Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-30
RUSSIAN STUDENTS.


rrcub1ts In the Ontvcrshs VI
NthilIsss Are Made.
There n trouble In tho Russian universe.
lies. writes the London correspondent OF
The san Francisco Chronicle. The cause
lies chiefly, n not altogether, IN the new
regulations, Of which a full account bv
stepniak has lust appeared In the LONDON
Ty,nss. and viii doubtless be reproduced
elther in whole or In part by the American
nress. l need NOT. therefore, enlarge on
ipnt score, and will pass on at once TO what
the Russian papers call the --latest scandal
~ the students Of Kicf" Like all other
Russian students. these young fellows are
watched and iutored, worried and BARRED
by whole army OF spies, policemen, and
rcndar,hes. II two or thu ee oil them meet ina
trends room, the portentous tact re-
ported to the police and repctt,on OF Tue
offence strictly forbidden. and their i'dy-
Jugs are regularly searched for comprom,s,,
ing papers and contraband books. All
this, as may well be supposed, does not eN-
actly tend TO make them loyal suolecs Oh
The Gar, and instead OF rendering tue
blind obedience demanded OF them, tncy
lose no opportunity OF showing tneir dis,
content ana organizing manifestations ana
outbreaks which bring many OF them in'o
serious trouble. On these occasions some
are imprisonedan some expelled. "A sen
fence Of expulsion, moreover. Is no JOKE
for those upon whom Il Is passed are there-
by rendered ineligible for admission into
any university whatever. In other words,
their careers are broker, perhaps tneir
whole lives ruine1-and this Tor some
yenial breach OF discipline or bolsterous
outbreak Of high spirits which IN any otner
country would be visited with some nomi-
nal punishment or pass altogether unho-
ticed.
A few days ago the students oil hiei were
informed that they might hold source IN
honor of the tiftietb anniversary OF theiI
alma mater. II is scarcely necessary 10 say
that in the absence OF official authorization
the soir/e could not take place, public meet
inc az every kind being tabooed by the po-
lice. Permission in this case having been
granted. II may be supposed that the stu
dents would be free to invite 10 their soTee
wbomsoever they chose. But Russian a'i-
thorities never make a concession with one
hand that they do not try to draw
IL back with the other. So permission
10 hold the soirfe was saddled with
the condition that the list OF proposed
guests must be submitted 10 the heads OF the
University for their approval. To. thus the
students vigor )usly objected, and by way
of protest, or ioh T., put in the list the names
Of Louise Michel. Henri R0cheiort, ana
Professor DragamanOv. Or course tIls
was all nonsense. for Louise Michel Is In
prison. DragamanOy in exile, ana Rocne-
tort would not make 4 Journey TO hiei al
this time OF the year for all the students I'D
Russia. But the rector OF the University.
instead OF taking no note or noticing u
only with a laugh, grew very angry. anu
insisted that no invitations should be sent
10 The individuals in question. The stu
dents on their part demanded tnat at least
Professor Dragammnoy should ne Dldueh
70 the feast. The rector persistlng In MS
refusal, there was row. Inc STU
dents got up manifcstation-thatl j.
10 say, they marched III procession
through the streets, serenaded tue rec
tor. stones were thrown at the WIN.
doWs. and Professor Soub0tine, VINO, VITA
several other professors, happened to be In
the rector's house, was hit on the head.
few minutes later General Dreutelu APP
reared on the scene and upbraded the pro-
lessons for having permitted the procession.
The professors gave a sharp answer. which
so provoked the Governors aid-de-camp
that he boxed Professor SoubOtinc's ears;
the professor replied In kind. wbereupon
a general 1are-up aud something like
free. fight, the students down IN the street
being naturally greatly delighted withal.
On this "painful incident" as the Russian
papers call 1t, coming to the knowledge OF
The Government. q general inquest was
ordered, with the result that about llfty OF
the students were expelled from the uni
vCrsity for good.
Could a more absurd proceeding be i'm
agined? So long as the young fellows re-
NAMED in the University they were under
the ewes Of the authorities, and, knowing
their liability to punishment. would natu-
rally take reasonable care TO avoid Incurrlng
their displeasure, but expulsion converts
item all at one stroke into potential Reyo.
lutionistS. and a considerable portion VIII
no doubt Join secret societies and become
combaliye Nhilsts. il is in this way that
the Government il continually furnishing
recruits to the great army Of rebels. ana
making enemies Of the entire educated ciiss
OF the country. Michel Dragamanov, whom
the students desired so much TO invite To
their s0rrei. is an able and distinguished
man. now in exile at Geneva, where had
the pleasure Of making his acquaintance.
Once professor in the University at klei,
Dragamanov had to leave his country be-
cause lac made himself man Of "light aud
leading" in Ukranian literature. the Rus
sian Government being in constant dread OF
every influence which they think viii lead
to separation the severance from the
empire Of any Of the numerous rationale
ties of which it is built up. Witness the
desperate efforts they are making to sup
press the language of Poland, aud which
lonn they made 10 NH
down the national language OF Fin
land. When the Car visited some
schools at Warsaw the other day, the
best compliment ne could pay them was
that the pupils pronounced Russian very
correctly. This disdlin Of the non-MuscO-
yite races, numbering about lO,0OO,0OO. l.
by no means confined to the governing
classes. Ii extends TO the Russian Reyolu-
,ioni>ts themselves. and, with the exception
of Prince Krapotkine and a few Others as
eulig htened as he, they utterly ignore the
wants and aspirations OF conqucreda an
ueXed territories, and even II they swept
away the cZlrdOm, would MAINTAIN the
highly centralized system OF government
which. IN so vast and sparsely populated a
country. renders efficient and economical
administration almost impossible.
Now. Michel Dragamanoy, though Rev
oluiionist, is not Muscoyitc Revolution
ist-not a Muscoyite at all, in fact. While
res0utc TO maintain the integrity OF the
empire. he would convert it into federal
republic. and he calls himself "SOcialist
Federali,t Ukranian.' He would give
every nationality home government and re-
organize the State on the American or
swiss model. Wild ~ this idea may seem,
II is quite within the limits Of the possible.
Finland. though subject to the Car. en-
JOYS 80 full measure Of autonomy that
she has her own special laws, her own leg
:slatiye council, her own metallic cur
rency: white in the rest Of the empire in
convertible paper is the sole legal medium
Of exchange. There is really no reason, In
the nature OF things. why a like autonomy
should not be granted TO Poland, CourlAnd,
siberia. tie country Of the Don Cossacks,
and Russian Ruthenia.
The Ruthenians (also called Ukrauilns
and Little Russians) are n Slayonian race,
inhabiting the country comprised between
the upper parts of the Tissa, rs far as the
west OF the Carpathian mountains in Hun
gary and the source OF Don in Russia on
the other hand, and between the Russian
Niema and the Black Sea on the other.
This district, which includes 1880 geo.
graphical square miles, is larger than France
The Ruthenaus number IN all 100000
souls, of whom l4.500,000 own allegiance
10 the CZar. while 5000. 900 inhabit AustrO-
Hungary, 2,3l2,000 Gaiicii. 10000 Hun