The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-07
RUSSIAN PEOPLE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC Prohibition Cause of Much
 Loss of Revenue MEN RUSH TO ENLIST Father Hears of Sons Death in Battle. Men Praise Their Officers
 and Swear Not to Aban-
 don Guns
MEN RUSH TO ENLIST

Petrograd. October s.-(Special.) )-Rus- .sians are like a people awakened from Il long coma The enthusiasm is almost un- believable. Every man, woman and child thinks Russia is about to take her place at the head of the nations of the world The faith in the future of the country is in itself a good guarantee for realization of the peoples hopes.
 Russian national aspirations are espe- cially aroused by the prohibition order. No vodka, heavy wines or beers are ob- tainable This is great sacrifice on the part of the government, but its loss of revenue from the monopoly will undoubt- edly be made up in other directions. Rus sians I talk with say the productivity of the nation will now be trebled. I am not sure it is too much to hope The curse of alcohol has been dreadful.
 Russians are also greatly eated over the treaty agreement of the three leading allies to stand or fall together.
 The rush to enlist continues. Russia g millions have not been overestimated. An old soldier one of Emperor Nicholas I iron men" has tramped 100 miles to Kostroma to offer his services at the front as volunteer
 This veteran is 103 years of age hale and hearty, wearing proudly a row of medals gained in the Crimean campaign, the Turkish war and other conflicts.
 The papers publish the following letter from an officer to his father:
 When the fight was ended our colonel received a report that so many men had been killed and wounded. How many privates?' I asked. He was told. How mary officers? One cornet.' was the answer It was his only son.
 T glanced at the colonel, and saw that the muscles of his face did not quiver. He sat on his horse like statue. After brief pause, Where is the dead cornet? The spot was indicated. He rode up to his dead son, bent down over the body. raised the head aN gazed long into his sons face. Then holxissed his lips and brow. made a sign of the cross, remount- ed, and rode off to attend to his duties The privates speak in glowing terms of the courage and fine example of their officers, who are always to be found in the most dangerous spots.
 The wounded gunner sent to the hos pital at Vladimir volynsk describes an
 
 enemy which resulted in the virtual ex- termination of those serving a battery. they had sworn never to abandon their guns and they kept their oath.
 The extent of the losses suffered placed all previous casualties far in the back : ground Not less than 1o.00O dead Ger mans were counted in the trenches after { one engagement in Eastern Prussia. On the fateful day, September !, when two Russian corps came to death grips with four German corps north of Soldau the losses on both sides totaled between 60- GOO or 10000, the majority of which were Germans.
 The results of the Mini Novgorod fair provide conclusive evidence of the com paratively small effect of the war upon international trade. Business was sus- pended for only two three days at the beginning of mobilization; afterwards it was normal. There is brisk demand for goods from Central Asia, Persia the Caucasus and Volga regions, and Kama The majority of firms are ready to ex tend credit to regular customers. The State bank, too. by active discounting, supports the fair. Furs alone suffered because of the interruption of foreign trade.