Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-04-20

position OF the larReat empire OF Europe, We hAFe
deemed it worth while TO offer to readers, in a
condensed form, historical statement Of tho de-
plorable condition into which servitude has plung-
cd one OF the richest cocntries opou the earth;
and, at the same time, describe the measures by
which the government has obviated, Gr win obvi-
ate, the existing evs, and perform the great work
Of emancipation.
SOCIAL, CONDITION OF TIE RUSSIAN rEoPLE Ia E.
The bulk Of the Russian nation has lived Tor
over two hundred years in state of bondage.
The classes which in free countries give fertility
to the soil. value to materials, impulse to trade
and navigation; the farmer, the ploughman, the
srtncor, the carpenter, ths mason, the trade'man;
in word, all those who exercise manuel profes
sion, have alike been helG in seryitude. In a
population Of about fifty eight millions of souls in
European Russia, fifty millions, under one form or
another and in various degrees, have horne the
dobasing yoke Of serfdom. The messes that sup
ply the army with soldiers, the navy with sailors,
agriculture with laborcrs. industry with artisans,
commerce with traders, and the upper classes with
servants, are the property of others. They arc
owned by sixteen hundred thousand eight hundred
and Eve masters, divided as follows:
According to the last census Russia contains
lll.s97 landowner, possessing, some 1000 serfs
some 500. some 100, some 90, some less-the total
amount of which is 1o7l7,7Ss males
There are besides sos landless
proprietOrs, hiring their serfs
out, living upon the income
they own 1890 do.
The serfs of the crown amount to Q. .457, 900 do.
The members Of the royal family
own 2,234.717 do.
at og4l lts --gae 22,4249I5 .t
As the Russian government seems to be under
the impression that women have no souls, the GEN.
sus does not make any mention of them, and
grants the title of soul" to the meu alone. II,
then, to these twenty-five millions we add the wo-
men and children, we shall reach the figure of fftS
millions, already mentioned as being the exact
number of serfs contained in the Russian empire.
II is to this immense population-larger than any
within the realm Of civilizaton-that the imperial
decree Of the Sd of this month has restored the
inalienable right of individual responsibility and
freedom. The originator of this measure, Alex
snder H. has already placed his name next to that
Of Peter the Great in the annals of his country;
for, if the latter established it's material prosperi
~, the former will create its moral and ntelec-
tual splendor, by raising Russia-obscure and iso-
lated in her semi-barbarian indiyiduality--to the
level Of the most civilized nations of Europe.
In respect to the free peasantry of Russia, all
the statistics we have been able to consult remain
silent. The only record we have found goes back
to 1912, and gives, as The amount of enIranchissd
ssrfs in the whole Of European Russia, the insig
nifSant figure OF 05,5S0 souls. e t.
H
srregsf CHARACTER OF sERFGoA, a.. 49,
What is serfdOm! Is it that form of human
bondage which, under the name of slavery, is at
once disgraos and a misfortune to mankind? Or
10 il slavery in modified form. transient state
between absolute property in man, and that kind
OF property which. though not the less valuable to
the MASTER 10 yet subject TO certain legal Obliga-
tions and to moral responsibility, preventing it
from being as repulsige and odious as the otherl
The serf is not slave in The sense we give 70
this word, If he is owned BY another, the right
oteproperty is Limited BY Iaws and still more BY
the influence Of. European morale and by certain
slstinaie ideas vhiGhp prevail among the Russian
peasaulry. In honor to tho Russian mobility bo il