New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RIDING THROUGH RUSSIA.

THROUGH RUSSIA ON A MUSTANG: BY Thomas
anthor 1omo. do. 334 Casseil Publishing Co.
Mr. stevens appears to have entertained the belief
that without understanding the language Of the coun-
try and without devotng any time to the study Of its
people he could ride across Russia horseback and
from this journey OF few weeks derive enough new
information to warrant a volume purporting to ex-
plain the pecularites OF the Government and Nation
What makes the odd is that he goes out OF
his way to sneor at the British tourists who do this
thing In the United States, and that he really seems to
believe his six weeks Of travel from Moscow TO tho
Crimea quite sufficient to enable him to deliver ex-
cathedra" opinions and views In fact the young
man takes himself too seriously His book has merits
and interesting, its merits and its interest lie
in other directions than the author mas realized Inc
expedition itself rather burlesque fantastic ar
rangement kind OF advertisement, 1t might be called,
after the famboyant. modern circus fashion 1t Is
difficult to discern any heroic element in horseback
ride from Moscow to the Cmea, useful purpose
either. 1t not difficult thing to do, gwen a
man and a horse, and it may perhaps be doubted
whether IT worth doing from any but the adverts-
ing point of view
Mr. stevens however, has some Of the qualities OF a
good reporter and it is only fair to him to say that
he has made the most Of a not over-a1undant supply
OF material. Had he not taken companion young
Russian student from Moscow, he could hardly have
gathered the facts he did, however for the lack OF
an intelligent Interpreter must have shut OIL every
often enough have misled him. AS it was, ne was
enabled to converse with the people at second hand
and doubt learned even more from the conVersauon
of sascha than from these interviews. The impress
sions which he received were, on the whole not FAVOR
able to the Russian character. The moullhs he
thought hopelessly lazy drunken, ignorant and super
sttous. The mobiles he accused pointblank of boor-
ishness and nhospality quite foreign TO the expert
ence of other travellers Not he declares save
at Count Tostois he invited to stay in the mousse
1ox hnr1f
food and shelter. and this when there was no other
house within miles. AS he had chosen TO ignore Rus
sian regulations, and had procured no proper au-
thorzaton for the Journey fearing refusal II he ap
piled for IL. he bound TO have diihcutes "lth
the police and more than he and his companion
we're on the point Of being stopped altogether In
one place his camera regarded just as 1t might
have been In Central Africa a dark and sinister
apparatus wholly incomprehensble and therefore 10
be suspected of the worst. Happily for MN inc Vehai-
ity of the police great that they never coud
resist rubles and so he overcame all the difficulties
of the way
A less pleasant ride than that from Moscow 10 the
Crimea has seldom been described. There are houses
(socaled) Of entertainment most OF the way but as
a rule nothing fit TO eat or drink can be procured Ill
them the hosts are equally churliSh and INDECENT
they are as dirty as pgstics, and they swarm win
drunken men, The Russian drunkaId Is superior 10
other sots in particular: he does not grow pug
nacious in his cups. His intoNication Is mild,
maudin, and of the weeping variety. NO DOUBT te
quality of the liquor has something 10 40 "iul us
effects but the national temperament IS accoui''oo
for much As the Government derives large pro-
portion Of its revenues from the tax on Nouha, IL
follows that temperance measures find no footoiu Ill
Russa The more the moujiLs drink, the fuller Is
the treasury of the Gar 1t is not moral arrange
ment but it is nearly moral as any part OF INC
Russian system of government. MI stevens 'lSi'cu
Count Tosto, whose residence lay upon his ronte'
11tr nndh hos nj
the usual kind Of conversation and seems TO nave
carried away little doubt Of the reformers sincerity
Nothing less practical practicable than Iolsrols
ideas about reGeneratng the world mas ever peeh
listened to with gravity in this eccentric ana para
doxical world Fortunately for him, he has wife
who refuses to let him ruin his family, or ne "ouu
long since have been reduced TO abject indulgence
literature il appears Is unlikely TO be enriched by
him further He intends to write only educational
books heuceforth and with his views this Is equiVa
dent to wasting his time completelv
Between the popes. the police and the volNa
shops the poor moujik has a hard scramble 10 pay
his taxes but according to the author Of TINS booh ne
suffers more from the Mir than from the Govern
ment This view of the Mir. as an agency "hereoS
the few may be benefited at the expense OIL uhe ahS'
Is new one but N is quite in accord with all tra' Is
known of Russian ethics, social polucal anu couiheT-
caI What we call honesty can hardly be known IN
holy Russia and there is no way in which such q'a-
,tv can manifest itself. To cheat your neighbor all
Won cam Is the first and last principle OF HE 10 INC
Muscoyiie The corruption Of the civil service ana
police is indeed mainly the work of the Government
itself which urderpsys the officials that they can
bv no possibility live their Ucul1r incomes. NO
such excuse however, be found for the merchants
who arc equally dishonest. unless Imitation be an
sxcuse The truth is that their business methods are
those of Asatics entirely, and only Asiacs can be at
home iii such transactions. OF religion there is really
little in the country, but of superstition there Is fu
medieval allowance. The mOuiik, In fact, Is IN pre-
cisely tie mental condition which prevailed through
Europe during the Middle Ages, and this is why 1t is so
easy TO govern him by deSpot!c methods.
Mr. stevens found the CIlmean Tartacs more nos
pjtable than the Russian nobility. They were very
kind TO him in their rough way. He saw something
of the Russian Jews but they not In q favorable
state for examination. the Government having Just
opened one of it, periodical attacks upon Them This
made them suspicious every stranger, but the
author indeed, found the Russian peasany themselves
the most suspicious people he haa ever encountered,
and in summing up he expresses the opinion that sus-
plcion Is their chief chaTaCterls Abs lutism and
barbarlsm together hced suspicion. All savages are
full of H. and the common people of Russia not far
above savagery They MAY have great possibilities in
them but assuredy these as yet undevelopcd and
whoever undertakes 70 describe them must represent
them as they are. Mr. stevens has, of course, not
been able to pc Nitrate beneath Inc surface but he is
shrewd and openeyed observer and withal possesses
sense of hmor which renders his book entertaining
not instructive.