The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 176, Ed. 1 Saturday, September 29, 1917 Page: 3 of 4
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THE LAMPASAS DAILY LEADER
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PULTOWA
The Struggle tor n City Which Ended the Great Swedish Power and
Deelded There Should Be a Russian Nation—
~ t of
The Comment
Napoleon.
By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS
(Copyright, 1917, by McClure Newspaper Syndicate)
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The battle of Pultowa (or Pultava),
fought In 1709, wins place as one of
t he struggles which have fashioned the
world into what it is today, because
It broke the power of the Swedes, then
the dominant nation of northern Eu-
rope, and really brought into being
the vast Russian structure of the pres-
ent time. Byron sings of it as:
Dread Pul town’s day
When fortune left the royal Swede
And Napoleon found in it the basis
for his prophecy at St. Helena that
Europe would become either all re-
publican or all Cossack.
it has to be remembered that two
hundred years ago Russia was but a
paltry, feeble world figure, just emerg-
ing from semi-barbarism under Peter
the Great. Chancellories then reckoned
Russia little more than they now reck-
on Timbuctoo. On the other hand,
Sweden was a really great and power-
ful nation, with extensive holdings
now mostly in Russian possession.
Her people were Germanic, as the
Russians are Slavonic. Had Sweden
won at Pultowa and continued her
course of good fortune in the world,
the central European empires in the
war now raging would possess an ally,
the resources and stamina of which
might well be held to insure them vic-
tory.
Russia in 1709 possessed a popula-
tion of less than 17,000,000, but the
genius of Peter was building it into
an empire. Charles XII of Sweden
viewed the rise with concern. It was
his avowed purpose to smash the
growing state and reduce it to a con-
dition of subjugation such as it had
known under the Tartars and the
Poles. There would be no more Rus-
sia. No such commanding military
genius as Gustavus Adolphus, Charles
was nevertheless a brave and resolute
general, holding at his command a
—great army composed of soldiers as
tine as any known to Europe. He
would, he declared, take Moscow, and
dictate terms of peace to Peter in the
Kremlin.
Charles set out from Alstadt, not
far from Leipstc, In September, 1707,
at the head of 45,000 men. He marched
through Poland. Count Lewenliaupt
with 20,000 more debarked at Riga.
A third army 15,000 had station in
Finland. Charles was therefore in po-
sition to bring against the czar 80,000
of the most formidable troops known
to civilization. Napoleon, in his St.
Helena memoirs, bitterly condemns
Charles for his failure to keep his
forces consolidated, a failure which
indeed seems to have been a grave
tactical error and for which Charles
paid a bitter price.
He left 10,000 men at Warsaw, win-
tered at Grodno and in the following
June crossed the Minsk, fought and
defeated a force of 20,000 Russians on
the left bank of the Beresina, beat
16,000 more near Smolensko and was
within ten days’ march of the capital
where the czar was already formu-
lating proposals of peace, when he
quitted the high road to march toward
the Ukraine that he might form a
junction with Mazeppa, who had with
him 6,000 men. Thus his line of com-
munication was left exposed for 400
leagues, protected only by Lewen-
haupt, who with a large force and
an invaluable convoy of supplies
inarched a full twelve days’ march
behind liis lord. Napoleon condemns
this disposition as Inexcusable blun-
dering.
The czar meanwhile had collected
a force of 100,000. In personnel It was
much Inferior to the conquering
Swedes, but it seemed to learn stead-
iness and generalship from its defeats.
In September Peter with an over-
whelming force of 50,000 fell upon the
floundering Lewenhaupt, who was
striving to join Charles in the Ukraine.
For three days Lewenhaupt struggled
against the impossible odds, finally
cutting himself loose, hut abandoning
ii'S cannon and ammunition, together
with his convoy of. provisions, and
reaching Charles with only 4,000 of his
original 16,000. On very short ra-
tions the stout-hearted Swedes pulled
through the winter in the Ukraine, ad-
vancing In the spring until they
brought up against the town of Pul-
towa, which commanded the passes
to Moscow and which had been made
by the .Russians a great depot of sup-
pilgs. If was heavily fortified, its gar-
rison resisted sturdily and Peter, keen-
ly alive to the Importance of the post,
advanced to its relief in June with
ur, array of 60,000 men.
Possession of Pultowa would give
Charles the supplies he needed so
sorely, as well as a secure base for
his operations against Moscow. He
pressed the siege hotly, his cannon
thundering - night and day, but the
czar, maneuvering with no mean skill,
crossed the Vorskla and posted his
army on the same side of the river
with the besiegers but a little higher
up. The Vorskla falls into the
Borysthenes fifteen leagues below
Pultowa. The Russian line stretched
from river to river. It was Peter’s
design to drive the Swedes back into
the acute angle formed by the two
rivers and there overwhelm them.
Against the Muscovites Charles op-
posed 24,000 men, his force having
been greatly reduced by battle, sick-
ness and famine. He himself bad
been severely wounded in the foot dur-
ing a recent skirmish, but maintaining
that his dignity required he should be
the assailant and that he should lead
the attack in person he had himself
carried to the front in a litter and wav-
ing on command and encouragement
from this couch he headed his army
out of the trenches.
So furious was the Swedish on-
slaught that two of the Russian re-
doubts were actually carried and the
Swedish infantry raised the cry of
victory, yet the Russian artillerymen
stood steadily by their guns while
fresh masses of troops were poured
into their support. Never was the an-
cient Swedish 'valor more' gloriously
exemplified than upon that dreadful
(lay, yet the Swedish line finally broke
before the Russian -works, whereupon
thi* czar himself led the infantry and
cavalry outside the fortifications,
formed them steadily under fire and
advanced over the open ground. Both
sovereigns were in the thick of the
fray. They battled as medieval
knights, wielding sword alongside the
cavalrymen of their bodyguards and
striving desperately to turn the day
which for more than two hours hung
in the balance.
But heavily outnumbered the
Swedes finally fell Into disorder. In-
stantly the Russians launched a ter-
rific charge. The Swedes were com-
pletely routed, rushing down to the
junction of the rivers, where they per-
ished in the waters or surrendered to
their enemies. Only a few hundred
escaped by swimming the river, among
them Charles and Mazeppa, who made
their way Into Turkish territory. Near-
ly 10,000 lay dead or wounded on the
bloody field.
. The peace of Nystadt transferred
the fairest possessions of Sweden to
Russia. Russian attacks on Turkey
and Persia began almost at once. The
tremendous Russian fabric of the pres
ent was then and there put under way.
The vast power of Sweden, which had
kept the north world under her sway,
was gone.
WAR PROFITS OF SPANIARDS
Wine Sent to Soldiers In Philippines
Didn't Need Any Water by Time
It Reached the Privates.
A good story of the war in the Phil-
ippine Islands occurs In Major General
Younghusband’s recently published
book,. “A Soldier’s Memories.”
Two Englishmen strolling round the
Spanish outpost line near Manila
chanced across a small picket, consist-
ing of three men In charge of a ser-
geant.
The latter hospitably offered the^
Englishmen a share of their ration of
red wine, which they gladly accepted,
though, as It was a very hot day, they
asked that a little water might be
added.
This, writes General Younghusband,
was evidently considered --a capital
joke, for all four burst Into roars of
laughter.
“Wherefore this merriment?” asked
the Englishmen in some bewilderment.
“Pardon us, sir,” said the sergeant,
“but I will explain. That wine is a
very good wine, and comes from Bar-
celona. It starts off in large casks ad-
dressed to the adjutant general. Out
of each cask the adjutant general
makes two, and hands It on to our
colonel. Our colonel out of these two
diluted casks makes three. Next the
company commander has It to make
his profit, and I also have to make
mine. So you see, sir, there Is not
much need to add any more water.’'
Test of Spruce Gum.
The test of a good chew of spruce
gum is first in the taste, then in the
color. If there Is no trace of turpen-
tine in the taste—not more than an
agreeable bitterness as the lump is
first crushed In the mouth, then It is
I good gum. If, after a few minutes'
j chewing, the cud shows a pinkish lav*
! ender shade, then it Is perfect gum.
Faith by
Hearing
By REV. W. W. KETCHUM
Director of Practical Work Course,
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago
There Is a time, we know not when;
A place, we know not where,;
That seals the destiny of man,
For glory or despair.
If you desire to believe in Christ,
remember that faith cometh by hear*
lag, and hearing' by the Word of God,
A Beautiful Garden Entrance.
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TEXT—So then faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God.—Ro-
mans 10:7.
Faith Is often spoken of- as If It
were the acceptance as true of some-
Continue With the Old Favorites, the Peonies.
THE PEONY AND ITS CULTURE.
By E. VAN BENTHUYSEN.
Among all our herbaceous plants,
there is probably not one that stands
higher in popular favor than the
peony. And It richly deserves its pop-
ularity, because of its great hardiness,
Its ease of culture, its magnificent
range of rich and delicate colors, its
wonderful profusion of bloom and its
tenacity of life.
The writer knows" many specimens
of the old variety, cultivated by our
grandmothers, extensively, that have
been growing in the same place in the
old gardens for more than a century,
and, without exception, those that
received good care are as vigorous and
healthy today as any young plants,
and year after year they give "a glo-
rious crop of fine flowers.
Many of these old plants have grown
to be clumps five and six feet across,
and one can often count hundreds of
blossoms and buds in various stages of
development on each plant.
Such plants as these are what is
needed to. make the attractions of a
garden permanent. There is no other
hardy herbaceous plant that can be
used with such fine effect in the
border.
Scattered here and there among the
shrubbery, it produces a most satisfac-
tory show of color at a time when
most shrubs are not in bloom.
Probably, however, it is most strik-
ingly effective when planted in large
beds. If it can be given a background
of evergreens its rich colors show up
to great advantage. Shrubbery of any
kind as a background, brings Its
coloi*s into strong relief, and one
should always plant, if possible, with
that aim In view.
If partially shaded, all the better.
The culture of the peony Is simple
in the extreme. It does best In a
rather stiff loam, or almost any soil,
preferring it to a lighter soil, because
It likes to feel the earth firm about
Its roots.
While it prefers such a soil, it will
do very well indeed in sandy loam, or
almost any soil, provided it Is rich
in the elements of plant development.
To grow good peonies, one must make
liberal use of fertilizers, preferably
old, well-rotted manure. Unless this
is done you cannot expect a vigorous
growth of stalks and foliage, or gen-
erous crops of lurge, richly colored
flowers.
It Is hardly possible to use too much
manure about It, if It Is old enough to
be black and crumbles easily under
the application of the hoe. It should
be dug Into the soil about the roots
of the plants, taking care, however,
not to dig too close or deep enough
to disturb them.
There Is no plant that resents a
disturbance of its roots more. Dig In-
to a clump to secure a “toe” for a
neighbor, and very often the parent
plant will refuse to bloom the second
season.
So hardy is the peony that it is
not necessary to give it winter pro-
tection at the extreme north, if its
roots are put deep into the ground.
If given shallow planting, the frost
will often heave them badly unless
covered with coarse manure or mulch
of some kind.
The roots should be at least six
Inches below the surface. While win-
ter protection is not necessary, it is
advisable, because It prevents taxing
the vitality of the plant excessively,
in its efforts to withstand a severe
winter.
GARDEN WORKING NOTES
By E. VAN BENTHUYSEN.
Propagate rubber plants this month.
Pack a handful or two of moss around
the stem and keep it well soaked. In
a short time roots will appear. Saw
a flower pot in half and bind the
plants or rooting portion of the stem.
Fill with a very light soil with plenty
of sand and keep thoroughly watered.
During the winter the roots will take
good hold and in the spring the stem
may be cut off l'evel with the bottom
of the pot.
. The outdoor carnations may be
potted up this month.
Cuttings from geraniums may be
made early in September in most cli-
mates.
, Watch the tender greenhouse plants
that are in the open and take them up
before the last days of summer are
passed.
Liquid manure should be applied on-
ly when the ground Is moist enough
to absorb it.
Sow mignonettes , seeds in pots or
boxes for the window garden. Water
frequently but not too much.
The dahlias, gladioli and other rank-
growing plants are apt to be blown
down by Ihe strong winds of fall.
Stake them up.
thing which we
have no means of
knowing whether
it be true or not.
Such, however, la
not the faith the
Bible demands of
us. It does not
ask us to assent
to any proposi-
tion as true with*
out giving us
evidence to sup*
port it. Take, for
instance, any fun-
damental fact of
the "Gospel and
you will see that
this is the case,
Paul, in the fifteenth of First Corinthi-
ans, in speaking of the resurrection of
Christ, at once adduces evidence te
support the fact of his resurrection.
It is a popular notion that faith lit
a leap in the dark, but real faith til
the Lord Jesus Christ is based upon
good, substantial evidence. In fact, In
order for one to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, there must be something
to believe concerning him; otherwise
it would not be possible to believe in
him. -';,t
Falth Based on Evidence.
Now Paul knew that real faith is
based upon evidence, and that it is
not simply by urging people to believe
in Christ that faith Is begotten, so we
read of his persuading the folks who
came to him concerning Jesus Christ
(Acts 28:23). This should be a les-
son to us who, perhaps more frequent-
ly than we ought, depend upon exhor-
tation to lead people to faith in Christ
rather than upon evidence which calls
forth faith. People should be exhort-
ed, but they should also be persuaded,
When it speaks of Paul persuading
them concerning Jesus, it does not
mean that he pitted his intellect and
will against theirs, and by sheer force
tried to make them believe in Jesus.
What he did, as we know, was to pre-
sent evidence for their faith to rest
upon. He did this by expounding to
them “out of the law of Moses and
out of the prophets.” That is, he went
to the Old Testament Scriptures and
therefrom produced evidence concern-
ing Christ’s person and work. As a
result we read, “some believed the
things which were spoken and some
believed not” (Acts 28:24). Thus it
always is when the evidence concern-
ing Christ is presented, for though the
evidence be sufficient, some will not
have Christ to reign over them.
A Case In Point.
Quite recently, I dealt with one wrho
professes to be an infidel, and whether
or not he really Is one, he was most
blatant and blasphemous in his talk.
When I pressed him that honesty de-
manded that he fairly weigh the evi-
dence and put Christ to the test, ho
was unwilling to do so and tried to
laugh the matter, as it were, out of
court. He called “the whole business,”
as he said, “a myth,” and yet I venture
to say that he never with' a real desiro
to know the truth had put himself la
the way of evidence by which renll
faith comes. I do not mean that ho
had not read the Bible. I suppose he
had, but I presume he read it under
the blighting criticism of a Thomas
Paine or a Robert Ingersoll. Who
would believe even his own good andt
true mother if he always looked at her
through eyes of such bitter enemies as
they and their ilk are of the Scrip-
tures? Or, who would ever trust him-
self to his mother, If he always caraa1
to her in the spirit of criticism to find
her faults and never to discover her
virtues? If a man desires faith, there-
Is a way to gek it. It is a divine way
that never fails the one who honestly
thereby seeks the Lord. It is to put*
oneself In the way of faith, and just as
surely as one does, providing he is
willing and ready to believe, faith will
come to him as the gift of God.
My infidel friend whom I tried to
get honestly to put himself in the way
of faith would not do it, simply be-
cause he did not want to believe'.
When T pressed him further, I found
he had settled the matter in early
youth. He had turned Christ down in
a revival meeting, which he attended
as a boy. and now In maturer years he
is trying to comfort himself with the
_ l _ 1___ ~ A.! . .. A. /JK fit- In
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The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 176, Ed. 1 Saturday, September 29, 1917, newspaper, September 29, 1917; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth905541/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lampasas Public Library.