The Geniune Jew

Organ for Yiddish Matters

DER WAHRE JUDE Organ für die Gesammtinteressen des Judenthums

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Lviv, March 4th 1904

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The Genuine Jew is published every Friday

Lemberg, den 4. März 1904.

We ask our subscribers who paid for the “Genuine Jew” when it was published only once a week, to please send money to add to their subscription according to the current price of the newspaper. For those who do not remargin, we will deduct the difference from their current subscription. This means those who subscribed for half a year will receive the paper for only four months. The same applies to yearly and quarterly subscribers.

- The editorial office.

Talmetoyre

The study of Torah is equivalent to all other commandments combined.

It is sad to recount, our hearts hurt and we want to cry when we look around all the corners of Jewish life in Galicia. We do not find one thing we are happy about. No matter where we look, there is neglect, dereliction, and chaos - it is shocking!

The “talmetoyre” belongs to this sad chapter of our life. Talme-Toyre is the greatest commandment for us Jews, “The study of Torah is equivalent to all other commandments combined.” our scholars, may their memory be a blessing Our talme-toyre are more than anything else, heavily neglected. The more important a commandment is, the bigger we neglect them. The bigger the benefit, the less it is badly administered.

We do not need to tell you how important the Talme-Toyre is, every Jew understands that on their own. We are not only referring to learning the Gemara and Pirush Hamishnayot - we are also referring to simply learning the (Hebrew) alphabet, to the reading of Hebrew, about the Torah, how to pray, to understand the meaning of all of that. All the things we cannot imagine a child not knowing about without being very sad, dark, and bitter. The number of children not knowing how to read and write, not knowing the alphabet, who do not know the prayers and lore in the Torah is increasing. The children of rich parents who can afford a tutor, do not suffer as badly, they are still learning something. However, the children of the lower class, the children of which our scholars, may their memory be a blessing, have said: “Beware of the poor, for from them Torah will come.” These children are neglected completely.

Those who visit school, do not know about the Torah at all. They are being taught religion at school, but do not ask how. However, those children who do not visit a school, do not have a great knowledge. Their parents cannot afford a tutor and without money, they cannot learn a lot.

We ask the subscribers of מחזיקי הדת and קול מחזיקי הדת to send every letter and money to this address:

OSIAS H. WILF, LEMBERG Sonnengasse 27.

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It has always been like that poor parents were not able to provide an education. That is why every community founded a talmetoyre where a teacher taught and poor children could learn for free. Nowadays there is a talmetoyre in every community - but in what condition? What do children learn there? What can they do when they finish it? These questions could anyone who has experienced these conditions themselves answer.

The sad part is that every community agrees on the commandment, a talmetoyre should exist. But they do not want to see the commandment carried out. After renting a school and hiring a teacher they do not bother furthermore. It is not checked if the teacher really learns with the children, if the children go there on a regular basis. If the head of the family sends his children to school, he checks from time to time, goes to school to see if the children go there regularly. But nobody cares for the talmetoyre children.

And it would be so easy to help. In every community with a talmetoyre a committee which should pledge to visit the talmetoyre every once in a while, control whether the teacher teaches as it should be, check if the children are learning something useful. With that the talmetoyre school would be put in order and the teacher would fulfill his duty better. The talmetoyre would become something turned into something needed: an institution constituting a fear of God in our children.

One of the Haredim

The Russo-Japanese war and the Russian Jews

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace!

The war between Japan and Russia has grabbed the attention of the whole world and is of huge interest for us as we have written in earlier editions. Russia is our biggest enemy and if calamity befalls it, it shall only give us pleasure. Furthermore it is believed that after the war, when Russia has been defeated, it will have to improve the country’s inner organisation. It will have to grant more liberty and stop oppressing the Jews. The small antisemitic countries like Romania or Morocco can not refer to Russia to excuse their antisemitism. Until now, the powers did not know about Romania because it has always pointed out that Jews are being treated badly in big Russia and maybe even worse. If big Russia is allowed to it, small Romania should also be allowed. After the defeat Russia will firstly stop playing a big part and secondly the Jews will be treated better.

All of this is only said about the foreign Jews. The foreign should want and should express their joy once Russia fails. The Austrian antisemites would gather in an assembly and pronounce publicly that those who are antisemitic should pray for Russia to win because Russia is the only antisemitic government in Europe. They send the Russian ambassador in Vienna a felicitation and ask him to inform the tsar that he still has friends in the world, the antisemites. Therefore, also the Jewish people should announce to the world that they pray to God, asking for Russia’s downfall. The tsar should know that Jews all over the world are not his friend and do not wish him kindness.

For the Jews living in Russia it is different. As it is, they are still subjects of the tsar and had to adhere to the laws, the tsar’s orders and his ministers. For them these times are difficult, they are indecisive and do now know what to do.

Russia’s people are agitated and concerned. The Polish, the Finnish, the Armenians, the socialists and all the friends of freedom who have suffered under the Russian burden and were not able to lift their heads, are beginning to move strongly. Until now, there has not been a revolution, it is still too early for this because Russia is still too strong and could squash every revolution. However, the preparations have already begun. All parties have released calls and proclamations which announce that the present situation is very important. Finally, scores can be settled and the tsar will be forced to provide the country with more freedom. However, the proclamations warn the people to not organise demonstrations or revolutions because this will not lead to victory. But those who are able to read between the lines understand that the opposite is meant. They are yelling: “No revolutions!” but they mean: “Prepare for the day the revolution will start. The Russian government is also deeply troubled. At the beginning of the war, the government organised patriotic demonstrations in every bigger city during which the imperial was celebrated and “Hurray” was being yelled. By now, the demonstrations have stopped. The government is afraid that between the patriotic demonstrations there will also be non-patriotic ones. Between those who yell: “Hurray” will be mingled with those who yell “Down with Russia!” Furthermore, every and any gathering and demonstrations are suppressed.

The Jewish people are confronted with the question: how should we behave in case a revolution breaks out? There are a lot of hot-headed Russian Jews who cannot wait to see Russia fall. It is very likely that they will participate in a revolutionary movement. Generally, Jews are provoked by the government. They will be forced to donate huge sums of money for the means of war. Several big Jewish communities had to donate thousands of rubles. Furthermore, the Jews have not forgotten the Kishinev trials which is taking place

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every day at the moment. As this leads to dereliction and them doing whatever they want, some Russian newspapers have the audacity to demand the Jews to forgive and forget everything and instead be Russian patriots who want to sacrifice themselves and their wealth for the fatherland. We found a letter in the Chișinău paper “Otkliki” in which a “Jew” feels free to write to Russian Jews: “Our brothers, the children of Israel! We are living in horrible times, sad hours - it is like Yom Kippur! We have to forget everything, we should only have one thing in mind: Russia is in danger! We need to prove ourselves as true children of our fatherland, as true followers of the morality of our holy Torah. A severe calamity has befallen our fatherland, a horrible war! Should we not march together with our Russian brothers? Should we not share all of the war’s consequences with our Russian brothers? Every one of us should donate to their possibilities for war purposes. Let us show them that we are worth being seen and treated as brothers of the big Russian people!”

Of course, effronteries like this irritates the Jewish people even more, especially when the government treats us so cruelly. Only in the last couple of days, Jews have been banished from Siberia, driven out of Moscow; several Jews have been arrested in Kyiv, Warsaw, and Łódź, some Jews have been hanged in the Warsaw citadel because they wanted to desert the military. Treating Jewish people as horrible and cruel and simultaneously demand patriotism and sacrifices - this already oversteps every possible mark for the calmest person to lose their temper.

But despite it all, the Russian Jews need to stay calm and not be tempted to revolt. Jewish people alone will not accomplish anything, because they are too weak and dispersed over various districts. They do not form one uniformly organised mass and can not win themselves alone. However, if they join other revolutionaries, they will throw the baby out with the bathwater. Whatever way the revolution will end, there will be no benefit for the Jewish people. History has taught us that everyone who utilises Jewish support and therefore comes to power and influence will sooner or later forget the Jews once they are not needed anymore. We already saw that in 1848 and on other occasions as well. The only right thing for Jewish people to do is to keep calm, to not be goaded or upset. They do not need to be patriotic because Russia does not deserve that, they do not need to overexert themselves and donate money if they are not being forced to do so. On the other hand, they also do not need to be revolutionaries. “What’s lost is lost!” Russia will fall into other hands, the war will end it, it will fall down and down until the lowest level. God will wage war for you and you should remain silent!

Ben Solomon.

Letter from Romania.

Apart from Russia, Romania is the only other country where Jews suffer from laws of exceptional character, which means they are not equal to any other citizen, but those laws have been issued especially for Jewish people who suffer greatly. In some cases the situation for Romanian Jews is worse than for Russian Jews. Russia is an illiberal ruled country, which oppresses its whole citizenship, Jew or not. The Polish, the Armenians, the Finish are being particularly persecuted. If Jewish people suffer more than everyone else, but if the government improves, the situation for Jews will as well.

However, Romania is a free country with a constitution; the level of freedom is great, as Romanians proclaim proudly; the French of the Balkan. They have a parliament, free press, freedom of thought and similar laws as in every European country. However, the 350,000 Jews living there are being oppressed and persecuted. Every citizen lives freely and unrestricted, only the Jewish people live in fear and fright. Their situation is bitter and the hatred towards them great.

Still, one should not assume that exceptional laws exist in the free country of Romania. No! That does not match with a civilised land. Furthermore, the Berlin congress in 1848 only allowed Romania to be an independent country if the Jewish people were given the same laws as all citizens of the country. The Romanian laws do not mention the word “Jew”. The smart Romanians speculated by putting in the word “foreign” instead of “Jew”. Every citizen in Romania abides by the same laws, except for “foreigners” - and “foreigners” translate to “Jews”. Although they are born in the country like their parents and grandparents, served in the military, bear the weight of the country as everyone else - but they are still “foreigners” - and “foreigners” do not have any rights in Romania. Foreigners are not allowed to live in villages, foreigners are not allowed to supply the government, foreigners are not allowed to be lawyers, pharmacists, or labourers because whoever owns a bigger factory has to employ primarily domestic workers and not “foreigners”. The Romanian Jews are “foreigners” in Romania, but they do not have another home as they are indeed Romanians. Nobody attends to them, nobody cares about them. The great powers who signed the Treaty of Berlin protested a few times against this poor treatment of Jews, but Romania ignored that and remained silent. The powers on their side do not bother intermingling with the country’s “inner” affairs because of the Jewish people - they are still only Jews after all.

The reason why Jewish people are being treated so poorly in Romania - a country being governed so freely and liberally - is the following: the Romanian people consist mostly of farmers and are not very intelligent. The ministers, the generals, the high officials and the deputies

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of parliament are mostly immigrated Greeks and Bulgarians who exploits the Romanian people and control it however they want because they are afraid that the Romanian people should not wake up and let themselves be exploited by other external forces as they want to keep Romania in darkness and fear as it always is with the Jews. The Jew is an exploiter, a fraud, he does not work and lives off the hard work of the Romanian people - that is what they yell regularly so the people do not notice they are being skinned by their own representatives. - The Romanian people are naturally indulgent and lived well alongside the Jews, only the foreign exploiters set the people against the Jewish people.

Moreover, there are two parties in Romania after all: liberal and conservative. Both fight each other and every now and then another party comes into power. Every party wants to show the people that they are better and as the country is poor and it is hardly possible to create something new, they all want to pass more laws against the Jewish people. With that it can show the nation: “Look! We protect you against the Jewish exploiters!” They talk the farmers into believing that if they take the piece of bread away from the Jew, the farmer will be better off.

The Romanian Jews are of course tired of suffering from all these persecutions, in the end they emigrate. Whenever times are bad in the country, hundreds of families emigrate at once. Everyone will remember the sad memories which were made three years ago as the Romanian emigrants walk hundreds of miles or they are put into separate wagons like criminals, as they roamed around in every bigger city and aroused pity on their whole world with their sad state. Back then the Romanian government was ashamed of their actions and started to deter the Jews from emigrating. They made it more difficult to obtain passports and to cross the border. They also promised to ease the exemption laws under which the Romanian Jews were living. - But as soon as emigration steadied, the persecution and oppression of Jews commenced to happen like before. Because of the laws of exemption under which the Jews are suffering from, the Jewry is suffering as well. As the Jewish people there are viewed as “foreigners” the government does not recognise their municipalities and communities. The rabbis have no say and no influence, schools have also been closed down on multiple occasions as “foreigners” are not allowed to operate schools… The government has promised several times to improve the situation and to introduce an organisation for the community - but as usual, it does not keep its word.

Solomo Fridman

The second Kishinev trials

The second trial regarding the cruel pogrom which happened last year started these days in Chișinău. Like last time, the process was a sheer comedy. Out of 59 defendants who have been accused of killing Jews, 56 have been acquitted and only three have been charged namely one of them to one year and two to four and a half years of penal servitude. In Russia, where the smallest crime is punished harshly, murdering a Jew gets punished by one year of detention…

The whole trial played out the way the St Petersburg government dictated the chief justice Davidov to do. The judge attempts to cover up the truth with great effort. Under no circumstances should be revealed who the instigator was. The government and officials suppress and persecute Jews severely to the degree of wanting to gloss over the whole affair and not wanting to be bothered by it anymore.

One of the exonerees, a certain Korkhov, has been accused by multiple witnesses who saw him alone murder the Jew Ulman and desecrate the body afterwards. He still got acquitted.

On February 25th, the trial against the brothers Petersko, who murdered two Jews and battered one to put him into hospital for three months on April 20th in the middle of the day in the Kiever Gasse, took place. Fifteen witnesses swore to have seen it all. Still, they were sentenced to only four years of penal servitude.

On February 26th, the third trial started, dealing with 50 accused. The trial will certainly end like the trials so far.

Telegrams.

The war.

Between Japan and Russia.

London. News from Korea reports that the Japanese managed to position the military close to the Taedong River. The Japanese have already stationed a large number of infantry there which is exemplarily organised and armed.

London. While Russia claims that Korea sticks with Japan and that the Korean citizens support Japan at every turn, Japan claims the opposite, that the people stick with Russia and support the Russians.

Berlin. The Japanese government bought three new battleships from the government of Chile (America) which have already been shipped to Japan.

St Petersburg. People are being reminded that the well-known counsellor , who wrote a book about the upcoming war, calculated that if the war between Russia and Japan lasts one year it would cost Russia 11,756,000,000 roubles. However, if the war lasts two years, it will drain the monetary resources enough to ruin Russia completely.

Tokyo. The Japanese stormed the stronghold of Port Arthur again in the past few days and caused severe damage. Some Russian ships left the harbour to

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bombard the Japanese fleet, but they needed to retreat right away. Two ships sank.

Port Arthur. The Russians reckon already that the Japanese will soon surround Port Arthur. The Japanese try with all their might to obtain the fortress as it is very important. However, the Russians claim that the fortress can sustain over a year.

Vladivostok. Japanese battleships are blocking the harbour and will soon occupy the city on land as well. The city will have to be subordinate.

St Petersburg. After the accident that happened on the Lake Baikal where railroads were built on the ice, but it broke and a lot of soldiers drowned, the minister of railroads wants to give it another try. The train passed over the ice, but over 1,000 soldiers froze to death - that is how cold it is there. A whole train with clothes and food broke through the ice and disappeared in the water.

London. According to Japanese and Russian calculations, Japan has more military stationed in the battle zone. Only at the end of April Russia will have the same amount of military as Japan if it can send nine trains with soldiers daily. As this is not easy to do it will take even longer until Russia is as strong as Japan. Japan will use the time to strengthen its position. Maybe it will also be able to destroy the Russian military a bit.

St Petersburg. Russia has always built the widest train tracks in the world. So in case of war, the enemy should not be able to transport its military on Russian tracks when invading Russia. Turns out, Russia only hurt itself the most because it is missing waggons for military transport, but cannot get them anywhere because they are all too slender. It will be a while until new ones are constructed.

Peking. China is starting to bustle and has brought a lot of military to their borders preparing for war. Although the Chinese want to aid Japan, Japan would not be satisfied and waive their help. In that case, France would have to come to Russia’s help as they have a treaty that one has to help the other if it is being attacked by two forces. Japan would rather wage war alone and pass on any foreign help. (Lovely war preparations!)

St Petersburg. The minister of war Kuropatkin drags out leaving for the war zone daily. He claims that there is still little military and there is nothing to do there.

St Petersburg. The tsar is quite infuriated by the minister of foreign affairs Lamsdorf on how he let the war happen, but soon, Russia will be prepared enough. He will be discharged and replaced by the Roman ambassador Izvolsky. - The minister of finances will also receive his resignation and the previous minister of war was asked to assume the position. But he does not want to.

London. News from Japan report that Japanese spies managed to destroy the Siberian railway in multiple places and disrupt the telegraph lines.

St Petersburg. There have been small engagements between Russian and Japanese outposts in Korea, during which they have fired at each other. Important battles will not happen in the near future.

The incidents on the Balkan.

Constantinople. Bulgaria and Turkey have finally come to an agreement. Turkey promises to take in the Macedonian refugees again, a general amnesty (refraining from punishments), and to repeal the exception laws. Bulgaria in turn pledges to suppress the revolutionary movements in Bulgaria and to monitor the borders; no revolutionaries should cross into Macedonia.

Vienna. The Wiener Zeitung is not particularly hopeful that Bulgaria and Turkey will come to an agreement. Turkey stationed more military at the borders of Bulgaria and Bosnia. It might just utilise both countries to better prepare for war.

Vienna. Turkey found a new excuse against the power’s demands for the chief of police to be foreign. Turkey demands that those officers speak Turkish.

Rome. The Italian government agreed to intervene militarily on the Balkan together with Austria-Hungary in case a war breaks out. If Austria-Hungary does not want to intervene, Italy will do it themselves.

Prague. Several Bohemian cities report on the preparations to mobilise (calling in the reserves and preparing the regiments for war) the military.

The Zabolotiv trials.

Kolomyia. The trials about the Zabolotiv pogroms have already lasted a whole week. Most witnesses confirm the accusations. It becomes apparent that the persecutions were not systematically planned, but that the people had been intensely incited by antisemites. It had been sufficient that one person started to cry against the Jews that everyone joined and believed what was said. Several more witnesses will be summoned to court and the trial will take another whole week.

News.

Jewish news.

(Pomorjany). A Jew from Dynów who has recently passed our city, has asked his waggoner something in Polish in the middle of the central plaza. A Ruthanian farmer who heard this by chance attacked the Jew in outrage and yelled: “Cursed Jew! Lives on Ruthanian soil, eats Ruthanian bread, and speaks Polish!” He started to beat the Jew with a big stick, who could barely escape. - The Jews do not know what to do anymore, how they should speak; everything is bad. The Polish yell at them that they are German because they speak Yiddish which is similar to German.

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If they speak Polish, the Ruthanians fall into rage. Whatever they do, nobody is pleased.

(Budapest). We found interesting information about Hungarian Jews as estate owners in a Christian book. 2,788 bigger estates (over 100 yoke) which add up to 2,619,300 yoke of fields are in possession of Jews. Minor estates, which are smaller than 100 yoke and owned by Jews, sum up to 1,000,000 yoke. That is 1/12 of all of Hungary. Jews own 65 % of all leased estates, over 3,000,000 yoke. In total, Hungarian Jews hold around 8,000,000 yoke. That is 37 % or more than 1/3 of Hungary.

(London). Soon, the new law against immigration will be discussed in parliament. So far, the English Jews keep quiet about the matter as if it does not affect them at all. If the law is passed, Jewish immigration to England will be near impossible.

(St Petersburg). 500,186 Jewish craftsmen, coachmen, water bearers, lumberjacks, excavators and 99,000 in similar occupations live in Russia. 10,721 Jewish families or 68,959 souls work in agriculture. The number of factory workers in Russia (except for Congress Poland and the Kherson Governorate) is 33,133. The number of Russia and the Kherson Governorate are not known.

(Kyiv). The new general governor of Kyiv, General Fyodor Trepov who was the city chief of St Petersburg before where he oppressed and persecuted Jews massively, has started to treat Jews rigorously here as well. He tightened the regulations concerned with the Jewish right of residence and ordered police to check if Jews who are not allowed to reside in Kyiv, live there. - Once the first news about Russian defeats in the war with Japan; the general governor called for the provosts of the Jewish community and told them: “I have heard you delight in our defeats. I want to give you a warning that if you do not participate in patriotism like the Russians do, you should remember what happened in Kishinev”! - The Jews understood what he meant and prayed for the Russians in schools and donated a huge sum for the matters of war the next day.

Feuilleton

Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg.

(A historical retelling).

Third chapter

Albrecht II, Count of Hohenberg-Rotenburg was a sovereign, but ugly human. His eyes radiated fear, his gaze filled with anger. He went to the door and called for the rabbi. However, not with a friendly expression as he has always been when he came to him. Only one was able to recognise in this face that he was mad. However, he welcomed the rabbi friendly and offered him a seat.

“Because I have been talking with you a lot and am convinced now that your knowledge in world matters as well as politics is greatest of all Jewish Rabbis. You probably also know about the uprising against the Roman regiment. Please tell me your opinion about this”.

“Gracious prince! - answered the rabbi. You honour me and recognise me as a prudent and intelligible man in politics and knowledge about the matters of war, but truthfully I do not merit this honour. My knowledge in politics only relates to my poor brothers who seek advice. I know little about the government and the uprising of the revolutionaries.”

The prince was engrossed in thought, he acted as if he did not hear what the rabbi said to him, but wanted to state his plan and again said to the rabbi:

“You have certainly heard that our gracious emperor is preparing for war against Count Eberhard of Württemberg with the Roman regiment. Other powers follow his example which want to free themselves from the Roman prevalence and. In order to scotch the revolution, the government needs to publicly oppose the main instigator “Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg” and destroy him completely”

After these words the prince stayed quiet again and waited until the rabbi answered. However, the rabbi did not speak up and did not ask the prince what significance this conversation holds and why the prince is telling him this whole story which the rabbi already knows about and cannot help in any way.

“I think Emperor Rudolf to be a strong and brave fighter who will not subordinate any time soon. He promises his fellow combatants honour and prosperity as why they run against the greatest dangers and will not let themselves be defeated. Thus, venerable rabbi, is the government calling upon the every peoples and every nation in unison who are protected by his power, to prepare and gear up for war in order to prove their loyalty. Your people on the other hand, the Jewish have not prepared to fight in a battle and have not studied any armament to prove their loyalty to the fatherland and their love to our propitious emperor. As they do not support monetarily and instead of picking up weapons to fight against the enemy, they should protect the emperor’s finances.”

Although the rabbi knew from before that the prince is having this conversation because of money, his heart lightened up like in the beginning as the prince started talking to him. He replied to the prince:

“There are a lot of fighters going to battle. The soldier who fights in battle, defending his fatherland with his own blood, dies on the battlefield with honour, others immediately going to his spot. But the losers who have lost their wealth and trade, whose houses burn down with the rest of their belongings; who should be able to compensate for the losses? We Jews know exactly what our duty, our obligation to the fatherland and our emperor, who protects us against raiders and greedy people, is. We will pay every tax and every compensation the government bestows on us with pleasure. Cheerfully we will gather every charitable gift from our rich brothers who are able to pay for the poor ones as well. The capitalists should give money to those who are not wealthy. We will try as hard as possible. Then you will see, gracious prince, that the war taxes we may pay, is not something new that

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we should be able to fulfill easily. It has been around ten years since we started paying war taxes patiently and have become impoverished. Nothing remained, but real property, but we do not own money or valuables anymore. Still we cannot evade the government’s will completely and I strive as much as I can to call in a meeting where we can discuss how to best help the rulers. I promise in my honour that we will do whatever is possible to fulfill the regimen’s wishes.

(To be continued).

Will Russia lose the war?

(A little story of a war where Peter the Great has been defeated with an army of 80,000 men against a small army with a brave king.)

The main talking point these days is the conflict between Russia and Japan. Now it would be interesting to turn to a little bit of history which occurred two hundred years ago. This is a story about how Carl XII, the young king of Sweden defeated Peter the Great’s army with his allegiant army of 8,000 men. Peter the Great was then the sovereign of Russia and had an army of 80,000 men. With this story, the reader will see that in the matter of war, Japan is not hopeless against Russia which has considerably more soldiers and battleships than them.

The history in this case shows that those who are stronger in numbers do not automatically come out on top. A successful war stems from the soldiers' supremacy and willingness to sacrifice as well as the skills and expedition of their superiors.

The founder of the Russian kingdom, Peter the Great, craved to be a great victor and wanted to have a harbour on the Eastern Baltic Sea to carry out his plans. He wanted the province of Ingria. The Swedes occupied it and he decided to take it away with force. Hence, Peter formed an alliance with the king of Poland to seize the piece of land he cast an eye on from Sweden.

The historian Voltaire describes the Swedish as strong, strenuous people who can endure harm, hardship, and hunger. They are born with a craving for war and are more virtuous than being capable of acting.

Noticing the danger, King Carl gave up the debauched he was leading and dressed as a simple soldier from then on. Before he did not meddle in the proceedings of his ministers. But right at the critical moment when the ministers deliberated on the upcoming danger. Some proposed to engage and the king surprised everyone with his courageous demeanor.

“Gentleman”, he yelled with a steady voice, “I am determined to never start an unjust war and to never capitulate from a just one, unless the enemy is destroyed. My resolution is firm. I want to attack the first one who wants to start, the rest should be careful not to do it again.

His old ministers were quite surprised and grasped his declaration of war in admiration. Carl soon emerged as the initial attacker and sent a fleet to Copenhagen, the Danish Capital and defeated Denmark, who was also in an alliance with Peter the Great, in six weeks. Carl was only eighteen years back then. At the same time, the Polish king attacked Riga, the capital of Livonia (Swedish land). And the tsar, Peter the Great, marched eastward with an army of 160,000 men. Riga was defended by Graf Dahlberg, an eighty year old Swedish general who withheld the enemy with a rare, fiery bravery. The result was that after the Polish king could not occupy the city under any circumstances, he saw it as justification to besiege the city.

Back then already, Russia played its intrigant and bogus politics. While it has already waged war, three Russian envoys were in Stockholm (Sweden) who swore that Russia only wants peace. Meanwhile in Russia, Peter the Great has published a manifesto in which he explains that he (Peter) was insulted in Riga when he was driving recklessly there. He had to take revenge on Sweden to take away a whole province. King Carl, who was an honest man, could not understand why a great ruler like Peter would act so cruelly and be so two-faced. Just like today’s diplomats found with the Cossacks.

So, Peter the Great marched in the lead of his great army until he reached the city of Narva. King Carl immediately rushed out of the city to help. Although the Russians had 150 cannons with them, they were not able to invade the city and were shot down like stars by the Swedish artillery. The city did not have a stronghold and the defending army numbered only 1,000 men. Still, Peter the Great’s army could not come close to the city.

Later, Peter found out that Carl went across the sea with 200 convoys to help the besieged city Narva. Peter brought 30,000 more men and wanted to circle Peter so that if he went to the city he needed to break through his army.

King Carl shipped up to 20,000 over the sea and started his march to Narva. He rode alone at the top of his army and did not wait for his regiment who were farther behind. That is how he found himself with 8,000 men (the others were farther behind) against the first partition of Peter the Great’s army. He soon decided to break the enemy lines although he was aware of the numbers. At that point there were 5,000 soldiers at a passage between rocky mountains. There, hundred men could repulse a massive army. - The courageous attack of Carl’s army alarmed the Russians that they wondered about the size of Carl’s army and ran away after the first meeting. As the 5,000 soldiers

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fled, further 20,000 were awe-struck at a point further down and this distressed a third Russian camp. That is how King Carl broke through the Russian camps and as he saw that as three particularly massive victories he was undeterred.

Finally, he and his exhausted army arrive at the strongest Russian camp with 80,000 men. Not letting his soldiers rest, he soon gave the command to attack. One of his generals advised him against it, pointing out the great danger of battle. Carl answered him yelling: “What! Do you doubt that my 8,000 virtuous Swedes can beat those 80,000 Russians!” Later he realised that he had been too harsh to his general and tried to convince him calmly that they would certainly win.

Thus, marched the small army against the Russians whose numbers outranged them 1:10 on November 30th 1700. During the first attack, the Swedes threw snow they carried with them at the Russians, but the Russians endured that. Then the real battle began. Carl charged against the tsar’s quarters, but he did not know that Peter the Great accumulated 40,000 men. During the enemy’s first hail of bullets, King Carl was hit by one in the neck, but the bullet got stuck in his kerchief without hurting him. His horse was shot, but he quickly obtained another horse and threw himself into battle again with even more courage. After a three-hour battle Carl's army broke through the enemy’s moat. He continued chasing half of Peter’s army - 40,000 men - with half of his own army - 4,000 men. He chased them to the river Narva. As the enemy was on a bridge, said bridge collapsed and soon the river was full of Russian corpses. The rest who survived returned to their camp which they defended for a while, but then finally surrendered to Carl who welcomed the officers with honour and generosity, like on his own court.

The other half of the Russians stopped attacking. 8,000 Russians were killed and several more drowned, but they still had enough soldiers to not let the second half of the Swedes pass. The Swedish only lost 600 men.

It became night and the battle was paused. King Carl made plans through the whole night how to rescue the second half of his army but at daybreak, as the Russian general found out about the pleasant accommodation the army’s official experienced, he capitulated. Soon, the Russian general marched into the Swedish camp with 30,000 men. The soldiers placed down their weapons in front of the king’s feet. As they marched with him shortly after, Carl marched into Narva. He later returned the swords to the Russian officials and helped them out financially. Peter turned around in Moscow with his head down.

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Herausgeber und verantwortlicher Redact. OSIAS H. WILF recte Weinstock

Druck von E. Salat Witwe des U.W. Salat, Lemberg Kasimirgasse 35