New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MARFILL'S RUSSIA.

THE STORY OF RUSSIA. BY "; r. Marh l,S NJ, =:
Illustrated limo PIP. XIX 3Ss' '" T. ~
SO far as facts are concerned. this epitome o' nus
sian history is doubt Trustworthy ana as I'LL i.
duction 10 fuller studies 1t is clcuated 10 DC uSoi
Mr. Maral is thoroughly Informed on Ills SUBJECT anu
with more space at his command would probably nave
produced a much more Impressive anu i"'''"0
,orI put the limits set for these stories OF inc
.,o,ss are such as TO exclude all those details winch
are 90 necessary to the apprehension oi haohai ue
veopment and without the help OF winch ohN ''c
vacuest ideas can formed OF causes ana meaning.
Again and again Mr. Marhii mas loulu "'iScii
Obliged 10 hurry forward, leaving significant events
almost entirely uncx planned and any one who VIII take
the trouble to compare this volume with say KAN
hands history OF Russia. viii at once perceive
how much Is sacrificed to condensation and no"
greatly the instructive value of WORK OF INC hhu
must suffer from this compression W course IL i
moi mct ended that this series presents cAhaustNo
hs,ories but unfortunately Russia above all coun-
fries is the one the story Of whose slow development
most requires elaboration, and loses most by me
omission OF details and careful illustrations. OF the
history Of the Russian people not much can lie
gathered from these pages. The form In winch the
work had to be cast has necessarily caused IL !"
resemble the old fashioned histories, In which popular
life action, suffering, progress were almost comPe'N
neglected, and all the interest centred upon ",'
noi
NJ kings and queens and other distinguished persons
In this abstract Of Russian history that which Is
NJ supreme importance-the life, namely, OF the nus
sian people-falls continually into the bscRsro".,'
Take the case of Peter the Great In lllusua'ioh' Inv
chronicle relates In outline his deeds, ac'lVllies
tricties arbitrary and brutal DEGREES. and so lo ~
but of the incidence of all these things upon INC
peopIe next to nothing is said. They had 10 po''
and to suffer, and to pay for all Whatever ''a
progress the country made was their progress -N
no time was the civilization or barbarism' 'e h"o"
edge or ignorance, of Cars and mobiles V"al "'oi'
What really vital was the condiuoh vi No a."
represented millions, who for so many 'on'"
learned little beyond patience in enduring eVi" w
new light need be expected now upon Hu9S'""
tory and il is saddening panorama to review lhc
impartial critic must admit that Russian progress ms
been extremely slow, and that even ton'y eho ''do
of the masses is far behind that OF most hufol''n
countries There are some parts Oh fra"oc ""o'0
inhabitants are perhaps in as primitive eohdi'on a.
the majority OF the Russian peasants but hnSsa i
alone in having scattered centres Oh popuIaVo''
production friction and enlightenment Inc lns''
tution OF the mir which has received goou ue"
moro nrai.e than the results appear to justify mas
been one of the most powerful influences jill mann
tanning that village system which tends SO stiohs.
10 prevent the founding of towns and cities anu
which because of this tendency. has operated 10 IT,
,.rd national development by keeping the bulk oil tho
nenplc too close to the soil. Village lie anu INV
town council are excellent as the machinery Vi pr
mary instruction in self government; but IL teS "e
not allowed TO develop any further anu "a'
kept for centuries resting upon these ihS''u.'o"S'
cannot be expected to grow vigorously vi ia'''
II E hecause of this artificial capitalization OF the
,,tional evolution that the wholly unnatural iofihs
into which Russian life has fallen have aiiseh' hus'''
10 day is like educational system III WHY" ny
is nothing between the kindergarten aio inc uhi'e'
nothing that is, but chaos. 1t has mus coe aoot'
x..a, In hasm IN
connections between the low and the high nave been
.dewed with alarm and suspicion by the latter ana
that this feeling has helped to create the an
tagonsms apprehended. The whole normal process
OF national life having been checked ana d'er'eN
morbid conditions have been set up as always happens
in such cases, and the present anomalous ana uh
stable situation has been reached, in which we see an
sponsble autOcracy at the head OF the nation
corrupt bureaucracy, ambitious and chauviniSuc
army and an INDECENT discontented ana uhoeNeIopeH
proetariat beneath all How far the universally ana
shanelessness of Official corruption are due 10 long
usage and far to that Oriental weakness oil moral
stamina which inherent in the Asatic races, it
might be extremely difficult to determine. Recent
critics. weinforIned and apparently not prejudced
have gone far to express the opinion that
venslty, nendacity and dupicity are born In the
Muscovie. II may, however, be safely concluded that
such a judgment is too sweeping, and the single fact
that Russia contains many races may be regarded
as committing it to all practical intents.
Possessing enormous strength and little intelligence.
Russia confronts modern civilization in distinctly
menacing way. No more interesting subject of study
could be conceived, but there must be tncture OF
anxiety about any serious observation of so formidable
an enigma. on which side will she finally camp
upon that OF progress upon that OF barbarlsm
No man living to-day answer that question. nor
can any clew TO the answer be derived from cxamlna
ton of her past Yet a knowledge Of the chief events
in Russian history be useful in the formation Of
opinions upon whatever happens, anu Mr. Marflls
book may be consulted, in default of the more cA-
tended histories with confidence 1t is well illustrated
and is provided with maps.