The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-18
PANSLAVISM.
BIZ HERBERT FUTILE.

The thing ia easy to define, but
hard to describe. 1t embodies what
is known, alike TO enthusiasts and to
philosophers, as the principle OF
nationalities, and yet ia something
considerably more than that. When
Moritz Arndt undertook, in his I'M
mortal hymn, to find the true limits
of the Fstherland, he drew them
wherever be could find the German
tongue, German habits, German
spirit, and German traditions. The
generous conception could thus be
made to include peoples and districts
which for centuries had been politi-
cally severed from the empire. But
the test was still German, for not
even the poet ventured to claim the
entire Teutonio group OF tongues and
peoples, England, America, Hol.
land, Denmark, Sweden.-and the
statemsnship ofthe age was audacious
than its poetry. Panslavism is there
fore q more ambitious idea than
Arndts FstherlAnd. Instead of be-
ing DOLLY the dream OF a post, it is
the aim of serious practical statesmen,
or at least an impulse which they are
willing to further and utilize. Instead
Of halting at the frontiers of the Rus.
sian language, il reaches out into
Prussia and Austria, and Turkey; and
embraces all men, whatever their
political relations, whose idiom iden-
titles them with the great SlsvoniC
race. The Servisns. the Bulgarisns,
the Bosnians, the Montenegrins, the
Dalmatians, the Croats, the Poles OIL
Warsaw, OF Posen, of Galicia. the
Czeehs of Bohemia, these all form
part OF the future Slav common
wealth. ALI are brothers, and owe
one another the kindly Offices OF the
iraternal relation.
In this novel domestic scheme the
Gear himself has the part of Great,
or rather, as the Slsvs say, Little
Father. Yet Papslavism stops sp.
parently short OF the idea of g close
political union under a single sceptre,
or even confederation, as Germans,
or Swiss, or Americans understand
the term, and aims only at species
of alliance, with Russia as patron
and protector,-a plan not unlike
that which Mr.. Blaine probably had
in mind when he called his Congress
of American States. But in this
qualified form the idea has powerful
hold on the imagination Of the Rus
sian peoples. Russians may be
Nihilists or loyalists, radicals. liberals,
or conservatives, editors or lawyers,
plebisns or aristocrats, may have any
opinion in politics or any status in
society; if they can only read and
think and dream, they are nearly Ger.
tain ID be Psnslavists, and to defend
the cause with ingenious fervor to
every patient listener. At the clubs
noisy patriots will declsim on the
subject by the hour. In the salons
fair ladies insinuate it upon you, with
all the art Of the sex, As they hand
you your glass of tea. The stranger
whom one meets on Ghe train, or at
table d'hOte, or at tie picture-gallery,
lie likely not only to be a champion OF
Psnslavism, bat to discuss its virtues
with an enthusiasm and 3 naiUete
which takes no account of ones for.
eign birth and possible lack OF inter-
est in the cause. General Skobelef
was therefore perfectly justified in
protesting, as he did on his return
from Paris, that he had only an.
nounced sentiments which in Russia
every one holds and svoWs.
No one can, indeed, be more sur.
prised than the gallant general him.
self at the Political importance into
which be has suddenly sprung. Like
every educated man or woman in
Russia, be is something of politi.
cian. His opinions are well known,
and be has often expressed them with
o Granknsss which, even in this
country, public opinion and the ETH
quette of their profession forbid to
the high officers of the army. But
there was no special reason why Gen
eral skobeleff, in spite of his grave
indiscretion, should be singled out for
the malignant attacks of German
Slsvophobists, unless, indeed, pre-
text was desired for humiliSting Rus
eis, or provoking a rupture.-JHne
Atlantic.