Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-08-10

] Nt9nOlo hONttumeuA thu Keep
them back forever. Ne they grow
aud expand they will burs, their
letters and crush despotIsm with IRE.
sistible force, or perish in the attempt.
Recently some Interesting figures
Illustrative Of conditions In Russia
have been published, which throw a
ray Of light on this subject It IL
shown that the death rate In that
/ country IL enormous. According TO
The reports Of the medical department,
the rate Of mortality tor the whole
empire ranges from 81 to 81 per 900,
aud In the thirteen central Prov
inces Of European Rissia II reaches Q .
per 1000. Last year In ls5 districts
the deaths exceeded the births, indi.
eating, II would seem, that the populs-
ton Il actually dying out The death
rate Throughout Il about twioe that Of
Great Britain AMI exceeds largely that
OF every other European country. In
1850 It was calculated that the
average duration Of life In Russia IL 20
years, while In Germany II Ia 81 year.,
AMI the fact IL that the mortality IL
greater among the country population
than 10 tue oitios, proving that IL IL not
duv entirely to bad sanitary fegula-
ioIs.
There must be cause for this, and
u IL thought TO be found In the fact
that a vast majority Of the people Rfe
actually starving. The food oi the
Russian laD0fer consists chiefly Of
bread. Statistics show that the gtoss
product OF the country when the ex-
ports aud thst whiUn u reserved for
seei are deducted leave Just 40 ut 800
pounds year per capita, or lsss than
half what 10 allowed convict
IA En- lsh prisons. with Fall
his toll aud economy, the average Rus.
sian peasant cannot earn enough to
psy his taxes and secure the food nee
oisary to maintain bis vitality. The
government now has m account OF s5s, .
A2s,02l taxes 10 arrears. and $500, OOO,-
QUO for food furnished from public
stofohoutes, all charged 10 the peas
ants.
These iiRurss show, even II they are
but approximately correct, tho true
cause Of the enormous mortality In the
country aud also the condllion Of stag.
hation Ia which the Russian people
exist. Neither intellectual nor phys.
cal progress IL possible when impeded
by hunger a people daily star.
log starvation IN the face
aud graphing with tue problem
oi mere living as with an i'm.
possible puzzle are not llEely to take
much Interest 10 the higher question,
u life, such hs education and indlvld.
ual human rightS; nor are they In .
pisition to give time and taught L
such things, even n they should mo.
mentaTily feel aD Interest Ia them
DisheArteuoI, Departing, the peasants
plunged in debt aud slowly dying o
want cannot have ambition enough, NJ
| y hhhNt W ANNN hhh hNNhhhA AhAullAAf
they try to forget their misery In Ia
tOSicaIing drinks, resigned to their iAl'
add accepting It Us unavoidable.
. IL l. Of but little avail that the high
or classes Of the people live II
luxury ana get the bsneh
Of civilization abroad. They ar,
not ami cannot be- In touch with tn,
suffering masse-, the mAln body OF tn
nation. These remain sick and unRbl,
to profit by tue advance Of civilization
around them.
The great lesson 10 DO drawn from
! Russian conditions IL that any nAlior
that Will advance ana maintain ~
position In the front ranks Of clyiliza,
ton must see 10 Il that all IL Tssouruei
are 20 utilized as to give the labofinp
classes the means Of living ia accord
3 auce with the requirements Of nature
II the lab3fers aud their intet,ss ar,
70 neglected that starvation IL the 10,
I suit, the nation ~ a whole will suffer;
q aud the outcome must be either dis
; solution or n relapse to despOtism Ia
one form o. another.