The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-26


with H. but in reality there Is a kind OF
un'ntelligible hodgepodge of regulations;
explanations customary laws, DEGREES of
courts of CESSATION and 80 on, which nat
urally makes the peasants feel their abso-
Lutte dependence on the will of innumerab.e
officials. And the peasant regards as an
official not only the policeman the bailif
the clerk, the district Inspector and the
chief of the village police, but, in addition
to these, the insurance agent the land
surveyor, and the mediator for settling
boundaries, the veterinary and his assis-
tant surgeon the DOCTOR the clergyman
the judge, and the examining magistrate
every landowner even, and every gentle
man, because he knows by experience that
any gentleman can do with him whatever
he pleases. But what more than anything
else is depressing the spirits of the people
is Though il may not be apparenO that
shameful torture by hoggng, shameful
not of course for It's victims, but for
those who take part in and encourage 10
which, like the sword Of Damocles, hangs
over the head of every peasant.
Therefore to the three questions stated
above-viz, is there or is there not fam
inc? What is the cause Of the peoples
calamity? And what can be done to allev-
late this calamity? my replies are as fol-
lows
Famine there is not, but there is a
chronic insufIiciency OF nourlshment
among the whole population, which has
continued now for twenty years, and Is
constantly increasing, which Is especially
acute this year owing to the bad harvest
of last year, and which viii be still worse
next year. as this years harvest Of rye Is
worse than last years. Famine there is
not but there Is condition of things
which is much worse than famine. it Is
as If a doctor, on being asked whether
a patient has typhus, were 70 answer:
mo, he has not typhus, but Is IN a rapid
consumption"
To the second question, then, ! would
reply that the cause of the peoples inn
poVerished condition is not a material, but
a spiritual one Therefore, until the peo-
Pies spirit Is raised no outside measures
viii help them; neither the ministry Of
agriculture, with all it's contrivances. nor
exhibitions, nor schools Of rural economy,
nor any change of the tariff, nor exemp-
ton from payment 10 the state for re-
deeming the land (Which latter ought,
however, long ago 10 have been made, as
the peasants have long since paid over
to the state what they had borrowed If
one reckons according to the percentage
now currenD, nor the abolition Of the
taxes on iron and machinery, nor The ever
an unfailing one for all evils. e.. parish
schools-nothing viii help the people so
long as their state Of mind remains as
Il Is. do not say that an these meas
ures are useless, but they viii become use
ful only when the spirit Of the people is
raised, so that they themselves conscious
Iy and freely desire to make use Of
them
My reply, then. to the third question,
as to what can be done to prevent this
calamity repeating Itself, Is that n order
to achieve this IL is necessary do not
say at once to respect-but 20 cease de-
spising and insulting the people by treat
ing them ike animals; II is necessary to
give them religious liberty, 10 subject
them to common instead Of special laws
the VIII Of rural officials; IL is necessary
to give them liberty of education, liberty
Of reading liberty Of moving about, and.
above all remove that Infamous stigma
which rests upon past and present gov
ernments-viz., the power brutally to tor
ture grown up people by nogging simply
because they happen 20 belong to the
peasant class.
81 don't think that Mr. Eatington ever
declines an invitation to dinner"
"Oh, no. he's sort Of social lion, seek
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