The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-20

selves in German metaphysics or the
humanitarian philosophy Of the French
Revolution. The germ of thought wa,
deposited. and it has fructiiied aud de-
vel0ped. not into a seryile imitation
Of foreign models. but into rare and
powerful literary ilorescence character
istically Russian, yet which In It's
gloomy. wild despair, fails like fbe
reverbefations Of the chords of pessim'
ism struck by Goethe. in his Sorrows OF
Werther. and sustained by Chateau
brand. Alfred de MusseL, and IN some
of the earlier works Of George Sand,
and which yibrated through the heart
Of Western Europe. until the promise
OF a brighter day awoke the Joyous ex-
pectatiOn of good time coming.
70 many the name Of Russia is asso
Ciated only with crude ideas OF Nihil-
ism, of attempts to assassinate the Gar.
Of a people half barDarous and plunged
ia ignorance. But of this Eastern giant
slowly awakening to consciousness oil
power. and destined perhaps to re2en'
crate our old Europe by the Divine gut
of new IDEAS and new religion. they
know nothing. They may even peruse
from curiosity some chance samples Of
this strange literature, without selzlng
upon the sense of the mental and moral
upheayal. which either we ourselves or
our children must witness. IL Is too
early 70 prophecy events, we can only
consider tendencies. and take passing
glance at tine men who. as depOsitaries
OF the slcred fire. have been preparing
the way for mighty reforms. IL ID ne
cessary only to refer 10 the few leadiug
types. who have illustrated in them
selves the development Of RUSSIA dur
ing the last half century; for in them
we shall find concentrated and sublimed
the tears and aspirations and patient
warnings OF a whole people.
Forced by circumstances, the leaders
Of Russian thought have made the novel
their channel Of communication. The
Russian novel has hence become ma
tional IN the broadest sense Of the word:
the stupidity of their autOcratic gov
eminent having allowed 10 pass uncha.-
lenged those barbed words which were
to arouse the slumberiug Slav TO atten-
tenhon at least, II not to action. and
which in any other form would not
have passed the Censor of the Press.
To Gogol belongs the honor of having
the first gathered together and en-
.hrincd. as only genius can. the most
beautiful of the innumerable legends
tales, and folklore in which Russia
abounds. He it was who first trans
lated the vague complaints of the
crushed millions. their pathetic poetry,
their measureess patience, their dim
longlngs. When Gogol read his Re-
wiser to PO1schkine, this latter re-
mai ked. 50 great was the sense of
des0lation which oyercame him,
God. what a sad country our
Russia isl The same vein of
intense melancholy runs through all
ToIslois works, the same patriotic de
sire to fed !, medy that runs through
the works Of Tourgenef and D0stolev-
sky rendered familiar TO Us in French
and English translations. The Russian
novel. for in spite of the personal equa-
tion. they are all rcferable to q charac
teri.tc national type. affords examples
ot poetry, history and psychological
studies. SUCH as the world has never
seen eQual:ed for minuteness, accuracy
and power Temple Bar.