The San Francisco call., 1904-07-11
RUSSIAN PATRIOTISM.

IT. HE dogged tenacity shown by the Japanese on
land and sea and the surprise given by them to
the world in enconpassing for the first time the
defeat of European troops by Asiatc makes IN
terestng any information to the contributing causes
thereof
No factor bears directly upon success or defeat
battle than the quality patriotism within the breast
of the soldier. As it is upon him the brunt OF
the falls anything tending stimulate detrac
from his potriotsm is of high Importance. AT the out
break of the Russo Japanese reports circulated
of the great enthusiasm with which the cry
hailed from end to end of the Cars domain 1t seems
that the light which is beginning to sift through
the despotc envelope surrounding that country will show
that the conditions hardly they described in
the beginning and that the Russian autocracy is whist
ling to keep its courage up.
The limelght which was thrown Finland by the
of Governor General Bobrikof has brought
into prominence the desperate efforts made by the little
father attempting force his military policy upon
that 1t has been apparent that the heavy penal
ties imposed by Bobriko upon those not complying with
the summons military duty has had little effect In
fact, in many places the has been entirely
ignored not single recruit appearing while in other
localities only those presented themselves who GER
tain to be rejected account of bodily ailments.
The depression and political discomfort within
Russia are undoubtedly by the and from
reports the condition of things likely to be
bettered. number of large firms in Moscow have be-
come insovent and business Poland and Siberia is
practically at a standstil Such Ginformation has
acted as a stimulus upon the Russian soldier, and per-
sstent reports of many desertions from the Russian
army come widely scattered points. Besides that,
the sociaisc propaganda has greatly nterfered with
the mobilization OF troops the manufacturing districts
A correspondent writing from the of TO a
Russian paper published in Geneva declares there is little
truth in the reports of the high military spirit and patriot
ism felt by the Russian sodiery, but that the
-
Of satisfaction them. He the regulars
go the resgnedly because they obliged to go
wherever they driven and that the all look
sad and griefstricken, nearly every of them IS
leaving behind wife and three four children without
any OF support They do not approve the war
and believe it is OF military conquest
In speaking of the condition OF the the writer
says the soldiers that while they get perhaps
hardly oneenth of what is appropriated for them their
superiors eating and drinking OF the best at their
expense The mode OF transporting the soldiers to the
front described being enough to kill the most ardent
enthusiasm had there been any and that while the Red
Cross appealing to the public for clothing the
reserves have sell for trihe throw their
for whole family because the Government makes no
provision for returning them free their homes
These reports may i'll measure for the
gradual giving way of Russia's troops who without
heart fighting with valor born of desperation and
may make patent the fact that the existing conditions
calculated strengthen the moral authority OF that
Government in the minds of the who struggling
to the death in her defense