The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-03-22


state those twin autOcracies of secular and
religious power in holy Russia that by
working together, undertake to control and
exploit the population, body and soul. One
represents God, the other the tar, his
earthly representative, and, to the Moujlk
mind entitled to much the same degree of
reverential devotion.
The Russian Moujiks represent the ex-
treme limit Of human simplicity and good
nature and, although they have advanced
slightly in knowledge and understanding
since their emancipation from scrfdom
thirty years ago, are, in ignorance and SUI
pcrstition, fully a century behind the peas
antry of western Europe
Ordinarily, the district now smtten with
famine resembles the rolling prairies Of Hi
nois and ii parts the forest tracts OF Mich
igan or northern Indiana; with rye, oats
and potatoes as the chief products of the
soil however, instead of maize. Y novel
feature to an American are the numerous
tracts of artificial forests Of pine or birch,
with the trees planted in straight rows.
There are no separate faImsteads, the pop
ulation living in villages, which are small
and numerous From an advantageous po-
stion, as on a ridge, as many as dozen
villages may lie within ones range of vi
sion. A village usually consists of two long
rows Of log houses Struggling disJointcdly
along either side of broad road. The
houses are Imprinted log cabins, ordinarily
matched with straw, but occasionally with
a roof of TIM painted red, green or blue.
The broad agricultural realms of the
Russian empire consists Of 100000 or
so of these miniature Moujik republics,
called Mrs. to the inhabitants of which the
Tar is a dgmi-god as onnisC2nt as J0yc.
The mir, not the individual AIoujik, or
family, is tie administrative and financial
unit with which the St Petersburg au-
thortics deal. The mir is the unit of as
seesment of imperial taxation, and if any
Of the members Of the community are in
capable Of paying their share the burden
has to be assumed by their neighbors, who
arrange for compensation according to the
law and usage Of the village.
From the tar down the long sliding
scale Of government officers, to the starosta
or village mayor, all treat the Moujik as
not quite Incapable of managing his own
affairs; a simple Simon, whose usefulness
i'll life is measured by his capacity for
Always poor, always improvident, he is
forever iii debt to the village usurcr and
grog-shop keeper, and is usually behind
hand, and consequently in hot water, about
his taxes, Occasionally his, stock, imple-
mcnts and grain are seized for debt in
which case be is no longer able to farm his
share in the mir land, and so becomes Il
batrak, or 'landlesS one" The batrak
state is the bette noir Of the Russian peas
ant Without land to work out a living on
becomes Il wanderer and outcast, and
either Joins the vast army of ragamullin
Mouiiks that are forever tramping the
roads of Russia con pilgrimage" or in
search Of work, or he ekes ont miserable
and precari0us existence by drudging for
ncighbors who are but little better off than
himself.
The ignorance and superstition of the
Nouiik would be comical were it not too
pathetic for unserious comment. Witch
craft and sorcery are TO them, yet, potent
factors in their everyday affairs Their
creed is curious mixture of superstition
and demonology. 1t is, indeed often diff