The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-06-04
THE ozIR,S OWN PARTY.
The Aiw. and Ambition OF tho sinvophtiss Of
Russia-A Democratic People.


or slavophiles came TO power The Gar him
self is. and has boon for years. the head OF the
so-called Russian party. His chief Ministers
and Councillors. as. for instance. Gen. Ignatieff.
Mr.. Pobedonostzeff. Mr.. Katkoff. and particu-
larly Mr. Ivan Aksakoff. are well-known cham
pions not only Of national policy. but Of
Slavonic civilization. Tho Slavophles affirm
that oil the troubles OF Russia are chiefly due
to the fact that for two centuries the Russian
ruling classes have betrayed the national spirit
and imposed upon the people ant-national in
stitutions borrowed from western Europe.
Now they claim that the restoration Of tho old
Russian. or rather Slavonic. institutions Is the
only sure means Of bringing order, prosperity.
and peaceful development to Russia.
Enough" the Slavophiles say. enough we
have snned against our people by our treason
to national ideals and by aping western Eu-
rope 1t is high time to abandon the road that
has brought our country to the verge OF q po-
ltico-social abyss and to return to the bosom
Of Slavonic civilization"
1t is not the first time the Russian Slavo-
philcs have denounced western Europe. or
rotten Europe" as they call 1t. for its invol-
untary sin Of being 80 attractive to Peter the
Great and some OF his successors that they
earnestly tried to civiIize the Russians on the
European plan But lately their denuncations
have acquired a new meaning. few years
ago they cried " Long live the Slavs~ Away
| with the TurksW Onward to Czargrad!' 1.-THE
| Cars city, the Russian name for Constantine
| ple) Then came q war that nearly realized the
| demands of the Slavophiles. and it required
| the united diplomatic efforts OF the whole Of
| Europe to prevent the Russians from occupy
| ing COnsiantinople. Recently the Slavophiless
| have Threatened the Germans in general and
the Anstrinns in particular: dash ling, Nus;
| sian General, perhaps under the influence OF
| champagne made two little speeches in Slav
| ophilc mood, one in this city and another in
| Paris and behold Immediately an extraordi-
nary military movement on both sides OF the
| frontier dividing Russia and Germany! Here
! everybody believes that the conflict between the
| Slnvs and the Germans is not at all avoided; II
| IL only postponed.
For what are YOU going TO fight the Ger
| manSy' | asked II prominent Slavonhile.
We want to liberate all the Say naiiohalt-
ties, and thus secure free field for Slavonic
1t appears then that the Russian Slayophiles
| have now the ambition to establish. under Rus
| civilization. There are about $4,000 600 Slavs.
all told. in the world. The majority Of them
| are. of course, russians numbering nearly
S Ckskk Morayian t''' BaearIsns servians,
tans, Siovaes. Khorvats. There are over
l5OoO0oo says living under the austrian
than "a German state. The Slavonic, nations of
| to-day speak different languages. which, how
eaN ana al ss hold RS
sacred services in that tongue. They all read
the same Bible. the old SIavonic TRANSACTION,
Saint Methody The Slays Of to-day can ali
understand each other. Their tongue differs
Indo- German family; yet there are many com
mon roots. For instance, both in Slavonic and
brat. brother: nos, nose; gus. goose, The
others Use the SlNvonc characters, some Of
| which they have borrowed from the Greek:
| while the Poles Bohemians. and others use the
Latin alphabet. Phioiogists regard the Slav-
onic tongue rs one OF the richest Of languages,
and opera singers find the Russian language
the most mel9dious. after the Italian
great traits peculiar to the Slavs. distinguish
| ing them from people OF Latin and Anglo
Saxon origin, The sla.s are they s,y born
| Unlike other nations, they never could endure
among themselves either slavery or ,serfdom.
| the Germans and the Cclts made their prison.
crs OF war permanent slaves, the slavs made
| of time. and then gave them their choice either
| to pay ransom and go home or TO stay with
homia where the Slnvs knew no castles, the
| German Emperors for three centuries tried TO
in Bohemia were the chief Shareholders and
century King viadislans i. d Bohemia made , a
| law forbidding any Christian TO serve Jew.
and thus an end was put to the attempts to intro
ducc slavery in Bohemia. The RUSSIANS, Poles,
| Seryans. and other $ avs have had no slavery.
Serfdom never took deep root in any S!avonic
| country. The German serfs endured their po-
sition for ten centuries. though treated as
things along with cattle; but in the Slayonic
| countries serfdom existed for two or three cen
turtles only, and then in lid form, In DO
Of their own. they we're obliged only to fur
| nish some products Of the soil or t. work for
| time for their masters. Scrtdum in its severe
| form was introduced there 10y Germans after
Bohemia fell into the hands Of the .Aus,rinns
existed Tor only two and half centuries
| u6lO-lSGl and during that period there were
cars country was saturate with serihoiders'
| blood. The free Cossackdoms were formed by
the pGGocle who would Mt submit to sccrfd9m.
| form owing 10 the influence on one side Of the
Catholic clergy 1.-THE Poles are Catholics and
| had charge 81 the estates Of the Polish mobiles.
The ,Slayophiies say that the Slays have de-
claim who saved Europe from the Tartar yoke
from the P@pes yoke, from the Turkish yoke
@nf S e by y9k s ' bY
through Russia and reached the carpathian
Mountains; Then hegan a do.spcratc, struggle
hatwcrn Slav and Tartar that lasted for Two
centuries and u half. The Siavs ut length con-
qucr"Yd, In 1888 the Turks captured C4usian-
put the half moon In its stead, and swore
mat the same fat. shonld be visited upon the
Balkan peninsula and particularly the scrvian
Kingdom, were the first obstacles in the road Of
the conluerors,r A bloody struggle hogan be-
time, In 1888 the Turks We're about TO deal
death blow 70 Germany. They were bcsicging
Vienna. Stay Ian SobiesEy, with his Polish
cavalry, rushed upon the Turks ana crushed
them. The Savophilcs claim that he saved
Germany and Europe. NAPOLEON tho ,ircat put
tiie whole Of Continental Europe under his sway
but when ne attempted Ia plant his foot on the
! neck Of tho Slavs his hour had struck and
again the Slavs saved Europe.
The Slayophics take especial pride in the
history 90 u famous Slav Jan Gus At the
beginning ot tho fifteenth century, the age
of great corruption Of morals. when simOny
rrignrd in the Catholic Church and past
ana future sins were rcmittod according
To "a tlrin-when in short n most repug-
nnnt heathentsm was propagatcd under
the name Of Catholicism-E Europe criminally
slumbered. Then Jan Gus arose denounced
the Popedom, preached Christianity in it, pure
form. and demanded the communion in both
:orms-brcad and wine-for the aity as we'll AZ
Tor the clcrgy Gus was burned alive by the
tnthoiic clergy, but his followers made terri
pie war. The fopes moral authority was I'M
lrrmined and II fertile soil was prepared for
Martin Luther, whose appearance Gus had
nrophcsi.d.
Being born democrats the Slavs have al
ways strivcn Tor republican form OF
government though not always successfully,
Hphnmin nd 81.