, 1877-08-03
A Russian Land-HOlder of the Old
Regime.

The following extract from TourguG-
neff's story, "The Noblemau of the
Steppe," in Scribner, is quite in keeping
with recent accounts of the improvidence
and bigotry of Russian noblemen of the
last generation:
Pantalei Jeremeitsch's father had re-
ceived his estate in a broken-down con-
dition. In his turn he had lived in a
free and easy way, and Mt his death had
left to his only son and heir, Pantalei, the
mortgaged village of Bessonovo, with
thirty three male and seventy-sx female
serfs, and fourteen and one. eighth desso-
tines of badly located land in the wilder
ness of Kolobrod; moreover, no deed of
this tract was found among the papers Of
the deceased. He had, it must be admit
tel, succeeded in running himself in the
most singular manner. According to his
views, a nobleman ought to have nothing
to do with tradesmen, bourgeois, and
''rascals" of that stripe. In his house he
established workshops for mechanics of
all kinds. "That is more proper and
much cheaper" he used to say. "Rural
economy r'-this destructive notion he
did not abandon to the end of his days,
and it was really that which wrought his
ruin. But then in return he lived in
pleasure and satisfied every one of his
whims.
Among other things, it occurred to him
to have family carriage built under his
own directions, and it was so large that,
in spite of the combined efforts of all the
horses of the village and their owners, it
upset on the first downward slope and
fell to pieces. Jeremei Lu kitsch (for that
was the name of Pantalei's father had
monument erected on that spot and gave
himself no further trouble about it, He
also took it into his head to build
church, alone (of course), and without
the aid of an architect. The burning of
the tiles consumed a whole forest; he
had mighty foundation laid, as if he
intended to erect state cathedral, built
the walls, and began the vault of the Gu
pola; but the cupola fell down. He
made second attempt; the cupola
broke down once more; third time there
was the same result. Then Jeremei Lu-
kitsch grew thoughtful; "there is some.
thing wrong about this affair" =" he thought,
''some cursed witchcraft," and he gave an
order that all the old women in the vii
lage should be fogged. The old women
were aogged, but for all that the cupola
would not stand.
The peasants were to live or new
principle, all according to his rural
economy" He had their houses built
three and three together, so that they
formed triangle, in the midst of which
q pole was raised, with little house for
the starlings and flag. Every day he
invented something new; now he made
soup out of burs, now he cut off the tails
of the horses to adorn the caps Of the
servants, now he sowed nettles instead of
hemp, fed the pigs on mushrooms, etc.
One day he read in the Moscow Times
an article by the landed proprietor
Chriak Chrupiorski on the utility Of good
morals for the peasantry, and immediate
ly he gave command that all his peasants
should learn the article by heart. The
peasants obeyed. He then asked them
if they really understood what they had
learned, and the overseer answered for
them, "Why shouldn't they understand
it2" About the same time, for the sake
of order and rural economy, he had all
his serfs numbered, and the number of
each sswed on his collar. Whenever
they met their master, every one cried
out, "Number so-and-so passes by" and
the master answered, graciously, "Go, in
Gods name."