they traverse
lines Of armed and disciplined men, any
one of whom could kill them far more
easily than any civil assassin could. Even
the sultan trusts his guards in the streets.
So far as experience goes, the confidence Is
amply justified, and a monarch. once
among his soldiers, is safe. '-.-
A Long g-Enduring Man.
We can see no reason for supposing that
the Russian soldier is more likely to mutiny
than his rivals in Germany or France or
Austria. The Russian Sav is certainly not
wanting in submissiveness. but is rather
long enduring M Though naturally no