Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-03
RUSSIAN NIHILINN.

RUSSIAN NIHILISM.
The Russian are generally admitted to DOS
sess at least t -e virtue Of courage. No greater
proof Of their vaior can be found not even the
defense Of the Sh1pka Pass, than the fact that
people still consent to take the ONCE Of Head of
NTH officer connected with the police who has
been shot at lately, and q SPY, mere suborii.
nate, was lately found dead, with dagger and
neatly written label In the usual places Gen.
Drenteln has had the good luck to be missed.
but the victim OF Miss Vera SassouIitch the
Charlotte Corday Of Nihilism, with Gen. Kra-
Potkin and others, have proved that Russian
officials literally take their lives In their hands
The series OF political assassinatioAs ia very re-
markaD.e, and It must be admitted that the
Iuallty, secrecy, and Dispatch Tue attemnt IN
Gen. Drenteln had some peculiar features which
perhaps account for the Generals escape. 1t
mas been usual for well-dressed lady or oe n.
Lleman TO follow the intended victim o1ietIy
20 shoot him from close quarters and then gel
mto well appointed carriage and drive AWAY
tenoed TO point to the comfortable social no.
Sltlon OF The aSSaSSinS, while IL Is extremely i'm
RIooaDie that they could escape arrest II the
them. There is certain method in the Mini
ust plan which removes IL from the CATEGORY of
Inc common attempts OF bunglers. Political
sons. They make the mistake Of irving to az
cure their retreat, and thinking OF their retreat
SnSy give only a half-hearted attention to the
work In hand They take a snapshot, which
almost invariably misses, and try to disanoear
IN the crowd. They adopt the plan of 0rsini
8Eo OF the older constructors Of Internal ma
OF chance. On an average an Internal machine
may XIII or disable forty people out of a crowd
OF TOUR or f1ve hundred; but the odds are very
whom 1t is desired to take of. Another psan Is
70 shoot from the window of house. as Ham
uon, OF BothWellhaugh, shot the Regent MUIR
OF Germany, with small shot. Something may
De said for this plan, as the murderer Is able to
lake steady aim, and can use window-Sin as
2 rest he also has probably some hope of es-
Gaping among the 1ntricacies of back streets
ana gardens. 1t is found, however, as q rule,
Lnat men who shoot from houses are easily ar
rested. There remains the method of shooting
at close quarters and driving away, and that OF
shooting from horseback, which was adopted
1y the man who fired at Gen. Drenteln. He
QUO not, as the telegram which we publish
SHOWS aim at the General through the side win
gov OF the carriage. but rode In. advance, and
snot PACK through the front window: The shot
was an extremely difficult one, for 1t Is never
easy TO aim correctly through glass. The as
Sassln rode rapidly of, and It appears that his
morse came down with him: That he was not
NC stage, says little for the police, and not
much for tine people. An innocent person,
Mnose horse has stumbled, or who has fallen
Oh, does not desert the animal and rush away
N pubic sledge. III the Russians had han
SOM cabs, the Nthilists would find it conve-
AAs0A1t W EcrSCIdJ6 CaD0e0, ana quietly TO shoot
unpopular ministers through the little window
IN the roof. To drive with the body to q lonely
part OF the Neva would be the work of q few
moment hide all trace OF the crime.
Inc Russians have no hanson cabs, and we
nave no political assasSins, so the little plan
The important question is why and how do the
russians happen to have become the victim OF
this moral pestilence. Assassination Is the
cnu0 OF pOi;t1ca 1anat1c1Sm and political de-
SPAR. Now, Ii all Is true that we hear Of the
left wing OF the NihilistS, Of the Russian NAL
contents, to whom the name is properly APP
They have one common belief, a negative one
70 which they cling the more desperately be-
cause they have nothing else left TO believe In.
state OF things Is utterly rotten. The Panscla-
visits believe at least In the Sclav0nic race and
its future; the thorough-go!ng Nihilist WIN not
lions. He Tor sne) thinks these ambitious ideas
mere phantasms, used BY the government,
when occasion serves, to divert attention from
the ma!adies OF Russia, from the incompetency
and dishonesty of officials, from the pompou5
stupidity Of the Tchin, from the condition OF q
people that drinks too much, and is too little
educated The Nihilfst's simple faith Is sum-
med up In the words that all existing Russian
institutions are rotten; that society Is march
Ing, or rather drifting, In the wrong direction;
be Of the slightest avail. Cut OF from the Or
binary European modes OF political expression
Without the safety OF ire ire HnsswsRaPe a
apart, nation within nation. Like an op-
pressed people under alien sway; like Greeks
under Turks, or yenettans under Austrtans,
they are fanatically attached to their own So
ciety, and obey Its dictates In the face OF law
and recognized morality. What these dictates
FOR the moment are may be gathered from the
Their activity takes two shapes. In the first
place they try to work upon the people, on the
lowest social strata A., Young Gun men men ana women
sans, and reject all that they might gain by
acquiescing In social inequality. Again, there
z one mode OF drawing attention 20 what they
state labors, the crueltfes said to be inflicted on
political prisoners. That method Is simply ter
Iorism- They murder and have murdered, and
intend togo on numbering the Officers Of the
police who are responsible In the last resort.
They do not greatly care TO strike at subordi-
In Europe they manage to commit these crimes
almost with 1mpunity. The people Is with
them against the law, as 1t Is In Ireland. In
had q chance Of giving its verdict. It is story
which may be taken for what 1t Is worth that
the Emperor himself was not out OF sympathy
with that lady when he learned that she acted
nom no personal motive, but ITO avenge
cruel crime for which there was no one else to
punish" Thus Russia and Europe are watch
ana determined I'm its cnoice of desperate means
as 1t win probably prove to be indefinite and
divided In its ultimate purposes. There Is q
painful waste OF energy, character, and life In
This long private war between a bureaucracy
on one side, and secret society on the other.
The chief point of contention just now appears
10 be the mode OF treatment Of political prison.
ers. Rumors OF cruelty and OF inflicted torture
produce these aSsasstnatfons. There may De
nothing In the rumors, but the society Is deter.
mined TO teach bureaucracy to respect itself
and its adherents There seems to be no I'm
mediate prospect Of an end TO this strange sue
cession OF blood-feuds, which must naturally
embitter people in power, and In the long run
make concession seem at once coWaroty ana
more dangerous than resistance. Never oe.
fore perhaps, has great nation been governed
80 much by secret police, tempered oy assassi-
natton.-ILond0n Nens.
THE WORLD IN MINIATURE.-Mr. CRUDE,
maker of wax images In this City, has con-
stTucted what is claimed to be the largest globe
of the world, showing the ranges OF mountains
and other peculaTftieS OF the SURFACE OF Ine
earth in relief, now In existence Jus diatnete 81
is 4 feet and about 1 inch, the scale being 10
io,OooOoO The range OF even the Him ma Esras
WouId not be visible upon this globe II the same
scale were adopted for the elevations as Tor the
man. and accordingly the relief Is MADE upon
scafe which exaggerates heights twenty times
The oceans, seas and rivers are colored blue
hecontipents are yellow; the glaciers, icebergs
and foating cakes OF ice white. Plains and