The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-02-27
Russian
Army of Today is a
Stupendous S an d
Mighty Engine

colonel Sir Howard Vincent. NJ p. a
writer on military subjects, who was
with the Russian army as military
atache in the Russiaa-Turkish war in
1877. contributed an article on the
Russian Army of Today" in the FEB
ruary issue of the United Service
Magazine Of Great Britain just re-
ceived here Il shows that the Rus
sian army contains more than mil
lion men in time Of peace. and the
standing army and reserve when mo-
bilized aamounts to 100000 men. The
article is ia part as follows
Since 1877 reform has been the ord
or Of the day in the Russian army
The whole reign of Alexander III was
devoted TO #, and in the same course
/ The government of Nicholas IL perse.
veres ! will not enter upon any de.
tailed narrative of the 1903 man suvers
in the government of Kursk There
| were 163 battalions of infantry. eighty
five squadrons of cavalry and 4S0
guns. with nine'y generals. nearly A.
600 officers and $1,000 men. They were
divided into a northern army. under
the Grand Duke Serge, governor gem
eral of Moscow and a southern army,
under General Kuropathin. minister OF
war The Kursh maneuvers includ.
ed an advance and a retirement. the
passage and repassage Of a river, and
| then preparations for great review
( before the car and shah The Per
sian monarch. who had fingered by
inclination in London and in Paris.
was little disposed TO tarry in he rail-
way carriage which was the resting
place Of both sovereigns. after seeing
six army corps and 4S0 cannon parad-
ed before aim by his imperial neigh
bor The shah lef, for Teheran an
hour after luncheon, more under Rus
sian influence than ever
An Age Limit Prescribed.
The liability to military service is
( general between the tweaty-second
ami the forty-fonrth birth annivers-
aries. The only exemptions are in
favor Of the Cossacbs of the Caucasus,
who have a special organization; the
settlers in Turkestan and the terri
tories of the Amur. and the non.Rus-
sian population OF Astrakhan the Ash.
attic provinces and Archangel A mil
/ lion men have every Oc ober attain
ed the military age. AS only 100000
are required to bring the standing
army up to It's peace establishment.
lconscription presses less severely up
on the young Russian than upon the
\ trian In every urban area or rural
Young Frenchman. German or Aus
district there is a recrui ing board.
which in each province is supervised
F, by an imperial recruiting council BE.
/ tween October Is and November IS,
selection Is made Of those who are
required to serve in the standing
army or imperial navy. Every board
/ is informed Of the number Of recruits
It win be required TO furnish 10 each
arm. and eliminates those exempt or
non-elgible, usually as per cent Of
the number Of consoript cantidates.
AS far as practicable each section
y Of recruits is drawn from the same
area. But no regiment receives more
than three-fourths of its dehcil from
local source The remaining four b
lis made up Of aon-Russians Poles
Firms, Jews and others. &c per cent or
the whole The grenadiers. tha rifles.
the cavalry. the horse artillery and
/ The engineers have no fixed recruiting
areas, but receive their contiugents
from several districts The guards re-
cruit from the whole empire Jews
only are ineligible Every regimen
Of the infantry Of the line has a d6hn
lite recruiting ground
Many Are illterate.
II Is calculated that from CD TO 10
per cent Of the recruits are ilhterate
If, however hey faH hi education. no
army rs under such excellent physical
conditions Mature age and hariy
training make The TAM broad chesied
Russian an excellent soldier from the
very first The French, italian OF
Spanish couscript is hardly 10 be- com
pared with him. and he also aurpasses
both the German and Austrian VIVA
would not the British recruiting ser
gaant on the lookout for special" a
the street corner give Tor a few OF
such men? OF the per cent rejected
upon physical grounds. n per CEN are
ht FOR the FIRST class of the reserve
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