Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-11
AND HERE IT CONTINUES

Discipline was gradually rc.cstah
lished. II was not the old discipline.
Its basis was no longer dread OF
punishment Il was a discipline
founded on the high sense of respon-
sibiity that was soon instilled into
the gray mass OF soldiery. True, there
was no fighting between us and the
enemy. There were oven tho begin.
nings of the graternization plague that
later DESTROYED tho mighty Russian
army. But the soldiers responded TO
the appeals from tho provisional gov.
weeks OF the spring OF 1917. They
were ready to carry out unflinChinEly
any order from Petrograd.
Those were still the days of i'm.
mense possibilities. The mon wor-
SHIPPED the distant figures in the rear
who had brought them the boon of
liberty and equality. We knew almost
nothing of the various parties and
factions. Peace was the sole thought
of the men. They were told that peace
overthrowing the Kaiser. We, there.
fore, all expected the word for a gen.
eral advance. Had that word been
given at that time nothing in the
world could have withstood our pres
sure. Nothing. The revolution had
given birth TO elemental forces in our
hearts that defed and ever will defy
description.
Then there began a pilgrimage OF
speakers. There were delegates from
the army. there were members of the
Duma, there were emissaries of the
Petrograd Soviet. Almost every day
there was a meeting and almost every
other day there were elections. We
sent delegates to corps headquarters
and delegates TO army headquarters.
delegates TO a congress in Petrograd
and delegates TO consult with the gov
ernment. The speakers were almost
all eloquent. They painted beautiful
pictures of Russia's future. of uniVer.
sal brotherhood. of happiness and pros.
perity. The soldiers eyes would light
up with the glow of hope. More than
once even I was caught by those en-
ticing traps Of eloquenCe The rank
and file were carried away TO an en-
chanted land by the orators and re
warded them with tremendous ova'
tions.
There were speakers of different
kind, too. These solemnly appealed
for a realization of the immediate
duty which the revolution imposed
upon the shoulders of the army. Pa
triotism was their Keynote. They
called US to defend our country. to he
ready at any moment for an attack
TO drive the Germans out and win the
much-desired victory and peace. The
soldiers responded TO these calls &c
duty with equal enthusiasm. They
were ready. they would swear. Was
there any doubt that they were? No
The Russian soldier loved his mother
country before. He loved her a hun
dredfo now.
The first signs OF spring arrived
The rivers had broken, the ice field:
had thawed. 1t was muddy. but th'
earth was fragrant. The winds wer'
laden with intoxicating odors. The!
were carrying across the vast field!
and valleys of mother-Russia tiding
4 of a new era. There was spring in ou
souls. It seemed that our longsuffer
ing people and country were bein;
born for a new life, and one wanted
to live. live, live.
But there a few hundred feet away
were the Germans. They were no
free. Their souls did not commun,
with God. Their hearts knew not tn
immense joy of this unusual spring
They were still slaves and they woul,
not let us alone in our freedom. The,
stretched themselves over the fai
lands of our country and would no
retire. They had 10 be removed be
fore we could embark upon a life @
peace. We were ready 10 remove then
We were awaiting the order TO lea
at their throats and show them wha
free Russia could do But why wa
the order postponed? Why wait? VIII
not strike while the iron was hot?
Yet the iron was allowed to coo
There was an ocean of talk In the rear
there was absolute inactivity at tn
front. And as hours grew into day
and days into weeks there sprang fort
out OF this inactivity the first sprout
OF determination.
Come over here for drink OF tea.
n voice from our trenches would az
dress itself across No Mans Land