THE RUSSIAN ARMY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 183, 12 January 1915, Page 6

THE RUSSIAN ARMY.

THE RESERVES OF HEN. VEGETABLE-FED TROOPS. ! SMALL BUT WIRY. Much light is thrown upon the composition of the largest section of the allied armies by Mr. W\ Barnes Steveni, who lived for a long time in Russia, and knows the Russian Army very intimately .Ml'. Steveni lias written a book entitled "The Russian Army from Within," and while its matter ' will generally strengthen the faith of those informed persons who believe that the size and quality of this huge force makes its eventual triumph certain over the German Army as well as the Austrian, it will serve also to dispose of many illusions harbored by the less informed. Having an army so vast and so brave iir.d hardy with a. devout and prolific self-supporting and patriotic nation of 150.111111.000. and a war reserve of ClliJ.OOO.IHIO and practically unlimited resources to draw upon, it is inconceivable that Russia should be defeated in tinend. Time is on her side as oil ours: it is not on the side of Germans - and Austria.

Till; PEASANT AS 501.01F.15. In what does the Hussian Army consist? Here, put briefly, is Mr. Stcvcni's reply to that question:—"Russia hamore men at her disposal for militan service than any other nation in Europe or America. Each year about l..'!0U.();io men attain the age when they are liable for service. Of this number only -1 ">(i,i!,:il are taken, for the simple reason that ike State has no iced for anv : iciv.

Those who are chosen arc physically flubest; Russia cannot afford' to keep weaklings in her army in a country where the conditions of lile are so trying that onlv men with tlfe very strongest constitutions can withstand them. Owing to the enormous size of the Empire and the hundreds of races and trfbes inhabilinv it, the total armed strength of ifu--ia is still an unknown quantity. ;

"According to Russian statistics. which I see no reason to divrit. tin- total iui:bilised standing army villi l'f -i'.'l"\ numbers about six million trained men. or 2(1 per edit, of the adult ma!.- ovulation. Til addition to lliis there is tinOpoiehina, or militia, numbering over a million moil. Tin 1 'Opoiehina' consists of soldiers averaging between JO and "i 0 years „f ««,. who i:avo served tlicir t.-/ !t i in the line anil reserves. In spite of tlieir age, many are excellent soldiers, in some respects superior to tlie troops of the regular army. Wlieu ]!ussia was conipiercil and over-ran liv tlte Poles ;t was tin' Opoiehina of Xishni Novgorod, under tlie command of Prince Posharskv and the Imtclier Minin. who led tlie w.y to Moscow, drove tlie eneniv out of the Kremlin, and saved tlie land from the .domination sf a foreign voke. Durin" the invasion of Xapoleou in 1812 the Opoiehina, under the leadership of the •Ponioschike' (country gcntiv), also ivndereil signal service to their country.

OX Till-; FROXTIEI!. "After these forces come ahout lli.ooo gendarmes, the pick of the iirniv, anil about .ri,<)il<l frontier guards, always on ■a war footing This admirable bo'dv of men, wliich was organised under M. v> ltte. the famous Chancellor, probably already lias been in action, for its members would be the first to meet an invader crossing the borders. Besides patrolling the frontiers, thev are used to tiack and fight with smugglers who carry on a lively but dangerous Imsinefcj Oil both the Asiatic and European side. The frontier guards who are continually contending with smugglers and other desperate people are all picked men—firstclass horsemen, excellent shuts, endurimv and resourceful. "The frontier guards are little known outside Russia, but the Cossacks have gained for themselves a world-wide reputation for their horsemanship, daring, hardihood, ami contempt of death or danger Tn all, there arc about 850,000 Cossacks, drawn not only from the Don, Monetz, the Caucasus and the Urals, but also from the far-distant provinces of Siberia" i lie jx'iisant, uf cuurso is the backbone of the Russian arniv, as he i-. four-lifths id' the nation, and the nio„t fecund and virile, as v.vll ;.s (he kindlv. patient. am! ignorant human lsciiss 'in all Ki'.rnpe. FIVE-FEET HEROES.

ft is tlie peasant wiio adds three millions a year to the population of Russia. Little 'Russians, Tartars, Finns, Lithuanians. Tehoovash. Khirgisc, Esths, Poles, Circassions and .lews all help vo fill (he Russian arniv, but tlie peasant is the chief factor. To the imagination ef the ordinary Briton (lie Russian army is a host of giants. In fact, the average Kussian soldier is shorter than our own: sft tin probably is a generous allowance of height for the whole arniv; :>ft l>eim.r the infantry minimum and sft Sin that of the cavalry. The Russian Tonunv is thiekcr.built and heavier and slower tluni our own. however.

Curiously cnoiiffli, it is nlmost a vejfetanan army Tin- common soldier's food consists of cabbage, soup, porridge, potatoes. pens, beans, ry<- Im'cjh!, ni.'tcuii'iii. garlic, lard, and occasionally I'wli, 'and various dainties cooked in sunllower seed oil." That is when supplies are .1 \ailabie: often liis fare is less generous. and his pay is small ami not a'hvnvx received promptly. On this spare yc;.'oiable diet it has been proved (liat Wounded men recover far mure <|uickly thai) -oldiers IVd largely on meat. Atost or the Ru-sinn soldiers, like our own. are unmarried: and a further point of resemblance is their common desire lo ".jet at 'cm villi (he bayonet," and the fact that they do not know when they are ""I'olcnn. who was surprised J,- the toughness oi , thin, red line at YValeyM»f'l "• !!:•• Russians at Kv' f]|at ' l: "' "a!y to kill ihem. but knock them down!

! TXH'CLAi: orFK KRS. | Ilir oHicii's in tlir Russian :t:\> very like lliosr of Krone- in Ih.-ir' aiiilllilc towards t]ll'i]• men: "_.\ s a ri |],. fi v relations brhvecn oflitrrs ami tli.-ir onlmati's woiv paimia!: ana fliicT wlit'ii a.Mivssinir a < ill-- >"<» -imip brother. -fri.-n.!.' "little "" >" '-'him rails his el) jo - i.is'ii.Jhi" ••tliei-r iittli. fa 11;,,,' ■| )n , n „„. ■ Kiissku, „fli<vrs of a!! ra,;<:s ~r „ f ; ,r s!K-a>l,lo :iml 1,-ss i V .,.j ;i , ofW nations. I„ , , WV( . ,; !'" , M ' ,: '' -uliiicr a iioi'i- ,v usk l,im f<«- •- fa\<.r an a matter r l ' coin-,, _ ni, 50J(1i ,.,. s ]lave rv(] . n '. ■■ nain-s lor thfir favorite ofli--.*. wlio ,„ te,r.S; """■»•»' "■ A,,art frn„, | lis t |,„ I;i|ss|;n| Sn ,_ 'li.'i's .-In.-f jov is a <.iV !uv U<. imulo ( ,r ■' v.spa,,.,- an. machorka. a roars,■ !,l a ,k l!In? k ' Uf '" W "'»■ »"t----nm-,,1 wftf, ,:,v,m]isT,. 11,,s '"" I •' '''merlin* ami 1,, r w hj«.v a K„ i i r~)V ,n - ils "-W «« *