Page:Complete Works of Count Tolstoy - 02.djvu/520



Russia there are three prevailing types of soldiers, among which may be classed the soldiers of all the armies: of the Caucasus, the line, the guards, the infantry, the cavalry, the artillery, and so forth.

These chief types, capable of many subdivisions and blendings, are the following:

(1) The submissive.

(2) The commanding.

(3) The desperate.

The submissive soldiers may be subdivided into (a) indifferently submissive and (b) busily submissive.

The commanding may be subdivided into (a) austerely commanding and (b) sagaciously commanding.

The desperate may be subdivided into (a) desperate jokers and (b) desperate debauchees.

The commonest type is a gentle, sympathetic type, which unites the best Christian virtues, meekness, piety, patience, and submission to the will of God, and is that of the submissive in general. The distinctive features of an indifferently submissive soldier are an imperturbable calm and contempt for all the vicissitudes of fortune to which he may be subjected. The distinctive feature of the submissive drunkard is a quiet, poetical inclination and sentimentality. The distinctive feature of the busily submissive is a limited mental capacity, united with an aimless industry and zeal.

The commanding type is found preponderantly in the higher spheres of the non-commissioned officers, among