The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-12-01
"NICHEVO' IS Il SHOULD WORRY" YELL
OF RUSSIANS AS THEY RUSH INTO FIGHT

I sian from being a devil-may-care
creature. lie would willingly give
his life for the little white father
and pass away with the byword
as his last remark.
Bismarck as a young man was
in the Prussian diplomatic service.
His first post was at st. Peters
burg-now Petrograd. 1t was be-
fore the introduction of railways
into the land of the Muscovite,
and. as winter was on, Bismarck
had to travel by sleigh. He knew
no Russian. But whenever there
was an accident which delayed
| him he noticed the driver was
unmoved and philosophic and ac-
cepted the situation with niche
! vo."
When the sleigh was pitched
over a bank 1t was "Nichevo!"
| Wien the horses were landed 1t
was "Nichevo!" At last the re-
naming horse broke It's leg; star
walton and death were before
Bismark and tho driver. Tie
driver raised his shoulders and
said. "Nichevo!"
Bismark was impressed by
this word. He kept the shoe of
the dead horse, and later on, at
st. Petersburg, he had an iron
ring made, and on 1t was in
scIibed in Russian characters,
"Nichevo." He wore the ring
till his death, and he often adj
mitted 1t was solace to him. In
turbulent years, when the chan
cellor scarcely knew which way
to turn, he would glance at his
ring. repeat "Nichevo!"-what
did anything really matted?
! have mentioned the piano at
the front. 1t is true that many
of the officers have them. Per-
haps they may be termed the
latest instruments of civilized
warfare"
II is not unusual to see officers
playing for their men, who gath
err round and sing Russian battle
songs in their simple reckless
way, occasionally breaking up
the chorus by slipping piece OF
food, a pebble or even live frog
down the officers neck. This
prank, which would be followed
by severe punishment in the
United States or English regular
army, is taken good naturally by
the officer, demonstrating that
the word brother" with whica
he addresses. the privates has its
full meaning.
In the hospitals I have seen
wounded officers reading to hhe
wounded men, and have watched
| tile men interrupt him with little
jokes, none too delicate, of which
he is usually the target. The fact
that he can read and they cannot
is enough to make them obey his
orders instantly, even though he
does willingly take part in their
horse play.
But the system of keeping Rus
slan in ignorance is failing and
all because of the public press.
Much worn newspapers and other
DtltOuiSdlS ldtinb lHtO lilo ndhuD
of the peasants has brought up
a new "gramotni"-per-
sons who can read but cannot
write. Nearly all the non-com-
missioned officers in the Russian
army are "gramotni."
/ But the bulk of the Russians
remain laughably simple and
crodulous.
One Cossack came back to
camp proudly dragging dis
tressed and weary German cap
tain with him.
i've got him." he loudly an
nounced. 81 knew him by his
mustache."
Whereupon he drew from his
pocket a much soiled picture
postcard of the kaiser to prove his
prisoners identity.
At hospital | talked to Tka-
cheff, a Cossack, who accompan-
led Gen. Rennenkampf in tho
first Koenigsbefg advances Hts
head is shaved. He showed me