The Dickinson press., 1888-09-15
A RUSSIAN WRITER
GIVES AN INTERESTING PICTURE
OF LIFE AT HOME.
"A Scmi-Barbarous State of Society In
scnsibility to Shame Il National Char
.cteristic-Collcctinst tho Tithcs-A Sad
Spectacle of Social Degradation.

|
author of AT Home and In War;" was ono
OF tho landed gentry, owning some 500 serfs,
and lived i'll much the same patriarchal stye
as did the southern planter of our own coun-
try i'll ante-bcllum days Only the relation
between the Russian gentleman and his scrfs
was closer, being more natural and long
founded than that between the planter and
the blacks. That he was Il victim of Injustice
or that there was anything radically wrong
in his condition of servitude never tllwncd
upon the dull consciousness of the Russian
serf. The master was from time immclnurial
his dear benefactor, his kind protector to bo
lashcd by whom was Il dlsagrccublo ,lisci.
| plnc, but implied condcsccnsion and carried
with it II positive benefit. In such Il semi
barbalous state of society, having all the
crudencSS and cruelty of fculalism without
tho poetry and chivalry of that state of OK
istencc tho brutaization Of tho lower class
Is Il necessary condition, as is u correspond
ing moral dcbasemcnt of what by courtesy
may be called the nristocracy.
This author does not tlattcr himself and
his countrymcn. He speaks with apparent
lnscnsibility to shame Truth he tells here,
though truthtelling is not II characteristics of
his father, Il pous man, would lic to save n
railroad fare, and how lie himself from child
hood upward never hesitatcd to draw IL long
bow ut tho dictation of his interest or his
vanity. Imagine II proud spirited boy of
this country or England sullying his honor
with II fasehood 1t is Il r,sclless of which
he is incapable Yet men,lacity is as inboln
in tho Russian us duplicity in tho Italian,
and like it is tho logical conclusion of the ~
Geological premises. Where corporal punisli-
ment is universally inflicted lying is one of
the means of escape; u people mean enough
| to he beaten is low enough to lie.
And what u vision of castgation does tl,
book afford us The father beats his sons ON
tho slightest occasion and with conscientious
severity; the aid of tho cider brothers is Sc
cule'l II required, topunsh the younger: tho
sri Is beaten Tor laZl!,'ss, drunkenness, swim
ding, and the soldier for cowar,lics or dis
"bcdienre. What incentive to fight can b..
felt by IL regiment of men whose commander
orders them to lie down and lc iloggc,l. is
ncomprehensbl"; yet such u scene in the
recent Russo Turkish war is described bv
Nerestchagin.
The serfs, of course, arc no longer srrf-.
but 1T was not many years ago when cpisodc,
like the following wcro of everyday occur
renee: serf ovcrsccr comes to pav his
i!tlics, and, retaining part of tho money,
s'Hcars that lo has given up ALL
dear sir, have mcrcy!" howls the peasant,
and falls Mt the judges feet. "Thcro is no
in"r,. money!
Won lie! You lie! know you have more
Seek aud You will find"
"i'y heavens. my own father, | have none"
cries the in;tn, not rising, but showing his nose
into the Judges boot.
Hey, there policcman' shouts the judsc,
opening the door whlch leads upstairs.
Tie policeman makes his appearance.
''Whcrc's the portcrl Drag him up stairs!'
And hc points to tho ovcrseecr, who is still
"allowing about at his feet
Dear sir, have mcrcyl A little can he
| found"
IA, what, Now you sing another song,
/ you old raven"
Tile overseer draws from his breast Il rag,
knotted into n parcel, untios it, and hands
4 Linn one bank bill
''Wcll, this is little indeed: why nrn you
/ 'I'ylns to impose upon me! Yo, can't sing
le@glr Lazarus to me- Take him Off up
stars
"Aly own father, my bcncfactor, dear sir
il You We're to kill mo haven't 1, ko,ek
morc.'
The porter makes his appearance to assist
the Policeman.
''liaul him up stairs, children, and I'll lac
/ there drectly!a shouts the judge They tlrns
the overseer ont and lead him up stairs, with
their arms under his, as though he were ln
archbishop. On tho stairs cries arc lon.
heard: ''Dear sirs! bcnelactorss if you wer.
to liill mo haven't another kopek!'
F.! Having taken a bite and n drink, the judge
s'ts out to extract tho remainder After Il
few blows from tl.o switches the unhappy
o%"rs"er again begins to Shout: "Stay, ortll-
p!pT believers, there is a triilc more
"Well, stop, my brave fellows. Show us
what more yoil l!pvc!" orders tho judge
| Tie Scrl takes OH his bast shoe and extracts
flpn il another trile.
"Wllat. That's nonsense! Throw him
down again, childrcn.'
And they threw him down again. And
This process is repeated five or six times
And this mode of extracting the quit rent
1 prevailed everywhere. All day lon; over
ssais were brought to the judge and tie
shrichs resouE,lcd
''Stopl my own fathcrs-stop! there is still
u triic morc'
Ono would be disg,stcA if ono brought
civilized Standards by which To Judge tho
Russian character, which in many respects
has not yet passed the stage Of pucrility
One particularly noticeable thing in this
book is the frequency Of cbuilitio,is Of anger
among all classes Of people. The father ii"s
ltlo Il passion at his son~, the teacher mt l,
scholars, the master at Iii, serfs, the genera,
i.t his soldiers, and these Slts,ns of rae ar,
not Thought IT, be '."mcaning or c!:traorlin-
ai'Y. IIe control If the temper i, equally
d!iicult to children and barlarians
Tic de"eit practicel by the scrfs is on a
l':l!' with their nendacity and gluttonv. In
reading one pf Mr. Augustus HIRES Lool;s
MOI lonis ago one could lar'ily Leie.e what
!.a sad of Tie Russian peasants that wien
they prayed in church they would i,ctuully
beg of one saint 10 help chem steal the gems
from the statue Of another. and l,lUpitiato
tie celestial ;:ccolnplice By promising hilna
share in the spolls! One must believe such
things, however, after following Mr Ncre,.-
| caagins book, in which many such tim
are narrated with the cooMess of o.c y.o IS
not surprised at them, hut thinks that tic.
::iay be Interesting to the t.. OF the wo.i.
In this Spectacle Of social degradation is
there i.ot "A latent explanation OF the lnelan-
! c.-o!y that perv;eles the upper Russian class
;,..i expresses itself i'll the profoundly d.
jected tone of the country's fiction? For the
tluct-ett i.AS>!;lll Ct lJiH' lS III INC tlJSIlIJn
Of the educated German Of Frederick tho
Greats time. He is vcrsed in the polished
European tongues, saturated with subtle
modern philosophy, in sympathy, perhaps,
'.lth high and pure political ideals, and "l!at
'ii=!!eartcans subject for contemplation
i'reets him i'll IL pcasantry that should be the
bass Of the nations glory grovelins in sti-
ieIs..cioA and gross ignorance. Thinking
Euasa is As sad today as hentins Russia i,
s.rons.-Cl.icago Tribune BOOK Review.
To Her stepfat,er.
Maggie ITO her stepfatAer, who is very
l'1:'a:4r '"i0A chi!dreaJ-Oh, L ,"i,h you lad
ga hero WHEN our o.he- papa .ra5 alive.
Ie.; would have liked each ether 5, much
Eaoy yhood.
Pronounced a Fraud.
III, natives Of Venezuela folio -;eti {. wagon
f1.' :.c;sr!y a week to see if the h:;.d wheels
'.9;..- c4tc:, uo with he iromt ones. As this
did no. occur, the vehicle was pronounced =
t,.,. ll,,.-, 4,