The Washington times., 1904-02-21
COMMUNICATIONS FROM
READERS OF THE TINES

all it's terminating accompaniment at
the capital
II is not rare occurrence that really
soldier-like and ambitious officers of
that corps. in order to do serious duty
and TO educate themselves for highest
military efficiency and TO escape the
blasting effects OF constant paradIng
and social inanity. petition their i'm
perial master to assign them 20 active
posts in the Caucasus. Turkestan, and
other exposed frontiers. 1t is at such
places that the great commanders OF
the Russian army gathered their mill
tsry discipline and mastership.
IL is true that guard regiments &C
compHshed frequently wonders OF valor,
as Napoleon's famous guard Injured 10
duty on a hundred battlefelds. or more
recently. the Prussian guard during the
Franco Prussian war. But this happen
ed. not because Of their belonging TO
that elite troop but in spite OF it, owing
to the Systematically stimulated point
dhonneur 10 which the Prussian no
bility. which was at all times a war
nobility par excellence. was trained for
centuries. 1t is safe TO say the best
troops which Russia possesses today
are the Siberian regiments on the spot
[
steppe. accustomed TO all the hardships
Of the Siberian tundra and the Siberian
winter. living on the earth-black bread
moistened by a glass OF vodka (whis-
ky).
Woe would betide Russia II she had to
rely for her safety upon the elegant.
! delicacy-fed sable-clad 'nOblesse of
her imperial guard of Infantry, cuiras-
siers, dragons. lancers, and hussars.
as the expert from Boston prOclaims IN
| ringing sounds. Even the immense
/ train OF cannon" would avail little.
I In the first place, because the cannon Of
( the guard batteries is exactly of the
same number as that Of any other bat
teries. The superstition that guard bat
/ teries should have more cannon than
any other batteries has about the same
sense as the prescription OF greater
quantity of medicine for a rich patient
! as for poor one.
OF the same value is the opinion of the
military expert from Boston with re-
/ gard to the size OF the men. He thinks
/ the big man 20 be OF greater efficiency,
presumably because he furnishes a big
| ger target. or exhausts the strength OF
/ his horse sooner. whereas in modern
war agility. capacity of marching. and
I
mole hill. are Of essential Importance.
4 The opinion of the military expert
I from Boston with regard TO the com
/ parison of the Russian and the Japa-
nese artillery. which needs big. strong
men to handle the fuse. presumably.
since the poor japanese sailors could
fire their cannon only with a superhu-
man effort at Port Arthur. and are now
| exhausted by the eXertion for the rest
OF the war, is particularly impressive.
As to his estimate OF cavalry. the ex-
pert would have learned during the first
six weeks as a recruit in any good
army. that cavalry. nowadays. is used
only for picket service. rapid movement
for Information 'claircissemenD. TO
I "saber" down scattered and demoraIiz-
ed contigents, and for the pursuit Of
AS Japan Is in none OF those condi-
| tons vet the 500 600 Russian hOrsemef.
% (which is more than the total num-
Der OF troops which the Mikado can
maintain I'm the field" will, fer the pres
ent. not come into action. Such IL the
expert opinion of Franklin X. Young
/ exported from Boston for Washington
consumption Not one word of the dis.
location OF the Russian troops, the
necessity OF guarding the frontiers OF
two continents against a world IN arms
at such a critical tuncture; the tremep-
dous racial variety OF l29,OO0.0O0 people
of whom 4O,UOOB are Russlans. the
enemies within and without; the COM
pactness OF Japan; the climatic Difficult
ties; the distance of the Russian base
and the connection with IL through one
fine thread, the Siberian Railway. which
may be interrupted at any time; the
financial depletion and tremendous debt
of seven and one-half milliards 10 Franc,
alone: the isolation Of the Russian
ports: the hostility of the ''colored
races: but there are 10000 Russian
horsemen.' somehow. somewhere. and
I "undaunted Valor of the white man o.
tho north Such is the military expert
| opfnioh of Franklin X. Young. OF Bos
ton, in a classic copyrighted 1904.
AN OLD SOLDIER