The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-22

Kuropatkin was one of the few Rus sian scientific geographers who were convinced, and he gave up his country mems standpoint. Once, after I had been expressing to him my regret at having been forced to begin the dispute about the Lopnor with the Russian ge- ographers, he answered quite calmly, ''It will do them good to have a lesson"
 In April, 1899. met Kuropatkin sew eral times. On one of these occasions we were sitting at his writing table dis eussing my contemplated journey when a Cossaek entered bringing huge bun dle of papers in a sealed portfolio. l While the general was turning them ovtr I took the liberty of asking him what the meaning of the peculiar marks in blue pencil which saw on the margins. Kuropatkin told me that they were the military reports of the week which the Czar had just read, and that the blue pencil marks were made by his Imperial Majesty's own hand.
 One particular mark meant 'I ap- prove" another expressed the opposite, while third signified T want further details" and so sen. T gave utterance to my astonishment that the Czar found time to read through all those re ports, whereupon Kuropatkin an swered: Yes, and it is even more as
 tonishing how he finds the time for reading through all the reports of all the other ministries"
 Once when was dining with General Kuropatkin he had as guest a colonel who had recently returned from Fasho- da. After dinner the latter was to pre- sent to the minister of war two Cos sacks who had exhibited unusual proofs of courage and presence of mind by
 swimming across the Nile on some i'm, Iportant errand. Kuropatkin invited me to accompany him to witness the
 ceremony, which was then about to take place. The Cossaeks were waiting in the vestibu1e, each wearing the gold medal which he had that day received from the Czar. The general at once ad-
 dressed the two men in short speech,
 thanking them for the example they had set to their comrades in the army, and then gave to each man as me mento gold watch in case and Troll of gold rubles.
 Everybody who has been brought into personal contact with General Ku- lropatkin must acknowledge that it
 would be difficult to meet with a more
 amiable and attractive personality.
 What most inpresses one about the powerful yet harmonious nature of the
 man is the air of unruffled calm and
 serenity which sits upon his features. His face bears the unmistakable stamp Iof goodness. consideration and self-con- I trol. At this moment he knows that all
 his tactical and strategical movements are matters or history and will afford
 a subject of study and of criticism to
 numberless eager students. But I am
 convinced that even amid the thunder of the cannon at Liaoyang he was pos
 sessed of the same absolutely unshak-
 en calm with which he reviewed the I Turcoman militia on the plains outside of Askahad. Never has deprecatory word been uttered about him behind his
 back, and never has Russian general
 been regarded with greater confidence and love by all, from the Czar himself down to the meanest soldier in the franks. He will have nothing to do with lfavoritisn or nepotism; he is known for his incorruptibie sense of justice, and in making his promotions he has never been guided by any other consid-
 erations except those of merit and ca pacity. If he has any favorites at all in the army they re the simple Cos. sacks. He has never abused his power His own brother, whom met at Osh
 in 1902. was then filling very subor
 dinate post as pomoshnik or assistant
 to the district chief of hat small and Iinsignificant town, which might, in-
 deed, almost be regarded as a place of I deportation in the hert of Asia.
 1 I have heard people express astonish- Ement that General Kuropatkin should carry ikons or sacred images with him to the seat of war in the far east But l 1t must not be forgotten that General Kuropatkin is genuine orthodox Rus I sian of the old stamp, and notwith-
 standing his intimacy with western Eu-
 ropeans, especially Frenchmen, he has 1 always remained Russian. At the same time believe he is much too
 prctical man to put his trust in sa.
 cred images alone; his position renders lit necessary that he should, at all
 events outWardly, show them all rever-
 ence, for nothing less than that Is de- I manded of their leader by the Russian
 soldiers, who are often expectations I and generally have been brought up under the influence of ignorant priests. l Nevertheless, Kuropatkin is himself a ] truly religious man in the best sense of 1 the word; but in war he places his reli-
 ance principally upon his men and his own counterstrokes of tactics and strat-
 egy
 l Nobody will, suppose, dispute the l fact that he is the ablest of living Rus sian strategists and commanders. But on the field of battle even the ablest general may find himself in situations that are too stubborn for his plans and \ calculations. It is Indeed hrd for a
 man who, with such an honorable and I brilliant career behind him, should have such difficult problem to cope with and such an enormous responsibil- ity thrust upon him just at the time when he might reasonably look forward l to the enjoyment of well earned re- I pose.-New York Sun.
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