Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-01-19
and did not gain their liberty. But Nicholas

and did not gain their liberty. But Nicholas
lived! the father of his subjects.
Between the anxious debtor and the still more
anxious creditor now interposed an imperialukase,
which in such cases opened to the parishes of
serfs the imperial treasury. Mark this; for it is
worthy to be noted; the Russian imperial treasury
was opened TO the serfs that they might purchase
their freedom
The government might simply have released
the creditors from their embarrassment by paying
the debtor the one-thrd still due to him, and then
land and tenants belong to the state-one parish
the more of CgO1CR peasants. Nicholas did not
adopt that course He lent the serfs the money
they needed to buy themselves from their masters,
and for this loan Ca third only of the value) they
mortgaged themselves and their lands to the
Crown, paid annually three per cent. interest and
three per cent. of the capital, and would thus in
about thirty years become free, and propretors of
their land. That they would be able to pay off
this third evident, since to obtain its amount,
they had still the same resources which enabled
them to save up the two-thirds already paid
Surprising, however, the very worst, that thro'
inevitable mistortunes such as pestilence disease
of cattle, &c, they were prevented satisfying the
righiul claims of the Crown, iii that case the
Grown paid them back the two-thirds value which
they had previously disbursed to their former
owner, and they became parish of Grown peas
ants, whose lot compared to their earlier one.
still enviable But not once in a hundred
times do such cases occur, whilst by the above
plan whole parishes gradually obtain their free
dom, not by sudden and violent change, which
could not fail to have evil consequences, but
IN course of time, after probation of labor and
frugality, and after thus obtaining to the knowl-
edge that without these two great factors of true
freedom, no real liberty can possibly be durable
cherish steadfast belief, that the reader, who
perhaps took up these pages with previously
formed contrary opinion, will here lay them down
in establishment, if not converted from his views,
n StaUUprpd n cL
why, If the Emperor so earnestly desires the free
dom of his people, why does he not-he to whom
nothing is impossible, and who has the right as
well as the pOwer-coneritupo them by stroke
of his pen, instead of YEARLY prolonging his
work, and spreading it over so many years, to say
nothing of the thousand eventualities which may
occur to destroy it before it is complete ? The
answer is plain. The great man who is carrying
out this reformation-no let us call it by its right
name, this peaceful REyoLUTIoN-who is pursu-
ing, by carefully prepared roads, his plans for the
abolition of existing abuses, has chosen, i'll his
wisdom, which is equal to his love, the longer
path, because it is not only the sure one, but the
only sure one In the first place, he recoils with
dismay from the injustice, without which so enor-
nous an encroaehment on the rights of property,
could not be accomplished. Not less does he ap
prehend the abuse of the suddenly bestowed free
dom for which Russia is still less ripe than other
civilized countries, which nevertheless, have PROV
ed themselves unable to withstand its inseparabe
temptations, and have derived nothing but misery
from measures, which, wisely applied, would have
led them to prosperity and happiness. Fruits can
but gradually ripen, and this is also true Of free.
dom, that noblest fruit in the garden of life The
Baltic provinces, where serfdom no longer exists,
were liberated by this same process, by which the
rest of Russia will not fail to attain the de-
sirable object Every man is ripe for freedom,
when he is fresh from the hands of nature after
a serfdom of centuries, he is not ripe for it.