The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-09

WarOellan TO OC fetcrSDurg Lerml-
nus there is distance of $50 miles. far
exceeding that between London aud
Edinburgh, and yet the first journey of
two nights and two DAYS only brings
one to the capital, which lies in the
corner of the Empire. A glance at the
map will satisfy us that the surface
of the smaller half of this Empire
European Russia-is considerably larger
than that of all the other states of
Europe put together; while the other
half-Siberia, with the rest of the Ash
attic provinces-is not far from cover
ing one-third of the Asiatic continent;
and that recent traveller, the Rev.
Henry Lansdell in his five months
Journey from London to the mouth of
the Amoor, all across the Gar domin-
ions. went over 1900 miles by rail,
800 miles by steam. and 5000 miles
by horses, or. altogether 1850 miles
almost in a straight line.
So far, then, as man may take pride
in the mere bigness OF his country. .
Russian has ample reasons to be proud.
But state, like man, may be none the
happier for all that. A lofty stature,
to be sure, enables man to look over
the heads of a crowd, an unGuestion-
able advantage, and mere hei ght i'm
parts an air of dignity and command
which the understood fully appreciate.
But a six-foot-six giant. as [ once saw
doubling himself up and drawing in
his legs to get into a lady'S brougham,
is a ludicrous sight. Very tall men
arc seldom well-proportioned or robust
and in war they offer too easy a target
to the wicked breech-lOaders OF modern
construction. In the same manner
Russia is made unwieidy by her very
bulk. She has to struggle with her pro-
digious length and width, and to do it at
q greater disadvantage than any other
large states. In the Western Continent,
for instance, in the United States,
Brazil, and the Republics of South
America, man was powerfully aided
by nature in his fight against enormous
distances BY the length of navigable
water courses, the Mississippi and Mis-
souri,, the St Lawrence, the Platte,
Porana, and Uruguay, the Amazon, the
San Francisco, ETC., even before he
could help himself by his railways;
whereas in Russia the northern streams
both of Europe and Asia, the Nieman,
the Dwina, the Obi, the Yenisea, the
Lena. etc, empty themselves either in
the White and Attic seas. choked with
ice six or eight months in the year or in
the Baltic, also frozen in the winter
months, and for a long time placed be-
yond reach of the Cars sway; and the
Southern streams, the Volga, the Don,
etc., ended either in the Caspian or the
sea of Azoff and the Euzine, both closed
for centuries against Russian enter
prise and expansion.
With respect to railways, it was Rus
sia's misfortune to 60 late to work
about their construction, and even what
she has achieved between the Crimea
and Turkish wars-1S54-1S76 scarce
ly amounts now to $4,000 miles, to
which, after the peace of Berlin, she is
barely adding 700 miles ,yeariy-a strik-
ing contrast to other large Countries
as to the United States of North Amer
lea. for instance, which boasts of a net of
railway lines of $1,000 miles, with an
average annual addition of 10000 miles.
This bac iwardnesS of Russia In her
endeavOrs to annihilate space by rapid
and easy means of locomotion can not
be without grave consequences for her
commercial and social, as we'll as iinan-
ciai and political interests. 1t is lost
ground for her in her battle of life; in
the incessant struggle against that
geographical position which from the
beginning doomed herto seclusion from
| the civilized world-a struggle the ev-
idence of which may be read in every
page of the country's history, and may
be followed in every shift OF its COVER
ment' policy.-Londoss Times.