The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-08-08
CREED OF aHOLY" RUSSIA.
THE RUSSIANS FIRM BELIEF IN
HIS GOVERNMENT.
God and the Gear" Are Insepsrabie In
the Average Mind-Ground Down
by Taxes. Half Starved,
but Loyal Sill.

10 Americans the first condition OF
happiness and contentment Is liberty.
Material conditions being equal. the
| person who should hesitate between
taking up his abode In the United
States or In Russia would. by our peo-
pie, be regarded as one possessed; u
not with devils. ut all events, with ex-
tremely warped ideas. To our minds.
says writer In the Kansas City
Journal, America, with its free insti-
buttons, represents the closest approach
to terrestrial paradise that any sys-
tenn OF government has 80 far been
able to secure for the people; and in
sorting over the nations for the most
fitting representative Of the other ex-
treme. we should not unlikely, and
with a good deal OF reason, pick on
| Russia.
On the first part OF my horseback
ride TO the Crimea, nothing that
came In contact with was more incom-
prehensible TO me than the universal
and unquestioned loyalty Of the Rus
slams to form OF government that,
according to our ideas. they ought to
hate. Moujiks whose daily fare is
black bread and stewed buckwheat,
and to whom u cucumber picked in
brine Is luxury, are as devoted to
the czar Of Russia as the most liberty
loving citizen OF the United States is
to the god Of freedom.
The great bugbear OF the moujiks'
lives Is the hard necessity OF raking
and scraping enough money to pay
their taxes. Delinquency in the pay
ment OF taxes means logging. In
order to escape the knout OF the tax
gatherer 1t Is often necessary for them
to wander far and wide in search OF
work, leaving their families to till the
| tiny allotments OF land. often quite in
| sufficient for their support. The taxes
were heavy, ana the burdens grievous.
but unless such things were necessary
the car would not require it of them.
this was the substance OF the answer /
always got
So incomprehensible did this seem
to me for awhile in the face of the
terrible hardships OF the moujiks' con-
dition, that l used to turn to Sascha,
my companion for enlightenment He
was an educated young man, could
speak four languages. and was well
enough up in geography to ask me
whether Brazil was in Africa or South
America; and he assured me the
mouiilSs were right Our czar," he
would answer, lis the best govern
meut for u.s."
The truth gradually dawned upon
me as my stay in the country
heightened and the opportunities of
talking with all sorts and conditions OF
people multiplied. With the excep-
tion'Of limited circle in the cities. the
Russians are. politically, as blind as
bats. They are .loya" to their pres
ent form OF government because they
don't know anything about any other
form.
True. the moujik lives in tiny sort
OF republic, in his own Villages; but
the idea that a similar constitution
would make Il success Us government
for the state has mover entered his
head.
One evening engaged in CONVERSE
ton moujik OF more than ordinary
intelligence, and endeavored to ex-
plain the foim OF government we had
in the United States. l pointed out
that our government was but an en-
larged and improved edition OF his
own village mir. The moujik was de-
lighted ut this explanation. and said
he had always heard that America
was good friend to Russia"
This opoUor aynloipa1 NJ nnna h.
drift his mind was taking. 1t was the
same drift that a Russians mind al
ways takes in matters OF comparison
between his country and others
whether he is an educated person or
an illiterate moujik makes not pin
difference. The peculiar national van
ity OF the Russian mind had led the
moujik to infer at once that we had
been to school to Russia and had built
up the United States government in
imitation of the rural mir This was
amusing, but it was at the same time
hopeful.
Nov, then" said I, '.our nation is
big and powerful, like Russia, and our
government is big mir. in which
everybody has a, voice. just as you
have In your village. Under this sys-
tenn we have grown rich enough to
buy all Russia, II we wanted it; our
people are a hundred times better fed.
better clothed and better housed
than the Russians are. Why can't
the Russian nation do the same?"
This was a mere experimental talk
and | knew from experience what the
answer would be.
That is all very well for the
Americans. he returned. ..but not for
us. For the Russians the car Is best"
A person might as well talk to
block OF wood. The moujik has
blind. unreasoning faith in the czar
very neary akin to the faith he has In
the miracle working icon at Moscow,
TO PROSTATE himself before which he
makes pilgrimages from the farther
est corners Of the empire. God and
the czar"--that Is the whole political
and religious creed OF nine-tenths OF
the Russian people. including even
such educated persons as my inter-
prefer. Sascha, and the accomplished
lady In the train.
Curiositios About Beans.
OF NIL the edible pods. 1t is believed