New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PHILANTHROPIC TRAVELLER IN
RUSSIA

IN THE LAND OF TOLSTOI: ExperleneeCs a.
Famine and Misrue In Russia 10y Jo"a Wv ' Sss
ling and VIII Reason octave PIP N''
Thomas Whitaker.
ono - ,,o co,or,onest manifestations of the mod
arm tendency toward the dedication of government
Is observed in the criticism which travellers peso"
upon the errors Of foreign institutions. uNe" Wv
ASSUMPTION that governments proceed Ho" ~.
standpoint Of omnscence and that inc "V' "
legislature In democraces or the VIII oil 'he iu''
IN autocracies can correct any pohu'al e'' IN
the severe criticism of error or failure Is losO'
consequence When democracy TOOK away w
divine right Of kings 1t left something else io'
tho neople to worship. Divinity sat Ill on poor
regal mor,sls but an abstract idea lNe "oNe'",
ment wears il with better grace rms 9''u"u
nrorsbin Is harder TO root out than the hrst inc
traveller shows II when he belabors governments
for their failure 10 correct every eNh 'n"' ne "
lights upon No country has suffered more from
,hts mental attitude Of its critics than RUSSIA
Tho Government of that country Is bad enough
rrobablv but no worse than could be expected III
country working its laundering way up""'o I'm
barbarIsm toward civilization. IL IS not ~ o,u
however as II Is painted in this joint WORK OF MI
Stadling and Mr.. Reason ~
Perfect charity in criticism. the ability 10 zen
10Th sides of story is perhaps not TO be expected
from Mr. Stadng. He. it may be explained Is the
main author. Mr. Reason having simply asS's'eu
in giving the book its present English FORM MI
Stadling is a Swede. who took foreign rehei 10 NUS
sa I'm the famine OF 1872 He joined AT once ''e
campaign conducted by Count Tolstoi' ana MS oooN
e written from the Tolstoan point of view IN ns
ar,or cban,ers II gives fairly clear picture OF the
,rork NJ the Tostois and their friends 10 ala the
starving and plaCue-strcken peasants lheE Ioi =
got their own health and comfort ana riSheo ''o''
own lives in caring for the sick Ther work' NO"
ever. was only drop in the bucket. Inc RUSSIAN
corornroont was AT the same time doing It's best
has
cav of this though he would have made more
,rtorostinr hook had he told the whole story oil 'he
<,n,ro and the efforts to feed the people II ne
had shown what the Car had tired 10 40 "o"
Numbering and dishonest the Government ase"'s
were and finally what a problem OF stupiui'! oo','
governmental and private charity mao u ue"i VIZ"
IN Tho muzhiks themselves. this contribution ~ ''e
history Of famines and plaques would nave Dee"
more valuable. ,,r..,o,oes
r,h ,be subtitle of the work is Experiences
~ Famine and Msrule in Russia" when the au'hoi
leaves the subject of famine he ceases 10 give p0'
sonal experiences. His facts nave zee" s
from other writer's. and are by no means DC ~ a,
,,,rcinr as he intended them to be- S'ats"0S u
,be number Of muzhks logged twenty years "so
-. 80, ,a,irg their taxes have little value nov"
"a 1, ts hard 10 see why more recent hgureS "eie
not available oo.,ror, Of
The facts presented regarding the "e"' -.
folder religious sects' in Russia make no 90 -
religious intolerance. but show rather ,o Y,ora,
n,.s nolicv of roofing out unspeaKapie ino' a"
..o The two or three tales. which are gwen
,r the chapter devoted 10 the later nom
sec,s sound surprisingly like tracts those wo"p<
ons of similar evangelical bodies in o'ne' p"ar' U
Tho world 1t is hard to see why the "u'no' 49,
o,,,des them In his book. Mr.. Reason mas NO. D,,ar
much more satisfactorily in suppiFihS 'e 49,. s'h
80 tho hook than Mr.. Stadling IN selec'"e I
% ' ,,,ora are IN many places the eVl-
soroes of haste and careless editing Judclous
ing however. may extract some useiui inio'
from the volume.