St. Landry democrat., 1891-08-08
CREED OF"HOLY" RUSSIA
THE RUSSIANS FIRM BELIEF In
HIS GOVERNMENT.
"God ami the Gar Are Insepa rable in
the Average Mind-Ground Down
by Taxes, Half Starved,
but Loyal Still.

| To 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; if
not with devils, at ali events, with en-
tremely warped ideas. TO our minds,
says a writer in the Kansas City
Journal, America, with its free inst
tutions represents the closest approach
to terrestrial paradise that any sys-
tenn of government has SO far been
: able to secure for the people; and in
sorting over the nations for the most
fitting representative of the other ex-
tremc, we should, not unlikely. and
: with good deal of reason, pick on
Russia.
On the first part of my horseback
ride to the Crimea, nothing that l
came in contact with was more incom-
prehensible to me than the universal
and unquestioned loyalty of the Rus
slams to Il form OF government that,
according to our ideas, they ought to
hate. Mouiiks whose daily fare is
black bread and stewed buckwheat,
and to whom cucumber picked in
brine is a luxury, are as devoted to
the car of Russia as the most liberty
! loving citizen of the United States is
to the god of freedom.
The great bughear 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 Il tlogging. in
order to escape the knOut of the tax
! gatherer it is often necessary for them
to wander far and wide in search Of
work, leaving their families to till the
tiny allOtmsnts OF land often quite in
sufficient for their support. The taxes
were heavy, ana the burdens grievOus,
but unless such things were necessary
the ear would not require it of them.
this was the substance of the answer |
always got.
So incomprehensible did this seem
to HE for awhile, in the face of the
! terrible hardsnips OF the moujiks con-
ditiOn, that | used to turn TO Sascha,
my companion for enlightenment. He
was an educated young man, could
speak four languages. and was well
enough up i'll geography to ask me
whether Brazil was in Africa or South
| America; and he assured me the
| u. ouiiks were right. Our czar,n he
would answer, is the best govern
llent for us.
The truth gradually dawned upon
heightened and the opportunities of
talking with all sorts and conditions Of
people multiplied. With the excep-
| ton CT q limited circle in the cities the
Russians are. politically, as blind as
bats. They are "leyal' to their pres
ent form OF government because they
don't know anything about any other
| form.
True, tho mouiik lives in tiny sort
of republic, in his own village: but
the idea that similar constitution
would make = success as a government
for the state has never entered his
head.
One evening engaged in CONVERSE
ton a moujik of more than ordinary
intelligence, and endeavored to ex-
plain the form of government we had
in the United States. | pointed out
that our government was but an en-
larged and improved edition of his
own village mir. The mouiik was de-
lighted at this explanation. and said
he had always heard that America
was q good friend to Russia"
This answer explained at once the
drift his mind was taking. 1t was the
same drift that 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 a pin
difference. The peculiar national van
ity of the Russian mind had led the
mouiik 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.
Now, then said I. .'our nation is
big and powerful, l..;e Russia, and our
governments is a big mir, in which
everybody has Il voice, just as you
have in your village. Under this sys-
tenn we have grown rich enough to
buy all Russia, If we wanted il; our
people are hundred times better fed,
better clothed and better housed
than the Russisns are. Why can't
the Russian nation do the same9'
This was mere experimental talk.
and | knew from experience what tbs
answer would be.
THAT is all very vel for the
Americans, he returned. ''but not for
us. For the Russians the car is best
A person might as well talk to a
block of wood. The mouiik has a
bind, unreasoning faith in the ear,
very neary akin to the faith he has i'll
the miracle working icon at Moscow,
to PROSTATE himself before which he
makes pilgrimcges from the farther
est corners OF the empire. '.God uad
the c.:;ar'-that il, 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.
An Edison idea.
Mr.. Edison has some singular ideas
regarding dress. He says, II wear the
same thickness ef outer garments the
year round. | never wear an over
coat. 1t is big. heavy, clumsy and of
little value as Il protector against cold.