The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-06-21

Seditious Socialist Tracts in Russia.
THESE are little books, for the most
part, Of thirty or forty pages each, in
green or red wrappers, all protesting to
be published with the consent of theCen-
s0rshfp, some of them served up in COW
ers, and displaying title pages which
really belong to quite innoxious publica.
tons in popular request. The book most
often mentioned in the recent trial is the
Tale Of Four Brothers," 1t will serve
as good specimen of its kind. There
were once four brothers, 1t begins, who
lived in great forest, unconscious Of the
existence Of other folks. But at last ore
day they chased bear to the top of
mountain, from which they got their first
view of the outer world, saw villages and
homesteads, and men till the soil. So
they determined to explore the new land
which lay before them, and to make &C.
quintance with the ways of civilized men.
The first man they met strongly recon-
mended them to 60 back to their forest
The next passer.by was pilgrim, who
den of which was a
1 roamed all over Russia, groans the moujiloand
From hunger he means, from hunger;
From cold he groans, from cold.
Hearing this, the brothers took counsel
together and resolved to separate for q
time and travel in different directions,
and then to come together again and COM
pare their accounts, SO as to find out
where men live most comfortably. One
of them, Ivan, went nOrthward. Coming
to village he was surprised to find the
peasants hard at work beneath blazing
sun, while landed proprietor was look
lation, all that he gained was q flOgging,
whereby "he at length understood that
laws mean this, that the rich man may
bully the poor, and the poor man must put
up with everything and always hold his
peace, and grovel, moreover, at the 9TH
er's feet" A little later he was told by
an old man, with whom he drank, all
about the peasants; how they were serfs
until they were freed by the Gar, and how
arbiters were appointed from among the
gentry, who gave only bad land to the
peasants, and called in soldiers to shoot
them if they complained. Musing on all
this, Ivan went further. Many villages
and towns did he visit; everywhere was
life bitter to the peasant and the work.
man." At last he witnessed q case of
such oppression on the part of a village
elCer that the peasants mutinied. The
police came, and seized Ivan as q ring
leader, and he was sent to Siberia. Mean
while the second brother, Stepan, had
gone south. There one day he found an
official arbiter attempting to force some
villagers to accept the worthless land he
wished to allot to them as their share. As
they refused to agree, the arbiter called
in soldiers, who attacked the people. In
the fight which ensued young soldier
killed his father. Horror-struck at the
sight of the old mans blood, the soldier
turned and slew the arbitcr whose orders
had brought about the parricidal deed.
The other soldiers were then beaten eff by
the villagers, whom Stepan proceeded TO
harangue, saying that the soldiers ought
to make common cause with the people,
and all Russia ought to rise in simulta-
neous rebellion, and not 60 trusting to the
| Gar. I" 1t seems to me shame that so
many millions of men should be able TO
do nothing else for themselves, but should
60 on trusting in some one else." But
the peasants merely replied: "We'll hand
you over to the authorities for such speech
es." And at last they did so, and Ste.
pan was sent to Siberia as rebel. The
third brother, Demian, had visited the
cities of Eastern Russia, aud there worked
hard. But, however much he toiled, he
never could do more than barely support
existence Money he could by no means
acquire, for the employers of labor kept
1 all &~~ dnxv In 1r,nc
present when some villagers refused to pay
do so. A priest was sent for, who urged
them to obey the authorities. whereupon
Demian argued the point with him, and the
result was that he also was sent to 81.
IBERIA. Thither also, about the same time
was the fourth brother sent He had
been so delighted by the sight of mOnas.
terry, with its white walls, and green roofs
and gilded dOmes, rising amid trees on q
cliff above a river. and SO struck by the
interior of its church, in which pilgrims
knelt, and monks sang, and tapers burned
and incense smoked, that he asked leave
to live in it as a servant, thinking it KIND
of sacred paradise. But, to his horror
he found that the monks were dissolute
hypOcrites, and the abbot an impOstOr who
used mechanical means to draw tears from
the eyes of miraculous picture'' anC
money from the pockets of the faithful
For attempting to reveal this and similar
frauds, Luke was seized by the people
and sent. like his three brothers, to 81
IBERIA. On the road leading I" from deal
mother Russia to step mother Siberia,
the four brothers met again. Comparing
their experiences they came to the conclu
sion that nowhere was there to he found ,
place in which the poor live happily
But the time would come, they all agreed
when the people would rise in revolt, an(
their oppressors would he overthrow, an(
the poor man would be able TO live at hi.
ease. Thereupon they all four made goO(
their escape. And from that time fortl
(thus ends the story they have been trav
ersing Russia, ever rOusing the peasants
inviting them to the bloody feast. They
wander North, South, East and West
Nobody knows them, no eye sees them
but all can hear their loud sounding voice
and at the sound of that voice the peasan
takes courage, lifts up his downcast head
feels his blood spring like q fountain
within him, and is ready to stand up fo
his freedom from taxes. And when they
nave enlightened all the peasantry, mothe
Russia will resound with mighty music
and will roll like the blue sea, and witt
mighty pillows she will drown all her evi
foes. This story may be taken as the hes
specimen of the literature by means O
which the Russian Socialists hope to pre-
pare the nation for insurrection.
eenth Century.
what People Say Of Us.