, 1880-03-21
Will go tar towards suppressing Nihilism by
arraYinp the RIssian naanla against it.

have recently appeared in the Revue des Deua
0fo7ldes upon Russian life and politics, writ
ten by NJ Leroy-Beaulieu, one of which
touches upon Nihilisn1, and goes more deeply
into that mysterious subject than anything
| we have seen before. LII formulating theil
| designs against society, and especially agains1
the Government, they have progressed nc
| further than anarchy. Nihilism is simply q
horrible nightmare. It literally means an
Inhalation. It would strike down the present
regime and destroy the existing condition oil
things, but 1t suggests no substitute. II
offers no reforms, no plans for a bette1
condition of things, but simply pro
poses to reduce everything to anarchy
first through the agencies Of assassination,
incendiarism, and violence. Its membership
is mainly composed OF young men who are
afflicted with that pessimistic idea so common
among certain classes of educated young
men that everything which exists Is wrong,
and that they have been designated as the
agents to set it right. According to II. Le-
roy-Beaulieu, the Nihi1ists, instead Of using
the existing social and political machinery to
effect reforms, would destroy it. Their first
step is annihilation. Beyond this they have
nothing defnit in view. Having reduced
everything to indiscriminate ruin, then they
will proceed to inaugurate some new regime
Of which at present they have no idea
Everything that can be called social insti-
tution-goyernment, society, family, and re-
ngion-must first be oyerthrowA and de-
stroyed. One Of them, being asked what his
doctrines were, replied: "Take the earth
and heaven, Church aud State, take Kings
and Deity, and spit on them; that's our doc
trine." Turgencf, the novelist, says that at
Heidelberg Sihilist paper was issued by
Russian students who had been expelled
from their own colleges, the motto OF which
was: IL spit on all comers.''
In seeking for the causes Of Nihilisn, n.
Leroy-Beaulieu finds them located in the
wild hopes and utopian ideas that were
stimulated first BY the emancipation OF the
scrfs and afterwards intensified by the i'll
crease Of college education. which in its
literature has given the widest scope to the
widest social specu1adons as to the great
changes which are to occur in the social sys-
tenn. Curiously enough, much Us the peasant
class has suffered from the injustice and op-
preston of land laws as burdensOme as those
which weigh down upon lreland's prosperity,
and warmly as they would welcome the
possibility held out to them BY NiAiliS1n that
they might become the owners of the land
they cultivate, It's doctrines have made no
impression upon them, and it has never re-
cruited 4 single adllerent from their ranks. |
AS the Nation says:
They have generally been students. or Gov |
ev1,un c61
traders, or old soldiers. The core OF the move
tncut seems to be composed Of students, both |
male and female, in whose pessimism the recent
have Sown tho seeds Of IN immense und |
funArical f1ith In the possibility Of sort OF
tcrialistc heaven on earth It's soon Us the ground |
hns :s been e cleared OF existing institutions And
religious enthusiasm OF the old SORT Many of ]
the young nen aud women on whom it has seized |
position, and luxury to become part Of the peo-
pc whose misery they expect To put IN end to,
They hare made themselves laborers and nrti-
sans, aud entered. workshops on small duly
wares us to have full sense Of the SORROWS
Ind psiyltions ct the people; and 1nost Of the
propagandists Of this sort are, as might De ex-
oected, women. In fnct- it Is among the women !
hat the new faith shows itself in the strangest |
Ways They have furnished Nihism with its
most courageous missionar7es and martyrs aud
With the most auducious expression Of its con-
empt for social conventions.
Rejecting again the spirit Of II. Leroy
3eaulieu's deductions, the Nation says:
The more probable explanation, It explanation |
t can be called. Of the phenomenon IS. that ~e
orm OF some 1T tho peculiarities Of temper7-
ncnt Of the Slay race, of which. in spite OF the
arge space Of European soil it has covered ever ;
incc the fall Of the Roman Empire, but very |
little h,ls yet been KNOWN, But it is certain
hat there is no other great division Of the pop !
llatiun Of the western world ia which race char-
'hich has been 50 little modified b. crossing |
nth other breeds, and in which the earlier !
cunts Of feeling md motive have been so.iirtle |
ffected by modern civilization. The growth Of |
be Russian Empire, which now furnishes the ! ,
1eat mystery and marvel Of recent history, has
this H for the H. ,dat
rst Of the surprises which 1t8 ful contact with
be ideas OF the older world has III store for us.
In estimating the effects of the action Of i
he Government, especially of the new pa
ltic policy, should it prove to be true, it I
lust be taken into account that there is all :
ther class Of the Russian people, far ex-
ceiling the Nlhiiists in numbers who are | !
iscontented with the Government on ac~ /
ount Of its absolutism. They desire repre- F
.ntation and constitutional form of gov Il
'nment similar to those in Western Europe.
hey chafe against the suppression of indi- =
dual freedom and the refusal to grant po~ =
teal liberty. They have no sympathy with
e violent processes by which NihiIism
oerates or with its policy Of plunging the +
rnpire into condition Of anarchy, and yet,
ithout lending their help, remain as passive -
ectators. Should the Government, how y
'er, inaugurate the political reforms they Il
.mand, unquestionably they would rally to T
assistance, and with their help Nihilism r
ould soon cease to exist, as nearly the EN- Il
e Empire would be arrayed against it. q