The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-16
OUR EUROPEAN IETTER.-

Struggles Of he Russian People for
RigM q8d Hi%edpm. THE Deqfhiot
q si,s0-khoteh Ataress. A Femaie
,St',ke, O., etc. "
LoNpoN, Ede., April "a, 1879.
Echoes from Russia are plentiful
among tile politicaf and Social surfaces
of the old capital, for London is one of
the Iiimalayan peaks in the. civilized
world, catching the lights and noises
from all points. AS you will imagine..
without my taking the trouble to sug-
gest the reason why, England does not
greatly grieve over the kettle of hot
suds into which the Northern Bear
seems TO have been suddenly doused.
What the Moscow Gazette terms "the
moral plague"-otherwis the revolu-
tionary propaganda now rampant in
Russia-is an afiliction regarded here
as having been sent upon Russia by
Mrs. Partington's "unscrupulous prov
idence" 10 deprive her of the power fur.
Their to mix herself up in the Eastern
question at time specially malop,.oDos
to her Maiesty's Government. And il
really does look as though England's
bete NOR were in very tight box on
this occasion-that's a fact. Indeed the
talk in London is that Rnssia has "gone
stale," or rather, that she has long been
stale, and that now she is to be turned
completely bottom side up, for ventila-
ton and fumigation. lndisputablc facts
appear to bear out this view. If the
Nihilist movement includes all who
are naturally competent to belong to it
by virtue of having nothing and being
nothing, then about the sum total of the
Russian peasantry will have to be
counted in. The shortest. possible de-
scription of the character and condition
of the common people is included in
the word "filthy." This is not draw
ing-room adjective, but it is correct
one. The condition of the large towns
and cities, from sanitary point of view
is simply abominable. Neither st. Pc.
tersburg nor Moscow has any system
of drainage, and the task of cleansing
either would put old Hercules to his
trumps. The crowded prisons are the
breeding places of all that is pestiferous
and vile. Superstition and immoralit,
ride the people as the Old Man of the
Sea rode on Sinbad's back Pardon the
feeble pun if say this is because they
have sinned bad, but the Government i
responsible. That vengeance which
however long it may be deferred, falls
at last from heaven TO crush and punish
all crimes of despots against the race
impends over the beauaucratic systeu
of Russia, and the end cannot now BIZ
predicted. Since the conclusion of the
war with Turkey matters have beer
growing worse. Taxation, previously
almost uncomfortable, has been increased
to meet the expenses of heavy militia
ry establishment, thousands of families
are without the invaluable "bread win.
ner," and other thousands who lived te
return from the war are crippled and
rendered helpless for life in land
where systematized philanthropy to re-
lieve their wants has not yet sprung in
TO being. In the face of this, and in the
face of state of things of the horror
and evil of which these words convey
no idea, do not wonder at the Nihilist
movement. The warm-hearted anC
hospitable Russian peasantry certainl,
deserve better fate than to wallow in
the mire as they have done for genera
tions-but whether they have the capac.
ity to relieve themselves from it
whether the organization which now
puzzles the police with its secresv and
appals the government by its audacity-
will prove the nucleus of anything bet.
ter, Heaven only knows. 1t IS the
toughest problem in European politics
at present.
The death is announced of Mrs. Rous.
by, who at one time occupied a proni.
nent position on the London stage, and
was popularity known as "the beautiful
Mrs. Rousby." The deceased lady
came of an old Dcvonshire Roman Cath.
Ollie family, and was the daughter OF
DR.. Dawse, a physician residing i'm Jer.
sey. She had strong natural aptitude
for the stage, and was married to MIR.
Wybcrt Rousby, director of the local
theatre of Jersey, some fifteen or six
teen years ago. She made her debut in
that island, where for some time she
played the role of leading lady in her
husbands company. Her great success
in the metropolis was in the Queens
Theatre, where she acquitted herself
with honor, positively taking the town
by storm as Princess Elizabeth in Mr..
Tom Taylor's historical drama OF
"'Twixt Axe and Crown" Her name
was also identified with "Joan of Arc"
in which she sustained the character of
the heroine, and with Mr.. w. G. Wills
"Marie Stuart at the Princess's Thea
tire. Her last appearance in London
was in Mr.. Bandmann's adoption from
the Gel man "Madelaine Morel," at the
Queens. Mrs. Rousby was fascinat-
ing without being a powerful actress :;
she had silvery voice, statuesque atti-
tudes, but no strong emotional power.
Much of the secret of her popularity lay
In her personal attractions.
On Thursday afternoon large crowd
of females numbering about thousand,
who were employed in the Army Cloth
ing Department, proceeded to West
minister for the purpose of seeking some
redress of their grievances. Their main
cause of complaint is the reduction of
their wages from l3s. to los. per week.
Assembling in the immediate neighbor-
hood of the House of Commons, few
of these unfortunate Government EN-
ployes were conducted by Inspector
Dcnning to the Central Hall, and they
subsequently obtained an interview
with Mr. Charles Dixie and Mr.. Court
ney, who promised to consider the case
laid before them, and TO render what
assistance they can in promoting the
wishes ofthe cOmplainants. This DEM
onstration was very silent, but was
none the less effective.
! meant at the outset TO throw into
this letter little more variety than
upon looking it over perceive / have
done. But You know what creatures
we are to run in ruts. To produce all
agreeable quantity of the "spice of
life" calls for hard work at the milrj
which grinds it. And hard work is
something prohibited in the first article
of my constitution. I will see if an
amendment can be lobbied through be-
fore / write again. ALPHA.