The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-03-19

how to impress his pupil by the earnestness
and zeal with which he devoted himself to his
duties as an Instructor. and. secondly. by the
rigid dogmatlsm OF his political and scientific
views. Instead Of making things easy and
pleasant to himself and his listener. he went
to work seriously and theoretically and
fearlessly emphasized tho importance and
difficulty Of tho task which he had undertaken.
The main point is. however. that Pobyedon-
ostsefr had pressed his quite extensive his
torical and juridical knowledge into tho ser
vice OF an idea, the idea. namely. that abso-
lutism and orthodoxy. as being divine and
founded on history. formed the only sound
basis for u Russo-Slav State system. and that
they were mutually supplementary. He
adopted. In q word. the same methods and
made use OF the same arguments as enabled
Joseph de Maitre In his day to reconcile tho
ideas Of Catholicism and Legitimacy. and to
form them into q modern nrtioulated
system ostensibly answering the demands
OF science. He understood how to deck
out the doctrine Of the providential dos
tiny OF tho Eastern Church to regenerate the
heather West in such a way that 1t seemed
self-evident to his pupil. This man. who
wore to tho young Prince the aspect Of an
austere and inexorablo logician. whose eye
was always directed to the attainable. who
never obtruded his own personality. and
whose system recommended itself by its SIM
plicity this man seemed to strnd In charac-
ter rs we'll as intellect far above tho oppor-
tunists who were constantly changing their
point OF view. whose conclusions lay open to
the most contradictory explanations. and who
were forever trying TO inGratiate themselves.
1t Is true that PobyedonostsefTs opponents
have cast doubts on his integrity. butthese are
rcpudiated by the author OF the book before US.
The only other one OF the Cars Ministers
In whom outside observers are at all inter-
ested is Privy Counsellor 1vnn Nikolaevitch
Durnovo. who was appointed successor toCount
d. Tolstoi in the Ministry OF the Interior. He.
We are told. is II precise. cool-headed official.
without any great antecedents or high con-
nections. He is n Minister who observes q
certain routine. who has no initiative. md who
acts on the instructions OF others. Durnovo
has set himself to carry out the work OF Toll
stoi. that is to say. to deprive the zemstvos or
provincial assemblies ofthe last vestiGc oftheir
former significance. to reGstablish the corpora
tive and social position OF the nobility. and to
uproot nihilistic and revolutionary ideas.
Since the abolition ofthe Third Division OF His
Majesty's Chancery." which in the time Of Loris
Mslikoff was the department OF the so-called
State police. both classes OF police. that is. the
ordinary police and tho political police. have
been placed under the Ministry OF the Interior.
and the chief OF this department has thus
been made responsible in q double sense for the
security OF the Emperor and the imperial fam
lily. The momcntous importance Of this office
is seen in the organization OF the three minis
terial subordinates who assist the Minister OF
the Interior tall the other Ministers have only
one assistant apiece) one Is almost exclusively
with the direction OF the political
police and its ramiications.
1t is generally understood that nihilism Is
less talked about than formerly. that its re-
are to a large extent exhausted,
and that its attractive power has mate
rally decreased. According to the author
OF this book. however. no one can affirm
with certainty that the dangers connected
with it have disappeared. 1t is the be-
Of those who have n minute acquaintance
with the inner workings Of Russian revolu-
tionary secret s~ocietios that while acute nihi-
lism has decreased. chronic nihilism has be-
come extended. The number OF lrebrands
who are ready to sacrifice themselves in per-
criminal acts has become smaller.
but the mass OF the Giscontentcd who at the
present moment expect salvation from disas-
trous events. such as unsuccessful foreign
wars. has sensibly increased.
We have said that the most valuable feature
Of this book is the account of Finland. to which
forty RACES are devoted. Few people
realize the extent Of this country: it has an
area equal TO seven-tenths OF the surface OF
Tho German empire. Its rapidly increasing
population amounted at the end Of 1SS to
!. 232.37S Inhabitants. 90 per cent. OF whom
we're peasants engaged in agriculture and the
raising OF cattle. while not quite & per rent.
we're living in towns. From a religious point
of view. 90 per cent. OF the people are Luth-
Grams. EiGhty-lve per cent. speak Finnish
md not quite 14.5 Swedish. The Swedes con-
,titute the peasant population only in the
southwestern coast and island district. Else
where they are to be found In the nobility.
and civil service. and also in the COM
and industrial classes. Under Swed-
sh rule trade and industry were for a long
line artiilcially kept down in Finland. By 1851.
however. the country possessed 14S factories. |
With an annual output valued at $l.OOO.0OO.
md in 1S7Bthis value had mounted to $12. 0O0.:
700. In tho year 1850 tho total trade returns
II Finland amounted to less than $1,000 600
While in 1882 they exceeded $57. 100000. By
he Crimean war the number Of Finnish mer-
'hant ships was reduced to 81: nevertheless
n 1882 the mercantile navy OF Finland COM
,rised $50 vessels. among them 1852 steam
rs. The State revenue. which In 1910 did not
exceed 81. 34O. OOO. attained In 1882 to ST. 200..
In 1850. Finland possessed a university
With about 700 students. a polytechnic insti-
ution. two agricultural academies. a school OF
%orestry. a cadet corps, and several naval and
commercial schools. together with seventeen
schools and seven higher schools for
iris. as well as $40 national schools. with
ONE "a. 600 scholars.
The extraordinary growth Of Finland in this
entury is universally attributed to the stimu-
us supplied by the home rule which until
1t has enjoyed under Russian
overeigns Alexander l.. who. by the favor OF
Napoleon made himself master OF Finland.
ras keenly alive to the value OF the acquisi-
ion. The intellectual and moral gain was
ppreciated by him moro highly than the
xtent Of TERRITORY annexed. The Grand Duchy
I Finland was to serve MS a model OF civiliza-
ion to the undsveloped Russian empire.
When the Films became his subjects In 1909.
!. solemnly pledged himself to
reserve unchanged the religion and funda-
nsntal avs Of the country as well as the
and rights which the national estates
nd all the inhabitants enjoyed by virtue
I their Constitution. This promise has since
-. o.o,, an ayaru nha.-o Io.,t c.