New-York tribune., 1894-04-20

and such environment are the laS' I" " wv
Western scepticism that abolished the Dei'E aS
one would snun a candle could appeal ms
addition to NihIlism made 1t useless For whole
sale destruction the Slav 's ready ehoue"' 'o'
wholesale negation he is never ready. When en-
thusiaslc apostles Of novelty tried To teach 'ha'
there was neither God nor Car. they MT upon
ipst the two facts in which the people believed
Perhaps they forgot that they were speaking 70
a race whom the rigors Of life on earth COM
pelled 10 look for happiness to another world
"It goes without saying remarks Mr. Brod-
head drily that they were preaching IN the
desert" 1t is true that the annals OF Hihilisin
are filed with instances Of wonderful seli-sacri-
fee But "a nation cannot be reconstructed with
morbid elements such az II furnishes ana we
cannot wonder that the Government muluphes
and exaggerates its efforts 10 Illustrate the rabid
attacks Of monomaniacs. who think they can
overthrow system by destroying individual
lives"
But there is much variety to be found IN the
Russian landscape II only had the vision
Of the mythical Keeneye and could take in at
once the whole expanse from Archangel to the
Caucasus and from Warsaw TO the Ural noun
tains II Is by a mental effort to obtain this gen
eral View that Prince Z. !. Massalski In Ihe
Industries of Russia" is enabled to mark the
ity He is thinking solely Of agriculture when he
says that scarcely any general deductions or
broad congratulations in respect TO rural life
can be applied In their integrity to the vastest
of uninterrupted territories belonging to one
State. In respect to contour" he adds Rus
sa presents the same uniformity over wide ex-
panses and the same variety over the
whole Of her territory. n the greater part OF
Russia presents one immense continuous plain in
tersected only In one meridian by the long but
low ITral range yet In her southern border lands
It is infinitely varied with gigantic mountain
ranges. reaching the side OF the Caucasus
turned toward Europe limit Of $4,000 in Elbrus.
and in the depth Of the Asiatc continent In
Khan-Tengri. in the Russian Thian-Shan, $4,000
feet above the sea level. The conditions OF the
soil in Russia are not less varied. Beginning
with shifting sands innicting by their move
ment in some places considerable damage upon
cultivated districts and ending with Hiss and
chernozom (black soiD. celebrated for their fer
tility, the Russian soils present an ineXhaustibe
variety Of types, conditions of origin and suit
ability to agriculture. The climate Of Russia,
exceedingly uniform over wide eXpanses never
theless, the whole. presents In various parts
Of the country. great differences. expressed, for
example. in the presence the one hand. within
poles of cold and on the other. in summer heats
reaching in the sandy wastes of the Aralo-Cas
plan depression the temperatures Of Sahara and
Arabia" Russia thus shows more clearly
than the United States the widest contrasts in
products and methods Of farming In distinction
from other European countries, the life Of Rus
sia is not centred In the cities. Agriculture, ex-
tensve IL not intensive. has been the main occu-
patton OF Russians for ages Hence the largest
volume In the series edited by Mr.. Crawford Is
devoted to this subject. 1t is like all the rest.
the work OF experts. and it coates with minute
fidelity the facts relating TO climate, to soil, |
rural population. and landed property. systems |
Of agriculture and field rota. .on, products of the |
farm, rural economy. Implements forestry |
transportation, manufactures from farm produce, |
fishery and administrative measures. with spe- |
ciic articles rural industries of the Caucasus
and of Turkestan.
While agriculture In the broadest sense was |
the characteristic OF Russia from antiquity, |
manufactures in the modern sense date from |
near the middle Of the present century. The re-
suits In 80 short period are amazing. The con-
d!tions." writes Professor d. /. Mendeleef |
(which favored the visible growth, times. |
as in the case of sugar and petroleum. the very |
origin of manufacturing industry. began TO APP |
pear and improve principally in that period of |
the sixties and seventies when the serfs were |
emancipated from forced labor and the active |
construction Of the system of Russian railways |
was begun" But the most characteristic feat |
ure OF Russian manufactures even yet is one |
which associates them with agriculture The |
farmers are able to combine activity at their |
proper task with what may be technically called |
industrial and commercial labor This is due to |
the fact that the peasants all have their lots Of
land and able to devote small portion OF |
their time, especially the so-caed strada or
season Of moving hay and reaping grain. when |
farming demands many hands to agriculture; |
the greater part, and In particular the whole |
OF the winter, they give 10 manufactures |
and mills. TO the small household or domestic |
industries called kustarney. The product Of the
kustars is not known exactly, but 1t is certainly
greater than that of the registered factories |
Vast this household industry is II does not |
appear in the ordinary statistics. Russian feeling |
is strongly favorable to these infinitely numerous
small home factories. They are looked on as |
the hope Of the country against the absorption |
OF trade by great concerns. Professor Mendeeef |
doubtless utters the thought of millions when he |
says that 1t is impossible to believe that the last
word has been spoken in the struggle between |
large and small enterprises. and that there Is |
hope that II will in time appear most profitable
ana expedient TO carry on part Of the indus
tries on small scale leaving only a portion of |
them to be handled as large enterprises some OF
which will probably pass into the hands Of the
Government as In the case Of railways Con-
sidering that Russian manufactures belong
wholly to the present generation the variety Is
great, as is shown by the essays in these vol
umes on cotton. hax jute. woollen silk and
leather goods on india rubber. wood and metal
industries; on machines, glass ceramics. chem
icals. matches naphtha and cement; on sugar
spirits. tobacco food products. shipbuding. car
riage- making wages, foreign trade interior COM
merce. especially the great fairs. and the specific
industries Of Finland. Mining though # dates
from the seventeenth century is practically an