The sun., 1881-07-17
. yrITLIsT,S CES.
s,.-, he md his Fellow students Got into
Tro.bic-The Czar's Prison Anerwnrd.

The 18th day OF feDruary w. S.), 1901, IL
s,rsver engraved In my memory. was then 10
veors old. and OF course could not grasp the
,,;I meaning of the great net OF liberation. Yet
= ,et that something extraordinary bad hap
.o,cJ-something very j sagrseable to the
.ohles. the scrfholders. but unusually good for
,ho scrfs. was living with my parents in our
rulore and on that day the church bells pealed
sroul'y as the joyful crowds OF serfs hastencd
70 church, The white haired priest. whose
volce trcmbled with emotion, read from tho
o,nbo the emancipation ukase. The faces OF the
u.asants. men and women. were wet with tears
=, ;ov | wept myself without knowing the
causc Then great event took place. These
ns,sants who had entered the church as .scrfs
wnlkc.l out of it freemen.
"srobodai" !" t'Freedom ~ This magic word
r.s on the lips OF all; it wa. heard everywhere.
m thc way home from church saw on ali sides
groups Of excited peasants who instead OF pay
ins mo the usual respect. uttered remarks and
made j,sts which plainly showed animosity.
Frightened. I hurried home.
Mamma" cried, why do they curse mo 2"
$50 il has already begun ~ said my mother"
onzing al my father. And then turning to me
she said: My poor boy! You will have no
peasants to serve you: you must work like tho
loves, Of the moujks "
Her voice was choked by bitter tears. My
.isters were crying and l cried. too though
unablc TO understand what had happened. My
father tried to cheer us up. but he did not seem
10 believe much in the encouraging things he
said to us. l remember his telling mo that
through a university education | might yet at
lain high position in tho Government
Tho universities prepare only bureaucratic
slaves. replied mother. NY father kept silence
Timo rolled on. l had been sent to pro-
sincia classical gymnasium in order to pre-
pare myself for the University. For eight years
had besn numerically drilled. both mentally
and physically. At last l had successfully
oassed tho fnal ordsal-the examination. My
bead had been completely filed with the in
,rica,c rules OF the Latin. Greek. German
French. Slavonian. and Russian grammars. SO
that there had boen hardly room enough left for
. ios5H o.hsr sciences geography IRussian and
universally. history (ltussian and universally.
eriture Russian and universally. math hema atics
iarthmetic algebra. and geometry. natural
sciences tmineralogy. botany. and zoolosyI
Natural philosophy. sacred history. the cate
chsm. the history OF the Russian Church. and
the Orthodox liturgy. l had been regarded
model student. aud had been duly presented
with the certificate which entitled me to admis-
sion to the University.
Meanwhile the spirit Of the now time was fast
seizng upon Russia In the gymnasium we
had learned only the different sciences: for
moral teaching We had gone to the liberal and
radical journals and magazines. So it came
about that OF all my theology remembered
best ths That the age Of martyrdom had not
get gone by. and that the greatest love ons can
show was to give his life for his friends. From
natural history had learn-d that there was
going on all around us fatal struggle for ex-
tstence. From the history OF the world had
pa1 ~ n tl,o l,y
that Russia Jagged behind all tho civilized
countries because OF her despotic tautocratc we
were taught to call III Government.
A little over ten years ago arrived In St. Pc
tsrsburg. a fresh and modest provincial lad.
anxious 10 enlarge my intellectual horizon. 1t
was my luck to be drop in tho Arst wave OF the
Nihilst movement remember we'll how our
movement began. Tho Cars Act OF Emanci-
patton. OF course. WAS at the bottom OF 1t. Thou
sands OF youths of noble birth sought to secure
tho highest education rs the only chance loft
them OF making . career. All the universities
and the institutes for girls were ovsrhlled. A
now problem presented itself to tho sons and
daughters OF the former serfh olders. 1t was NO
longer n question Of how to spend money earned
hy the serfs. but how 10 earn money!
T. was not How can best enl ' life ?" but
great stir, an indescribahie fsrmsntntion. in
society. The old regime was pass ng away and
ing themselves out. The old p.ope were
Rrumbllng, and the young oErs were adapting
themselves to the now state OF things. A great
process OF social reorgnn iZation was going on.
The Rnssian poets OF that time sang: " The old
must soon dis. and the new WI u quickly grow"
entered the Imperial Medical Academy in
spite Of the entrsatiss Of my parents. who re-
garded medicine as unhscomi NJ 10 a nobleman.
and who wanted me to study the law in order 10
become an administrator. W.. the young peo-
pie did not care for brilliant career; We want
ed to be asetul. utilitarIanism was our watch
ma ltsll - i ms at..
a'quain'anre with the stulants OF the Univer-
sity. OF the Tschnologi"ai Institute. Of ths AE-
aud OF the military schools. Tue Russian stu
dents do not indulge in any physical exercise.
such as rowing. bail playing, and so on: gym
nastics are looked upon by them as pastnIe
below their dignity.
lege. and in the evening / attended some
skhodhd lIneetingl. At these meetings assem-
bed the best OF the young generation. who were
later TO man all branches Of tho Government
and all the industries. There was seen Young
Russia. gathered from all ths Russias. free. en-
thusiastic. honest. ready TO work for the com
mon veal. We were great critics. The senior
medical students held that IL was useless to doc
tor tho mouJiks. since. under the actual social
hnu economical conditions, they were found
Co be seized by mouIik diseases. and a certain
percentage OF them must necessarily die. The
there we're no laws binding tie people and ths
Government alike, and that therefore. ther.
wAs no justice in Russia. The students ~ the
Agricu.tur Tschnologica and Mining Insti-
sutes demonstrated to Us that our Gov-rn-
Auout, lHsltau OF helping, only tTaInpet
down industry and agriculture. The future
schoomastsrs showed US that the Government
aid everything in its power 10 prevent. or
at least to postpone. the intellectual develop
ment of the masses OF tho paople. The
military students argued that tho Government
being military one. sacrificed the interests Of
the people to those of the army and navy. spend
ing more than half OF the puhlic income for the
support of tho latter. All these and the like
arguments were supported by the nticial sta
ustlcs. Young ladies' the relatives ami friends
OF the students. were always present at our
lktOdht must admit thar these dscoursas Of
fellow students had more powerful influence
On my mind than the lectures At college. Suon
however, the character of our discussions un-
ierwent material change.
What is the good of our talking here Of the
manifold sufferngs of Russia ?" said Netcha"a
one night in circle of S u!rnis. We must 90
5ometning to better our condition."
Yes. We must do something. and do il i'm
nndIalelY. was the answer OF the enthusiasts.
What to do? That was tle question which
Drought about most animated discussions for
thrse or four months. The majority of the
students were Of the opinion that they must
lrst finish their studies aa! then apply their |
Aupwisdge to curing tna existing evils. These |
were called the Graduali-ts and Organlsts; |
heY held that the social orr. tIisIi must develop
u.elt gradually like the human organism.
These GrasiuAlists fPJsi-BenGrtzU beloved. OF
Course. in n peaceful sOIutiI Ol all the troubles !
o Russia. Yet their demands were tina same as /
IA Vas.far