The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02

What spirit animates the Serviau
army can be seen from dispatches
which only yesterday brought the news
that women of Scrvia and OF Nitro
negro are taking up the rifle for the
defence of their country. as they have
often done in days gone by in the wars
against the Turks.
The Austrian army consists of six
teen army corps of three divisions
each. Of this army, for reason of
the interior political conditions. Aus.
tria will only he able to count upon
about nine army corps. or about too
600 combatants. Tho rc1iainng seven
army corps. or about $50 900 combat
ants. are recruited in parts of Austria
more or less disaffected, or at least
rcsticsS--that il from the ServIan.
Croatian, Tchecl, Russian. Rumanian
and perhaps Polish populations. These
causes have already in ordinary peace
time made it not advisable for the Aus
TRAN authorities TO garrison those
regiments in the districts OF crown
lands where their recruiting diStric.
lies. Further it was deemed advisable
To have these regiments commanded bv
officers of Il differing nationality. so a
'Ni'b'Ht A'Ai uAAtu III "A StfNlhn us
trict Will have officers of German or
Magyar extraction; a regiment re-
cruited in German districts will have
officers OF Tcheck or Scrvian or Ru-
manlan extraction. This REQUIRES the
Austrian officer generally to be "A poly.
got because of which there exists lit
tie mutual sympathy between officer
ana man. II often happens that in a
regiment there is only one officer VINO
can speak the language of the private
soldiers, and the officers have To de
pend for all intercourse with their men
on the good offices of a commits
stoned "iiic'r as an Interpreter.
y good story is told az some ma
n~uvres which had taken place in
Hungary some time ago The German
commander of a Epmau'an recruited
battery saw coming 10 him TCheck
Dragon with an order. The dragon
tries to make the order as clear as Dos
sihle in language more Tchcck than
German. Finally 10 the question of The
officer he answers in Tchcck, NE resu-
MIN don't understand" After "A
while 10 the battery commander no,
understanding the order and not know
ing what To do. but thinking of some
means To fathom where thdt order cam
from, there comes Hungarian hussar.
Same thing ending with Il don't I'M
derstand'-in Hungarian "Nem tudom."
Finally after some further experiences
OF the same kind an officer arrives who
transmits the order, which ought TO
have been executed an hour earlier In
Prague during the street r.ctlnE a
T'hcCk regiment Of dragons is ordered
10 charge The mob. but the men let
Themselves he quietly disarmed by the
mob itself II has happened that reri-
m"nts OF composite nationality began
ia fght among Themselves with rifle
and haSonct in their barracks and ar.
tlilery had to be summoned to qucll the
mob spirit IN the army.
The military history Of the Austrian
army shows many cases whore troops
forgot their military oath before the
enemy. In lSis whole regiments Of all
arms went over TO the Hungarians. In
1888. at the battles of Magenta and Sol
forlno, several bittalions at the most
critical moment.'Suddcnly grew restlNo
ara were made prisoners of war almost
without resistance, In 1865. during the
last great war fought 10y Austria, AZ
\3haitcnhurg, regiments recruited In
Italy ~ the beginning Of the battle
went over to the i'russian Lines ANA
surrendered wiihNut having frad
shot.