New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-13
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
HOLY RUSSIA.

RUSSIA. Illustrated, Square. evo' pp' 4oo n"'f'
q Brothers.
The beauty and abundance Of Its illustrations ana
the luxury Of s paper and binding render this volume
peculiarly at for the Of gifbook but IL Is muc"
more than that, comprising, as 1t docs the opserss
tons Of well-known specialists upon the soci" nv
the art and architecture of Russia. The nrst part
by Count Melchior dc Vogue, who knows more OF n"s
Gle than most living writer's The second part Is o.
Mr. Theodore Child veteran traveller, observer 81"
critic while Mr. Clarence Cook contributes '~a~o
paper upon Russian bronzcs, and the sensational
painter verestchagn furnishes graphic skech VI va,
laee ill., OF all these writer's NJ. de Vogue Is the
,rost svmn.tbctic though he perceives clearly and
points out in the same way the effects OF an absoutse
system upon Russian civilization. lie represents the
nation as composing pyramid OF whch the issr is
the apex. Below him is the ahstocsacy an ascociacy
which Is stdr q bureaucracy Az the pot.o" aio
the people, almost hopelessly ignorant nnterate bar
barous and fanatical The Greek religion as prac-
tised Is ritualsm detased by the grossest superstition
and represented by symbolism which Is itsen
formidable barrier to intellectual progress since us
perpetuates the crudity OF Byzantine art IN all i's
features and thus all religious expression to
tyulv Egyptian or Chinese nxity and stagnation. NJ
de Vogue gives animated sketches Of society at St.
Petersburg of the life and amusements OF the various
circles and Of the manners Of the commercial class.
Among the merchants he distinguishes two kinds OF
manifestation The old Russian OF living, retained
by the Seniors is pariarchal, oriental and barbarous
The women under this system much secluded
treated virtually slaves. and permitted no Priv
leces The older men are avarcious, misery, ABSORBED
in trade and Jealous Of all needless expenditure
Young mercantile Russia swings the pendulum the
other way 1t delights in scattering the hoards
scraped together by the other generation 1t produces
a class Of young men given over to wild and vulgar
osteutation and bizarre profusion: the kind OF kus
SLAMS who 20 to Europe and at Paris and the gambling
and watering places acquire notorety for their aVsp
and reckless outlay. Ofacial Russia has Its whole
mind bent upon promotion, and official Russia III
cudes nearly all the more civilized elements. save
the two or three thousand high mobiles who constitute
the Court Of the Tsar TO be general is the common
ambition, for this grade attained certain omciai
lawlessncss is permissible, and the rights appeitai
ing 10 the title extensive that the hoiders u
II really constitute privileged class Miitansm Is III
Russia the first and highest influence II is almost
necessary to a uniform In order TO OBTAIN an
audience with the Tssr. At the Court festivals ana
halls the only civil costume 10 be is that OF the
United states Minister. Mr.. Child was struck, on
his arst visit to st. Petersburg with the amount Oh
sham ana belive in the architecture OF the I'M
peral palaces and the public buildings, ana the pre-
yailing want Of taste In all pupho
decorations He noted love OF awurlness
indicating very thin veneer Of civilization All tne
palaces he found to be stucco. built In rocco syle
urly without and crude garish Within lacking IN
dignity beauty of form and outline, sincerity Oh uo
sign and honesty OF execution. surfaces were con
tnuay broken up with excessive Commentator. HNon
the Ncvsko Prospckt, which has compelled the al
,niration of so many travellers and visitors, disap
,o,n,ed this merciless critic. 1t is truly called
Prospect he remarks for it only be viewed with
satisfaction at a distance Approach, ana the oetaus
become poor and sordd.
Mr. Childs impression Of the Russian people, the
peasantry, the mujks, is even more unhatterhg thah
NJ de vogue's. They appear to the American oo
server barbarous, dirty, bgoted and capable OF
trcachery and fanaticism. That they are as yet ex
tremely backward is beyond question: but their aeseo
superors the proprietary class. do not appear 10 DC
greatly in advance Of them and one popular hab.'
namely tho manner OF building the villages, proves
This strkingly All Russian villages are crowded To-
gether the houses usually touching one another.
Being heavily matched when the dry season arrives
the danger OF fire is very great and the houses are
so packed when ono goes all 90. Now every year nre
sweeps over the country There Is no water ana no
precautions are taken. Scores of villages are thus
destroyed annually and as soon as the ashes are coid
the stupd peasants begin rebuild them precisely as
they were before. What becomes OF the Darwinian
hypothesis in this case? In the experience OF animals
it is found that repeated suffering from the ehects OF
stupidity finally teaches prudence and wisdom. Ihe
Russian peasant however, has for centuries been pur
suing the imbece course, every year having It's
imbecility impressed upon him in the most convincing
way: vet he has learned absolutely nothing. Doubt
less his fatatc tendencies count for something In the
ersstencc of his conservatism but his nature must be
amazingly sluggish to Withstand this perpetual teach
ing nv object-lcsson; and what be said for the
intelligence of the landlords who do nothing to effect
any Improvement in the habits Of their peoplcf
I'm. no,nt in Mr. Chd's papers calls for criticism
+oo loudly to be passed Speaking OF the siberian
transportaton he says: Being OF the opinion that IL
is best for nations well as for individuals 10 ho
ther own business, shall not venture TO criuclse
the Russian system Of convict coionizauoh' hor Shall
VIC indulge in misplaced sentmentality over the care
l,frx-nc ro,o
ers and Nlhists whom we may remark III the stree.s
NJ MOSCOW uniformly dressed in gray, with black
convcts' caps and hair cut short If the truth were
known the abuses and nhumanty OF European prisons
would doubtless be found to be quite as great as mol
greater than those that zeaous busybodies have at
tempted to up In the Siberian system, without
however Il must be added, disturbing in the slightest
degrec the serenity of the Russian officials These
xentences can only be characterized as allie brutal
and fstuous. No one who has any knowledge OF the
facts or any regard for the truth would dare TO assert
that the truly internal Siberian system has its parallel
In any part Of Europe. No one, 1t might be Thought,
not given up TO servile admiration tf Russian
ahsolusm would venture to deny the clearly estab-
lsed facts which have been laid before the world by
Mr. George KEENAN, and many Others And no one not
wrapped In hidebonnd Toryism would assert the
monstrous principle that the sympathy and aid Of
human beings for their fellows in distress ought to
be regulated and controlled by national lines and
geographical boundaries. II the dsgraceful rcvela
lions which have made concerning tho abuses OF
the Siberian system have not. Mr.. Child asscrt had
the effect OF disturbing in the slightest degree tho
serenity of the Russian officials the fact is only
much the worse for the Russian officials II certainly is
not circumstance to be cited though 1t were some
thing TO be prond Of We cannot but regret that scnt
mcnts so repulsive and perversc should have been al
lowed to stand in book which in other respects is
deserving Of much praise.
Mr. Child's notes upon Russian art and architecture
ore full OF interest and penetration. though considering
the amount Of foreign aid which has been called in 1t
ia very difficult TO determine the extent and value OF
the purely native genius. The Church of yassli
Blagennoi, which Is cited the most dlstincvey Rus
sian monument cxtant the work of Italian. and
In almost every instance the striking designs will
be found to have been supplied by foreigners. Rus
sian modern art. In painting, is simply French
realism applied to Russian subjects: interesting.