Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-12
Observation-Disclosures
Characteristics of Cossacks In
War and at Home.
BOLD AND sKILLFUL HoRsEMEN

Pride Themselves Always Being
Able to Surprise an Enemy and
Never Being Surprised Themselves
1.-THE Scythians Of every age have
been celebrated as bold and skillfu
riders, and constant practice has seat
ed them so firmly on horseback thai
they were supposed by strangers to
perform the ordinary duties of civil
life, to eat, drink and even sleep with,
out dismOunting from their steeds
from their excellence in the dexterous
management of the horse"
Thus Gibbon wrote OF the ancestors
Of the COssacks in the cars army to-
day. These Cossacks have preserved
the Scythian characteristics, and every
one OF them might easily gain a place
as trick rider in circus If he cared to
do so, says writer in the New York
Mail. One of their commonest tricks
is to pick up a glove from the ground
at full gallop.
The Cossacks originally settled on
the Don and later on the Volga, but
now there are several bodies OF them
scattered throughout the Russian en-
pire in Asia. A large colony has been
planted in the Ussuri province, which
borders on Korea and has VladivOstok
for its seaport, and there are also large
settlements of them in Manchuria. Gre
ated by the Russian military authori-
ties with the idea of guarding the East
Chinese railway.
In former times the ataman, or mil
itary chief, of the Cossacks was prac-
tcally an Independent monarch allied
to the car of Russia, but his power
was gradually curtailed until now the
car is himself ataman and crowns
himself by that It'll" among fifty-nine
others, when he assumes the throne.
Subordinate atamans hold command
over the five principal divisions of the
Cossacks as follows: Don Cossacks,
Prince Sviatopolsk Mirski H.; Terek
Cossacks. Lieutenant General Kacha-
nov; Astrakhan Cossacks, General Won
Hasenkampf; UraI Cossacks. Major
General Maximovitch; Kuban Cossacks,
Lieutenant General Malama.
At home in his native village the
Cossack is a remarkably quiet and
peaceful person. He tills the soil and
raises his flocks and herds without Civ
ing the least trouble to the authorities
or anybody else. He is "a thoroughly
domestic man, u kind husband and a
good, though stern, father. Indeed, his
character is all that can be desired. He
is honest, faithful to his friends, eX
tremely sensitive TO points of honor and
chivalry. most hOspitable to strangers |
and frank and truthful in all his deal |
ings. Everybody who visits a Cossack |
village comes away with the highest |
possible opinion Of the inhabitants.
When he is nineteen years of age the |
Cossack youth begins his military serv-
ice For three years he underGoes |
instruction in his birth |
place or in the nearest village If he |
lives at an isolated homestead. The |
four years are spent in the |
first line of the active army and four /
years after that in the second line. |
which means that the man lives at
home and is called up for three weeks
drill every year. There follow four
years in the third line, with only one
drill OF three weeks during the whole |
OF that service. The fully trained vet
eran is then transferred TO the depot
reserve for five years and in that
branch of the army is only liable to be
called out in time of war. After those /
five years his military obligations are
not Cancelled, for all Cossacks capable
Of bearing arms may be called out by
the emperor in a national emergency.
When he goes abroad on his military
service the character OF the CoSsack
seems to change entirely. From q
quiet domestic youth he changes into
the lawless Scythian depicted by Glib
bon and other writers. He has pro-
found contempt for the people among
whom he is quartered. and nothing
gives him greater pleasure than to dis
perse a mob of rioters in a Russian
Town by the ruthless use of his terrible
leather whip. In time of war the Cos
sack is scourge TO the civilian popula-
ton as well as to the enemy in arms
Until recent times he was given unre-
strained liberty TO loot and massacre,
but he is now subjected, in theory at
all events. to the same discipline as the
rest of the Russian army.
Alike in their native villages and in
their camps, the CosSacks are inordi-
nately fond OF amusements, especially
0f songs. dances and listening TO their
own wild, barbaric music. Their wo-
men are worthy OF race of warriors.
Tor they always encourage the men TO
20 to war, and no Cossack girl thinks
II marrying n man until after he has
finished his period OF military service,
received his farm from the Russian
authorities and settled down into the
-eserve Women whose husbands or
,ODa have died in the SaFvfce NJ fha |
Ear are always treated with the great
st honor in the CosSack villages
In wartime the Cossacks are the
Eyes and ears OF Russian army. They
lride themselves on being always able
o surprise an enemy and on never be
ng surprised themselves To be taken
indeed, is regarded by them
Is being a military crime hardly sec