New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
~ ,xs,np VIEW OF NIHILIsM.

tn
MYSTERIOUS movement OF recent t'Ies "p"s ~ .'
"ys norotoforc-fairy ineligible. When tho
- vas startled in 1878 by the acquitial by II
-, inrv of a woman who gloried IN having
-. ono of the Czaf's most powerful officials, IL
1e.,,,d for the FIRST time that there was network
% ,et soc,et,es in the chief cities OF the Empire
-b,se consr traitors ere known as Nihllists. "na'
ra, Nhilist7 The word was JurgeDehs. anu he
had presented in "Fathers and Sons type Vi 'ne
nhilosophica aud literary class which uourlshe0 10
+be era of the Emancipation of The Serbs bazaroi
baiuo one Of the most distinct and powerful hgnres
IN modern fiction. the popular impressions Oh 'ne
Nih,l,st Of 1878 did not lack deiniteness b"V 'hS
did lack accuracy. and for very Simple reason
,he Nihilis. cf 1878 was u very diheleht poi 'on
4rom Razarof. the APOSTLE of negations and indi-
yidualism whom the novelist n&d maoo INC ''PU =,
-, most ,emark.ble intellectual movement. tne
class for whom Turgeneff had coined the co"'o"'p
tpops word "Nihihst" haa entirely dlsappeare"
,vh,n vera Zassulic's vindicstion Ivy jury VI
s,,erior ,,teIlirence became European o'o"V
Anotbcr lass had arisen in its place WIN ne" 0"'
aeterstics and definite political aims ana n"~" 'r,.
baa ceased TO be a type OF the newer Nlnii'S',' 49,
read,ng world did not know thlS' ~ PF ii
Funire Of the Night, at first Win pA1",o 81
subsequently with Neshdanois, MAI Ao,o,' 90"
Mar,ann,s Virgin Soil having been puoi's"u
tbs in,eryal But it WIS an unreal anu ia"'"a ~,
T.,r;ra Of the Night. Wher the work. when tne
Nihjlists we're actually doing IN Russia was "'''
to agents of this type the whoi7 lno'e"0"'
came vague. sbadowy. inocmprehensiO'e.
Razaroi was materalst who Scorntuily einah-
o;na.ea himself as an Individual from the restraints
ot ontboritv IN religion. in family and social me-
md IN all matters of intelligence and morais' ITO
ooul5 denv every recognized principle OF govern
rsnt every rule of life which was IN conlilce WIN
mis- own individual will and he could accoo' uo
strovinv agencies as the logical outcome oil MS pun
losopby of negations, grimly IemarSlng tn"V d"
necessary in the FIRST place 10 clear Oh '"o
oround - vet he was not thoroughly in earnest ana
ne did not trouble himself with the details Oh Iecon
struct,on. awe have decided ne wouio say
brusouelv. not to undertake anything sefiou'y.
To-day it seems useful to us to denV anu VIC "o"S'
Ue conId take a cold. scientific interest IN Whae
80 ,o,n, On in the world aud after life oil SUI
nrep,s sel6sbness he could die quietly and bravery
anorgb after taking the infection from the BODY OF
q tvnbus victim which he had dssected' lie was
not thu man who for the good of Others or LOT Wh"'
n, might consider would be for the good OF otheF'
coulJ suppress every selfish instinct, i've mo vi
self abnegaton and suffering and ole uea'n vi -"
tolerabe torment. lie was rot th9 man 70 mani
his unbelief and his science OF negatous
sort OF religion. He not the man 10 organize d
movement among the peasantry. TO seta secio'
press in motion. to undermine railway or 10 'nro"
bombs under the Cars carriage. lie was ho' 'ue
non to mopnt the callows with stride of triumph
and n serene consciousness that his death would DO
of .ome nxe in aiding positive and necessary
cause. II Bazarof could not have fashioned the
Moscow mine nor planned the explosion IN the
Wiotsr Palace. the h1manitarians and water-veined
man of VIRGIN Soil would have been equally
helpless and inefficient. Marianne was woman Oh
NTH and sentiment. So2hia PerOvskaia and vera
Zassulic were women of blood and steel.
When Turgenef had not succeeded in MAKING
Nibiljsm Ineligible, English and french noVehs's
and Swiss and German journalists could onN eh-
meet 10 uslead aud confuse the reading woilo'
Probably no movement in recent times mas Oeeu SO
constantly explained aud so inadequateiy under
stood as this Russian Socialism 1t is this fact wmch
iuyests this new volume with slgnihcahce' Al
was originally written in Italian and published ID
Milan year ago. The authors name, stepnisk.
IL fictitious but the preface which Peter LsVroli'
tb, Editor of .Vperod" lOnward). contributes to
the English edition asserts that il is the Work oil
one of the founders of the revolutionary press-a
leader in the movement who has had a personal
acouaiutance with al the chief actors in the niys-
terous drama OF Underground Russia Here
than. is a study of Nihist character and aims
which may bs assumed TO be genuine 50 lar as the
source of information goes. 1t Is not pretentlous
studv II comprises the opening chapters on the
origin of the movement, the nature OF the propa
uanda and the agencies of terrorism eight prohee
of NIhilist character series of five revolutionary
sketches; and "a chapter of concluding reflections
upon the tendencies OF the secret societies and tht
fntpre of Russia. 1t contains internal evidence Of
the authors sincerity or purpose and the genuine
ness of his information. and aside from being
81 ;nta NINA Ina, n r
as political revelation of considerable Importance
II If be an honest book it goes far toward explain
ing what has been an incomprehensible movement.
Waving all matters of literary style and critica
ANALYSIS. we shall con fine ourselves rigidly to th
contents of this volume as disclosure hlst' o
N,hilist character, and. secondly, OF Nhlist aims
Under the first heal the proiles ana sketches vii
be hastily scanned the historical chapters bein
reserved for subsequent consideration
OF the eight profles five are of men and three o
women. The men are Jacob StefanOvc. Demetriu
Clemens Vaeran UssInsky Peter KIapotkine an
Demetrus Lisogub. The women are Jessy lieN
man. Vera Zassulic and Sophia Perovskaia. Tn
strongest of the eight portraits Is that vi Demeru
Lisogub; and, Indeed, the pages OF Iurgeneh Una
master of the art OF writing short stories, cvntai
NO study of character more vivid and real Una
this brief chapter. Lisogub Is described as tai
male and somewhat slim man, with long bear
whicn gave him an apostolic appearance. He wa
always poorly clad, wearing at the students meet
ings on the coolest nights of the Russian winto
only linen jacket with wooden buttons throaC
bare black cloth waistcoat and trousers light
color; and putting on when he went out doors
thin paletot, an old red comforter and ieath'
cap This shabby dressed man was millIonnair
who had large estate in one of the best province
land, houses and forests, but he lived IN create
poverty than the humblest OF bis dependents Il
be deyotodall hIsmoney to the revolutionary causf
To such an extreme was his parslmony carrie
that his friends often had to interfere In oidef
keep him from starving himself. He could nev'
belpreyailed upon TO hire an omnibus cab, bI
nanId xalk raIher than eurnd a farthnZ Tins