Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-29
Slays and T@Wt@ms at =:
Grips for Many Centuries

as the triple entente. An English states
man has written of Russia that she was
AN ally against the French il Napoleonic
times, so Is she now an ally of France ::
land whereas, since 1854, the period of
the Crimean war, she has been at best
in state of yelled hostility to us. and
at times openly at war with us, because
Of our championship of Turkey, she is
now our ally in the tremendous war at
present in progress. Her peoples hatred
of Germany has overcome all other po-
litical emotions and made her army corps
as much a part of British and French
armies if they were actually serving
on the Aisne and on the line Ostend to
Calais
If Russia had not defeated Austria
hungarian armies with marvellous
speed iii month after the mobiliZa-
ton and entertainment of her corps from
Siberia. as well AS from her own vast
European territory, the Germans would
have assailed Paris, perhaps, on the
time set in the German schedule. A
distinguished neutral military observer
said at the close of the first six months
of the war:
There can be no question that from
every point of view the Russian mill
tary resources are now being very
well managed. and that. as was the
case against Frederick the Great in
1860 and against Napoleon a century
ago, its legions are playing part pre-
dominantly influential in this war. BY
delivering heavy blows against the
Austrian army SO rapidly ii was able
to maneuver its forces, whether retir
ing or advancing. with strategic ability
of the first order. worthy Of the genius
of Napoleon in the same thester of op-
erationS in 1907. Germany will be re-
duced to despair by Russia, and not by
France. by Britain and by Belgium all
put together, fleets included"
The German staff have considered the
Russians
their country than all the other powers
OF Europe put together, and have
strained many points to prevent its
armies combining with the French. In
the military history of the future the
valleys of the Niemen. Vistula, Pilica
Galfcia, Lemberg and PrZemysl may,
relatively speaking. obscure the glory
of the valleys of the Lys. Marine, Meuse
Liege and Antwerp. which the grand
tactics and individual heroism have
left SO Industrious.
The late reverse, or perhaps II might
be written the late retrograde move
ment of the Russian army on the east
ern frontier of Germany and Austria
and the western frontiers of Russia
may be viewed with too much enthusi-
asm by the Germans and pro-Germans.
and too much Dessimism by others.
Russia promises to come back"
1t has been pointed out as curious
and a most nomentous TACT of histo DRY
that III" Russian soldier never gets
really dsmoralized. Napoleon used to
say that YOU were never sure when n
Russian soldier was dead: and one of
the generals of this war who was
also in Manchuria, declared empha:i-
cally that the morale of the Russian
army. even in Manchuria. had never
been lost. Many persons think of Rus
STA in her war with Japan. but it Is
noteworthy that even in that war Rus
STA suffered no debacle, no Sedan, no
Metz, and their army corps could re-
tire safely enough to the Amur, even
il beaten at the greatest of the eastern
battles-the battle of Mukden. And by
1910 the Russian army had been re-
organized
With the arms and ammunition prob
lem solved, military experts. or at least
some of them, say that Russia's army
Will be far stronger and more efficient
than it has ever been in the history OF
the empire. If necessary. it. can put
100000 men in the field. including
what is known as the Opolchenie tter-
ritorials), in which all men serve until
the completion of their forty-third year
This vast army of men is drawn from
millions of square miles of territory
and both in regard to training and
physique they compare very favora bl y
with the best troops in the world.