Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-29

unless a radical change is made in the
policy of the government toward the peas
the rank and file are drawn. And when
falls the Coliseum. then falls Rome.
On the door of the Taurida Palace. In
which the duma met was posted a printed
copy of the proclamation dissoiving that
body. 1t was signed Nicholas H." Some
revolutionary prophet and wit erased the
IT'S" and wrote Nicholas the Last
Mr.. Stolypin, the new prime minister. ap-
pears to have faith in the army, notwith-
standing the energetic propaganda which
the radical political parties are carrying on
among asae the soldiers, and the manifestations
any one that the only prop to the throne
is the military system. but expresses the
utmost confidence in its stability.
Compulsory Service.
According to the present military sys-
tenn every Russian subject between twenty
one and forty-three- years Of age is liable to
military service. four yeats in active garri-
son duty and the remainder In the reserve.
The enormous population and its rapid
growth, however, furnish more conscripts
than are actually needed, and the term of
service has recently been cut down to three
years. There Is growing disposition to
reduce 1t to two years. now that the war
ply of conscripts is SO much greater than
the demand has also made the officers
quite lenient, particularly in the cities and
factory towns, so that the greater portion
OF the rank and file. which now. on a peace
footing. numbers 100000 men, is drawn
from the peasant class. who are not ia
miliar with the many ways Of escaping
CONSUMPTION.
Thus: the army is composed almost ex-
clusfveiy of peasants, and the personnel
changes every three years; that is, one
third of the membership of every regiment
equal number of the new men come into the
garrisons fresh from the farms and villages
of the interior. Of course the new men
bring with them the sentiments and preiu-
dices of their families and neighbors and
the revolutionary spirit has spread so rap
idly among the peasants within the last
year or two that the army must be equally
infected. The young men of the village are
always the first to catch the epidemic and
are always the easiest victims of the So
cialist missionaries This propaganda has
been going on without interference for
nearly two years and has reached every
part OF the empire.
One for All; All for One.
Thus. in two years more, the army will
represent new Russia" and cannot be de-
pended upon to support the autocracy. A
certain portion of the soldiers will always
be subject to the conservative influence of
their officers and the discipline of the bar
racks. which is very severe A revolution
list is treated like traitor, and when he is
detected he Is usually shot. This summary
ticdtHcHl VI SOCldiiSClC> tendencies mas had
its effect in preventing demonstrations, but
l am told that In almost every case where
soldiers have been punished for expressing
liberal opinions the socialistic spirit and
all the more rapidly. perhaps on the theory
that the blood of the martyrs is the seed Of
the church.
The punishment of the LIST Battalion of
the Preobrajensky Guards, of which the
car Is the colonel instead of SURPRISING
revolutionary sentiments elsewhere, was
followed by similar demonstrations in nine
OF the most famous~regiments in the serv-
Ice. 1t was an unheard-of act for the SOL
diers Of regiment to Jointly express in
writing their political sentiments until this
incident occurred. The Russian soldiers
should have no sentiments: they are not
allowed such luxuries; they are not sup
posed to know anything about politics. but
in this case the round robin presented by
the LIST Battalion to its cofhmander closed
with the motto of the revolutionary party,
a paraphrase of the inscription on the coat
of-arms of the Swiss republic and of our
own national motto:
Zone for all and all for one"
The revolutionary movement In the army,
by which the Preobrajensky regiment was
infected. has been going on for several
years. Prof Mlukoff. in his book on RUS
STA and It's Crisis" gives review of the
work and quotes a secret circular adj
dressed by Gen. Kuropatkin. then minister
of war. in August. 1902. to the commanders
of the military districts of the empire.
| STATING That Lie dtlcuLplS VI pOuIlCdl dRl-
tators to spread propaganda in the army,
formerly comparatively rare have in recent
times been more prevalent, and are carried
on so boldly that it is necessary to give Sc
rious attention to them"
The general gives list Of the discoveries
that have been made OF revolutionary lit
erature in the different garrisons.
Forbidden to Read.
The political education of both branches
of the Russian military service has been
going on at very much swifter pace than
any one suspected. The result is seen in
the mutinies that are reported in the daily
papers, both in the army and the navy.
To protect the soldiers from contamination
and to neutralfZe the Efforts of the revolu-
tionists, the authorities have adopted very
stringent rules, and have introduced coun-
ter-revolutionary propaganda. No news
papers have been permitted In the barracks
and the soldiers are forbidden to read
them; the discussion of political questions
is prohibited in every barracks and gar
rison; the mail of enlisted men Is very
strangers are no longer allowed in quar-
tiers. Lectures on military and semi-po-
litical topics are delivered twice a week to
the enlisted men by competent teachers. in
order to keep them convinced of the sane
tity of the sovereign. the advantages and
justice of the autocracy and the obliga-
lions which his subjects owe to the car.
A large proportion of the Russian SOL
diers can neither read nor write when they
arrive at the barracks. The conscripts
are always very green, as well as Hitter
ate. but. during their three years Of serv-
ice which has been four years until now
the men are kept in school. where they
obtain the rudiments OF an education and
the dormant moralyaualities of the peasant
taught the divine right Of kings along
with their arithmetic and geography and
the advantages of an autocracy in connec-
ton with the catechism of the Greek
church. In addition to the study Of books
! they are taught the necessity for order
punctuality, exactftude Industry and loy-
> oil nd orlv hoI a.