The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-11-23
RUSSIA AND ITS RULER.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Corrects Some
Wrong Impressions
No Country So Misunderstood and No
Monarch More Generally Misrep-
resented Motives for the
Misrepresentation.


Rev. Dr. Talmage recently fulfilled q
promise that he would again speak Of
his visit to Russia, and correct many
impressions concerning that empire and
its ruler. He took for his text H. Peter,
IL, 10:
"Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are
not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
Amid amostreprehensible crew, Peter
here paints by one stroke the portrait
OF those who delight to slash at people
in authority. Now, we all have right
to criticise evil behavior, whether in
high places or low, but the fact that
one is high up is no proof that he clght
to be brought down. 1t is bad streak
of human nature now, as it was in the
time of the text bad streak of human
nature that success Of any kind excites
the jealous ahtipathy of those who can
not climb the same steep. There never
was David on the throne that there
was not some Absalom who wanted to
get it There never was Christ but
the world had saw and hammer ready
to. fashion a cross on which to assassi-
nate him. Out OF this evil spirit grow
not only individual, but national and
information defamation. To no country
has more injustice been done than to
our own in days that are past Long
before Martin Chuzzlewit was
printed, the literature Of the
world scoffed at everything Ameri-
can. Victor Hugo, as honest as
he was unequaled in Literary power,
was so misinformed concerning Amer
lea that he wrote: "The most singular
thing is the need of whiting, with
which all Americans are possessed. 1t
is such that on Sunday they give the
sailors little bits Of wood because If
they did not they would whittle the
ship In court, at the most critical mo-
ment the judge, whiting, says 'Pris-
oner, are you guiltyF and the accused
TRANQUILITY responds, whiting: 4 am
not guilty" Lord John Russell called
us "a bubble-bursting nationality"
: But our country has at last recovered
from such caricature, and there is not
street on any city of Europe or Asia
where the word America" will not win
Difference. But, there is sister nation
on the other side Of the sea now going
through the process of international
defamation. There is no country on
earth SO misunderstood as Russia, and
no monarch more misrepresented than
its emperor. VIII 1t not be in the
cause Of justice II try to set right the
minds of those who compose this au-
gust assemblage and the minds of those
to whom, on both sides Of the
ocean, these words shall Gomez
II the slander OF one person Is
wicked, then the slander Of one hun
dred and twenty million people is one
hundred and twenty million times more
wicked. In the name OF righteousness
and in behalf Of civilization, and for
the encouragement Of all those good
people who have been disheartened
by the standardization of Russia, l now
speak. But Russia Is so vast subject
that TO treat IL In one discourse Is like
attempting to run Niagara Falls over
one mill wheel. Do not think that the
last summer by the Emperor and EN-
press and Crown Prince Of Russia have
complimented me into the advocacy OF
that empire, for shall present you an
authenticated fact that will reverse
your opinions, II they have been an
tagonistic, as mine was reserved.
went last summer to Russia with as
many baleful prejudices as would make
an average avalanche from the noun
tain Of fabrication which has for years
been heaped up against that empire.
You ask how 1t is possible that such
appalling Misrepresentation of Russia
could stand9 ] account for it by the
fact that the Russian language is TO
most an impossible wall Malign the
United States or malign Great Britain
or Germany or France, and by the next
cablegram the falsehood is exposed, for
VIC all understand English, and many
of our people are familiar with German
and French. But the Russian language,
beautiful and easy to those born to
speak II, is TO most vocal organs an un-
pronounceable tongue, and II ut St
Petersburg or Moscow any anti-Russian
calumny were denied, the most Of the
world outside OF Russia would never
see or hear the denial
What arc the motives for misrepre-
sentation2 Commercial interests and
international jealousy Russia is rs
large as all the rest Of Europe put to-
gether Remember that nation Is
only man or woman on big scale.
Go into any neighborhood Of America
and ask the physician who has small
paactice what he thinks Of the physi-
clan who has a large practice. Ask q
lawyer who has no briefs what he
thinks Of the lawyer who has three
rooms filled with clerks trying In vain
TO transact the snperabundant business
that comes TO him Ask the minister who
has very limited audience what he
thinks OF the minister who has over
flowing audiences. Why does not Eu-
rope like Russian Because she has
enough acreage TO swallow all Europe
and feel she has only half meal. Russia !
Is as long as North and South America
put together. But" says some one,
''do you mean 10 charge the authors
and the lecturers who have written or
spoken against Russia with falsehood2" |
BY no meank You can find In any city
or nation evils innumerable II you wish
70 discourse about them. y
said at St Petersburg 10 the most
eminent lady Of Russia outside Of the