Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-16
A RUSSIAN WRITER
GIVES AN INTERESTING PICTURE
OF LIFE At HOME.

/ A SIMULTANEOUS State Of Society-In-
sensibility to shame I. National Char
notwithstanding the Tithes-A Sad
| Spectacle Of Social Degradation.
The father of Alexander Verestchagin,
author Of SAT Home and In War;" was ono
OF the landed gentry, owning some 500 serfs,
and lived in much the same patriarchal style
as did the southern planter of our own coun-
try in ante-bellum days. Only the relation
between the Russian gentleman and his serfs
was closer, being more natural and long
founded than that between the planter and
| the blacks. That he was a victim Of injustice
or that there was anything radically wrong
| in his condition of servitude never dawned
upon the dull consciousness Of the Russian
| serf. The master was from time in,memorial
his dear benefactor his kind protector, to be
| lashed by whom was a disagreeable dlsci-
pline, but implied condescensicn and carried
with it positive benefit. In such a semi
barbarous state Of society, having all the
crudeness and cruelty of feudalism without
the poetry and chivalry Of that state Of ex-
| istence, the EQUALIZATION Of the lower class
is q necessary condition, as Is a correspond
ing moral debasement of what by courtesy
may be called the eriStocracy.
This author does not fatter himself and
his countrymen. He speaks with apparent
insensbiity to shame. Truth he tells here,
though truthtelling is not characteristic Of
his nation. Cold bloodedly he relates how
his father, q pious man, would lie to save
.I.--z - l~lx g. Il.
hood upward never hesitated to draw long
bow at the dictatiou Of his interest or his
vanity. Imagine a proud spirited boy OF
this country or England sullying his honor
with falsehood. 1t is baseness Of which
he is incapable. Yet mendacity is as Unborn
in the Russian as Implicitly in the Italian,
and like it is the logical conclusion Of the so
Geological premises. Where corporal punish
nent is universally inflicted lying is one of
the means Of escape; a people mean enough
to be beaten is low enough to lie.
And what vision of castigation does this
book afford usl The father beats his sons on
the slightest occasion and with conscientious
severity; the aid of the elder brothers is Sc
cured, if required, to punish the younger; the
serf is beaten for laziness. drunkenness, swim
ding, and the soldier for cowardics or dis
felt by regiment Of men whose commander
orders them to lie down and be f1ogged, is
incomprehensible; yet such a scene in the
recent Russo Turkish war is described by
Verestchagin.
The serfs OF course, are no longer serfs
but it was not many years ago when episodes
like the following were of everyday occur
renee: A serf overseer comes to pay his
nd 70, ort IF no
swears that he has given up all.
Dear sir, have mercy!" bowls the peasant,
and falls at the judges feet. There is no
more money!"
''You lie! You liel know you have more.
Seek and you will find"
by heavens! my own father, have none,"
cries the man, not rising, but showing his nose
into the judges boot.
Hey, there, policeman" shouts the judge,
opening the door which leads upstairs
The policeman makes his appearance.
where's the porters Drag him up stairs!"
And he points to the Overseeer, who is still
wallowing about at his feet.
Dear sir, have mercyl little can be
found"
IA, whats Now you sing another song,
you old ravenI"
knotted into a parcel, unties it, and hands
him one bank bill
"Well, this is little indeed; why are you
trying to impose upon mea You can't sing
beggar Lazarus to me. Take him off up
stairs"
My own father, my benefactor, dear sir,
if you were to kill me l haven't kopek
more!"
The porter makes his appearance to assist
the policeman.
Haul him up stairs, children, anc- I'll be
there DIRECTLY" shouts the judge. They drag
the overseer out and lead him up stairs, with
their arms under his, as though he were an
archbishop. On the stairs cries are long
heard: Dear sirs! benefactors. if you were
to kin me | haven't another kopek!"
Having taken a bite and a drink, the judge |
sets out to extract the remainder. After a
few blows from the switches the unhappy
overseer again begins to shout: ''Stay, ORTIZ |
odox believers, there is tri1e more"
well, stop, my brave fellows. Show rs
what more you havel" orders the judge
The serf takes off his bast shoe and extracts /
from it another trife.
what! That's nonsense! Throw him |
down again, childrenr
And they threw him down again. And |
this process is repeated five or six times.
And this mode of extracting the quit rent |
prevailed everywhere All day long over
seerS were brought to the judge, and the |
shrieks resounded:
stop! my own fathers-stopl there is still
D trifie morer
One would be disguised if one brought
civilized standards by which to judge the
Russian character which in MANY respect1
has not yet passed the stage Of puerility
One particularly noticeable thing in this
book is the frequency of ebulhtions Of anger
among all classes of people. The father fies
into passion a. his sons the teacher at his
scholars, the master at his serfs the general
at his soldiers, and these spasIns Of rage are
not thought to be demeanirg or cxtraordin
airy. The control of the temper is equally
difficult to children and berbarians.
The deceit practiced by the serfs is on .
par with their n1endacity and gluttony. In
reading one Of Mr. Augustus Hare's books
not long ago one could hardly believe what
he said OF the Russian peasants-that when
they prayed in church they would actually
beg of one saint to help them steal the gems
from the statue Of another. and propitiats
the celestial scconpice by promising him
share in the spoiIs! One must believe such
things however, after following Mr.. Verest-
chasin's book, in which many such things
are narrated with the coolness OF one who Is
not surprised at them, but thinks that they
may be interesting to TIE rest OF the world.
In this spectacle of social degradation n
there not latent explanation OF the raeian-
choiy that pervades tho upper Russian claS
and expresses Itself in the profoundly de-