The sun., 1904-11-13
GEN. KUROPATKIN'S CAREER.
LEARNED PRACTICAL SIDE OF
WAR UNDER SKOBELEFF.

Beg-Strlct Disciplnaran-His Home
Afe-Hatred OF Display and Ost stentation
simplicity Of Equipment on the Field.
Among the memories OF my nine years
wanderings in Asia which ! treasure and
value most, says DR.. Sven Hedin, in the
London Times, not the least valuable are
the hours have spent in Gen. Kuropatkin's
company. And Of all the distinguished
men / have met. between St. Petersburg
and Pekin and between Irkutsk and Haid-
arabad, there Is only one who has left upon
me the same deep and abiding impression
namely, Lord Curzon. 1t Ia in the hands
OF these two men that the destinies OF Asia
have during the last few years in great part
rested.
Even though these two typical represen-
tatives OF two great peoples are, by reason
OF their national characteristics, very dii-
ferent from one another: on the other hano.
as both possess some OF the best ana
noblest human qualities. they are in several
respects like one another and have many
points in common. In his manners and
Iearing Gen. Kuropatkin is quite as simple
and natural as Lord Curzon, and, like the
viceroy OF India, he treats all who are
subject to his authority as men, listening
to such as need help, and treating all, even
the meanest among them, with the greasest
consideration. kindliness and politeness.
Both are true and jealous patriots, both
have devoted their life and best powers
to the service Of the country which gave
them birth, and both are deeply sensible
Of the heavy responsibility which rests
upon them. By a pure chance there Is
cne point in which their careers are singu-
larly alike. Both are geographers and OK
plorers, and both authors within the field OF
scientific geography. and both have won
for themselves an honored place in the his
tory Of geographical discovery in Asia.
Gen. Kuropatkin's 8 travels were made in that
part OF Asia the political future OF which
was to such great extent destined to be
placed in his own hands, and in his book,
'Kashgaria. he has described. in manner
that cannot be excelled, his journey through
the East Turkestan OF Yakub Beg's time.
But it was not of this wished to speak,
but about the personal impressions which
Gen. Kuropatkin made upon me. Alexei
Nicolaievitch Kuropatkin is the central
figure in the great and striking drama
which Is now being enacted in the theatre
OF war in Mauchuria. and which all the
world is watching in brcathless expectation.
At this present moment he is the man who
instinctively but inevitably excites ou'
interest in the highest degree.
As a young man he served in the French
Foreign Legion in Algiers and took part
In several missions sdh1rionpes. and these
he has DESERT ed with the same admirable
degree of. accuracy and knowledge that
he has displayed in all the military expe-
riences OF his varied and rema rkable life
1t was In Ngiers he learned 10 speak French
with such wonderful purity; though he
does not speak 1t with the vivacity and
gesticulation Of Frenchman, hut speaks
1t slowly and quietly vet with perfect
mastery. or other books that he has
written may mention capital description
OF the Russo Turkish war and several
handtooks on strategy and the science OF
war. II was as chief Of the staff to Skobe-
lef that he learned the practical side OF
war. 4
Yet how unlike ia he to Skobe!efrl The
latter loved war for its own sake. and,
Ike the Japanese. greeted the stirring
trumpet signal TO charge "a the invitation
to feast-a man who. on his white horse
and with the breast of his white uniform
glittering with brilliants and decorations,
loved to gallop to the front with sublime
contempt for the showers Of bullets falling
all around him. Gen. Kuropatkin regards war
entirely from its serious side as an unavoid-
able evil an art that must be studied wit h in
dustry and thoroughness. leaving nothing
TO chance or to the enthusiasm of the mo-
ment. In point of popularity with the
army he even rivals his former chief: but
whereas Skobelef by his mere presence
possessed the power TO electrfy his men
and ktndle their enthusiasm, Kuropatkln
inspires In his troops a feeling Of unruffled
calmnees, confidence and security. They
look upon him as their father. and know
that he takes the same interest in every
man that marches in the ranks that he woulu
In his own son.
In 1875 Skobeleir, then stil! a young man.
conquered the Khanate Of Khokand, ex-
PEELED its last ruler, Khediar Khan; pacified
the country within a couple of months,
and converted it into Russian oblasf under
the name Of Fergana. But the Kara -Kirghiz
and kipchaks. who led nomad existence
in the mountainous regions that surrounded
the new province. We're not so easily SUBJ
dued. Some Of them offered opposition;
o'iiefs neu across lile mountains to IakuD
Beg Of Kashgar. from whom they had
friendly reception. At that tine Yakub
Beg who as an actual fact is one Of the most
notable Of modern conquerors, was at
the height OF his power, having risen from
the very lowest position man could oc-
cupy in his country-namely, that Of a
botchd or dancer" in a cafe In Tashkept--
to be ruler over the whole Of Central Asia,
The Russians were afraid that this man
might, like second Tsmerlane, prove
dangerous to their newly eonquered prov
inces, over the Mahommedan population OF
which his name OF Yakub Beg or Bedaulet
Uhe Blessed) exercised a magical attrac-
ton. The warlii;c attitude OF the Kara
kirghiz led the Russians 10 suspect that
fakub Beg was intriguing against them,
and they learned later on that he had pur-
chased in Constantinople a arge number
OF quick firing rifles. through the inter-
vention, says Kuropatkin in .Kashgaria,
'of England
With he object OF clearing UP all oues-
tions still undecided. as well as OF determin-
ing the boundaries between Fergana and
Iakub Beg's empire. but, above all, with
The object OF ascertaining the extent Of
his military power and taking stock of
The natural resources Of the country, Gen,
Kaufman, GoVerror-General OF (Russian)
Turkes,an, resolved in May, 1870, to de-
spatch an embassy TO Yakub Beg, and in