New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-10

t tions ' R zanade A. Ragozn. Part / The
Country and Its Inhabitants ZIP. Xxx oss. G. p.
Putnam's Sons.
Simply on grounds Of sclf-ihfcrest Nh" western
races of Europe have moro reason TO study Rus
sian Affairs than any other national problems of
the present day. II there ar" Americans who
think that the difficulties ana struggles OF the
great Fmp;rc If the North aie merely 81 s"n'I-
mental ya.ue 20 tho people OF III" Wv World, lot
them glance at the cAiled llenr'ws. Us 70 orc
point they may then onSwcr themsPiVrs and they
can divine the answers tC other questions that
will occur to them instantly the moment they
bngin 10 exarinr the matter When great race
movements occur in Asia they are frittcred away
usually in a change OF dynasty "h'h snrh
movements have occurred in Europe they have
been vital or frtal choose the word 'hat suits
vour school If hstorv-to civilization. For more
than thousand years the Slav las been the
bulwarx OF the West AGAINST invasion. To Tartar,
TO Mongol. TO Turk he has said THIS is your
limit on the side where the sun sets BIT SUP
nose bo himself becomes nm invader from the East
In effect this volume RESPONDS TO that snpposl-
ton. II is not history. II Is preliminary 10 ma
tory The aim OF NJ Beaulien ana OF ms skill
fl translator il 10 make their readers comprehend
WILDLY the Russian world as It is to-day. III"
customs ancient and modern, which IL observes
IN. beliefs secular and religious that sway II
i,s traditions from The past and its hopes iof
the future The picture is ono To gaze az WIN
awe As drawn by VI Braulien. though his hand
il tbn, Of a friend. tho picture is not pleasing To
tbe Russian authorities lie remarks significantly
in his preface TO this American edition Of his
book: The work herewith offered 70 III" English
reading prblic il for hidden in Russia " IL ior-
hidden apparently because II dwcll> upon topics
which cannot safely he touched IN pfint undP'
an absolute government. When rrgionistS '''l
compctcnt 10 mend their creed. II is apt To %"
mendcd with vengeance improvements III GOV
eminent also tend toward revolution, and r'v"ln-
ton is not what Russia needs. Two thingS
substantiatc this-the political principle that gov
eminent grows ont OF the needs OF the people ahd
the fact Of the friendship. now at Least three
.cnor,tions old. which 'he Russian aufocrat
chcrshcs for country like the United States.
There is good reason for feeling that Alexander
III and his predecessors have understood oth"'
nations far better than thcs" understand Russia.
One thing I cannot too much impress on hN
readers" SAYS VI. l'caulien, ana mat II 'ha'
we are not justified We Westcrnci-, IN apply
ing 10 Russia the same notions ana III" SlHl' f"">
as n Europe or America. 10 do - Won" We
the height OF lgnOrhni'' anu H1idiIFH@' 49, 49,
j. IN. very error into which most foreigner, fall.
They suffer themselves TO he imposed upon ~
,he ccographcrs. who assure them that Europe
extends to the iat-topp"d ridge OF the f"i anu
the pcak-crowned stcppcs o. the Caucasus MI
this coIeoe ballast must be- thrown overheard
tbcsc conventional limits bc don" away VIII
Rn,sia is neither Europe MOI Asia she l. Il Woriu
by itself"
Contrastcd with other part- Of the continents
TO which il belongs, the Russian area II UNI
In other parts of the old World pc'ullarl"'> VI
climate are localized In Russia almost tn en-
tire country experiences change from AI''' corr
"a troncal heat other regions ale broken ~
mountains: Russia Ia. hardly any shrh lht'I-
rnptions Of is level contour. and there are vast
cvpansr- where little tnmulu~ raised T" ''''
hand Of man looks like a hill. II l. not hy -nch
phrases rs are used for other countries that h'--
sia can he described The proper words ar, th's'
which describe grand divisions of the globe KnS-
sia is laid ont III zones Far 70 the north l. that
long stretch of snowy deserts, thosr ice-bOund
tundras which Nine Rago1in describes - M"
Arctic prairics They ere rs Characteristic Of
Siberia a. Of Western Ru.-iH But the word
prairic conjurc- mp from Irving and other graphic
writers the picture of vast meadows where Inc
tall grass waves in the wind whcr" lines OF foll
.ge mark the water courses The great frost
holt has no such TEXTURES "ClingIng lch"ns on
low rocky knobs and wet mo-se- that softly y"ii
under tLc RENDERS dainty hoot cover the level
Ground Here and thcr" Il clump Of the dwarf
shrub-birch the Kind that does not rise. hut
spr,ads crawling on the ground with thin. rapl"-~'
scrp.ntinr limbs, twisted and gnaIl"d Nine
months out Of TIA, lively" this c0mparaiiy" variety
dsappcar. under brlitl" crust oil lfpz'h snow
which the reindeer finds II easy To break with
short dry rap- Of hi. nervous and vigorous ht'I'
foo, f. get al the fodder kept frc-h aud juicy
beneath"
On line near III" heal Of III" Whit" sea he
Gins a 2on. Of forest hearing land that extends
southwark to Kicf, and from ia" Baltic >"a east
wand indefinitely \ single tree comprises all IN"
that exists between the region east and
that west Of the raj Mountains. south of tins
morc un-Enropcan than all the rest. Their" comes
fine voodics- z,nr l,.ginniug in black monld that
gems OF inexhansibl" fertility and gradually pass
inc through every stage of baIfrunrs> 10 ia" sailed
deserts once the bottom Of Il sea which has now
cyaporat,d Whca the aspects of this continent
within continents j. thus r1nd II must De-
seen that for good or III Russia will remain united
The whole historical struggle for foothold there
las been from without inward. typography,
VI lsTulru, has placed Russia in th"
very position into which ia" secession OF Nh"
South or 3D." West would hay" forced tl" lnt"'k
State The di-comforts OF such material sitna
tion are singularly increased for Russia by moral
disad yantagcs She has before her the tasks of
both Europe and America at once, and in her in
Ina bitant. she possesses tools inferior in quality TO
those Of both.
To this assertion Of inferioritv the translator,
a patriotic Russian, demurs sharply But II is
apparent that here the author il not speaking
OF the genius aptitudes of the nation con-
si,lercd individually. but il contemplating the
whole population collectively a. political insrn-
mcnt 1t is 10 he im;.sinrd that the author would
not dissent from the restriction that =" Russia
is bchindhand not from lack of gifts, but from
the simple fact that she i the youngest of the
European family-a fact of which not even our
l.. Ia