Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-01-07
The Why Of Nihilism.
BRIEF But COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF A,
INTERESTING QUESTION.
from an Article in the October Atlantic.I

From an Article in the October Atantc.I
Tint Russia is abominably governed,
not even Mr.. Gladstone will deny. All
the testimony we can obtain goes to show
that the official world is foul with cor
ruption. From Gogol's Revisor and
Dead Souls down to the latest book about
Russia, the dishonest Of officials is and
has been prominent mark for satire
The censorship, which is very rigid about
almost every other criticism of the gov
ernment, seems here to be disarmed and
to encourage, or at least not to discour
age, any amount of ridicule. Certainly
Russia is not the only country in which
there are dishonest u.icinls. but, if all
accounts are true, "our own" William NJ
Tweed was but clumsy apprentice by
the side of some of the defendants of
Rurik.
Then as to the severity of the Govern
ment it is almost impossible for an Eng
lish, French and even German-speaking
person to read of the unwisdom Of those
in authority without n desire to buy
bottle of petroleum and Join the Nihilists.
Fortunately, the English elections came
lust in time to refute those passimists
who saw, or feared they saw, the whole
world making ready for social wars by
arming civilization against brute force,
by asking for a paternal, or more exactly
sort of step-fatherly Government for
protection against the result of its own
injustice. What a paternal Government
is when it has everything its own way
may be seen by observation of the present
condition Of Russia Yet with its illus
trations before ms, in the reaction from
excessive faith in the people, there are
some who think the millennium sure if
we put all the power in the hands Of one
man. Iu Russia the position of this man
is exceptionally favorable; the vast mass
of the population is bindly devoted to
him and distinctly unable to comprehend
or to desire any change; the nobility is
closely dependent upon him, and his
position clearly resembles that of Zens
in the Greek mythology. Yet there are
few private citizens who would care to
change places with him.
To give O moderately full account of
the wrongs inflicted on the people by the
| Government would be n long task. Their
extent may be conjectured from the vio-
lence of the attack that the Nihillsts are
making upon society. II We could put
ourselves for few minutes in the posi-
ton of these fanatics, our views might be
changed. We should probably perceive
that action and reaction were not only
opposite but equal, and that the bitter
ness of the assault that is made upon So
ciety on the whole counterbalances the
wrongs the people have suffered.
The whole history OF Nihilism is one
Of the most interesting studies of the
present times Herzen and Bankunin
led the revolt against the power of des-
potism, and with their hatred of severe
Government they combined all that was
to be learned from the socialism of West
ern Europe. Bakuniu was most wild in
his statements; everything was to go by
the board, and on the ruins, after they
were reduced to chaos, was to be built a
new social system. If he could have
procured sufficient quantity of dyna-
mite. he would have brought civilization
to the condition of powder-mIll after an
explosion. He was not reformer, but
a DESTROYER, madman but, as events
have shown, he has found many follow
ers. Buchner's famous book, Kraft and
Stoff, is looked upon by the students as
the expression of all truth, and Scho-
penhauer's philosophy Is most warmly
admired. There IL something chlldlike
in this through going belief that many
educated Russians feel for what the resi-
of the world looks mt with less slavIst
adherence This quality Is but another
form of the same docllity that the lower
orders of the Russians show for then
Gar only directed to idols. Races that
have au outlet for their energies are able
: to assimilate vast number of theories
the more contradictory they are the bet
ter: they are not able to give so lastine
attention to any one system OF philosoph,
as to be able OF willing To adopt 1t ior I
1 religion: they are distracted by thous
and cares, duties and pleasures But IL
Russia it was different; the curtain wa:
( lifted for moment. Buchnet and Scho
: penhauer were standing in full view, an,
the impression was at once made, AS on
f., prepared plate OF photographer, where
: the torpor of Russian life gave no chanc
a for blurring nnd confusion Moreover
D the hopelessncss that the views OF Buch
I ner and Schopenhaucr encouraged chm
Z ed in with the despair of the oppresse'
Slavs. and they were ready enough to ap
plaud the men who if they had tried
A could not have fattered them more dex
+ terously than by giving other gloom tn
| sanction of a system OF philosophy.
t. Tho Germans have already shown u
. something of the same disposition to b
Z greatly moved by theorioes III the pnicit
z of more active interest, Just ns III our ow
r country we see how so-called practice
D life by it's intensity diminishes the chanc
i for interest in intellectual matters. Ho'
II thoroughly the Russian Government In
+ warped the minds OF the young 10y absur
o restrictions il notorious. and 1t has onl