The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-26
At THE TABERNACLE.
Or. TaInage Startles the Country by
His Report on Russia.

a Defense of Russia Which Set All New
York and Brooklyn Talking Before
Nisht-Russia Our Friend in 1s61-5.
Many CaIumnies Refuted.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 20.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage today fulfilled his promise that he
would again speak of his visit to Rus
STA and correct many wrong impress
sions concerning that empire and its
ruler. After an exposition of Scripture
and congregational singing he took for
his text II Peter ii, 10, 'Presulnptuous
are they, self willed; they are not afraid
to speak evil of dignities.'
Amid most reprehensible crew Peter
here paints by one stroke the portrait of
those who delight to slash at people in
authority. Now we all have a right to
criticise evil behavior, whether in high
places or low, but the fact that one is
high up is no proof that he ought to be
brought down. 1t is a bad streak Of hui
man nature now, as it was i'll the time
of the text bad streak of human ma
ture, that success of any kind excites the
Jealous antipathy of those who cannot
climb the same steep. There never was
q 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
cut cross ON which to assassinate him.
Out of this evil spirit grow not only in
dividual but national and international
defamation. To no country has more in
Justice 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 American Victor
Hugo, as honest as he was unequaled in
literary power, was so misinformed con-
corning America that he wrote: "The
most singular thing is the need OF whit
thing, with which all Americans are pos
sessed. 1t is such that on Sunday they
give the sailors little bits of wood, be-
cause if they did not they would whittle
the ship. In court, at the most critical
moment, the judge, whiting, says,
Prisoner, are you guilty. and the &C.
cused TRANQUILITY responds, whiting, 4
am not guilty."
Lord John Russell called us 'a bub
BILE bursting nationality" But our coun-
try has at last recovered from such carl
cature, and there is not street in any
city of Europe or Asia where tho 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 mis-
understood as Russia, and no monarch
more represented than its emperor
Will it not be in the cause of justice if I
try to set right the minds of those who
compose this august assemblage and the
minds of those to whom, on both sides
of the ocean, these words shall come? Ii
the SANDER of one person is wicked, then
the SANDER of one hundred and twelve
million people is one hundred and twelve
million times moro 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 it in one dis
course is like attempting to run Niagara
falls over one mill wheel.
Do not think that the very marked
courtesies extended me last summer by
the emperor end empress and crown
prince Of Russia have complimented ME
into the advocacy of that empire, for
shall present you authenticated facts
that will reverse your opinions, if they
have been antagonistic, as mine were
reversed. I went last summer to Russia
with as many baleful prejudices as
would make an avalanche from the
mountain of fabrication which has for
years been heaped up against that en-
pire.
You ask how Is it possible that such
appalling Misrepresentation of Russia
could stand? I 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
cablegrani the falSehood is exposed, for
we all understand English, and many q
O1I pGDElE nIo 1chIAl11dI Wtt1i SCIuA
and French. But the Russian language,
beautiful and easy to those born to speak
it, is to most vocal organs an unpro-
nounceabls tongue, and If at ST. Peters
burg or Moscow any anti-Russian cal
umny were denied the most of the world
outside of Russia would never see or hear
of the denias.
What are the motives for misrepre-
senaetion? Commercial interests and in
ternational jealousy. Russia is as large
as all the rest Of Europe put together
Remember that nation is only man
or a woman ON a big scale. Go into any
neighborhood OF America and ask the
physician who has a small practice what
he thinks of the physician who has q
large practice. Ask lawyer who has
no briefs what he thinks of the lawyer
who has three rooms filled with clerks
trying in vain to transact the superabun-
aant business that comes to him. Ask
the minister who has very limited
audience what he thinks Of the minister
who has Overlooking audiences.
WHY does not Europe like Russia?