Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26

one four-hundredth of one per cent of the
| whole population. How the government
hundred and niEety-nine four-hundredths
per cent OF her people We have not been
| told.
The Revolutionary Movement.
But even this small number of political
exiles is rapidly decreasing, and it may be
| safely said that today the revolutionary
movement in Russia amounts to practically
| nothing. There are many reasons for this.
| In the first place, the government is really
sincere in its desire to allow the greatest
| possible freedom of thought and express
| sion consistent with the integrity of the
| government and of law and order In the
| second place. the administration of the
| laws Is becoming more and more efficient,
| and the government is more able to carry
| out its desires and to prevent their per-
version by corrupt officials.
| Cases are abundant to prove the really
| liberal aims of the government. For in
stance, there is the history of the scientist
Potaneene. Some time ago he was exiled
! under easy conditions to eastern Turke-
| stan. There he spent his time in study, did
valuable scientific work, and soon con-
| WINGED the government that he was not
| dangerous to its welfare. Whereupon he
was made member of the Royal Geo.
| graphical Society of Russia, and was sent
| by the government itself at the head of
| scientific expeditions to the Turkestan
| country, and he is now living and working
| in st. Petersburg, in the highest esteem of
| the government.
| Then there is Tolstoi. His writings are
! not allowed to circulate in Russia, but the
| government knows that the man himself is
thoroughly loyal, and he lives near Mos
| COW, doing as he pleases and writing freely.
How little is left of what little nihilism
! and terrorism ever existed in Russia may
be shown in many ways. For instance,
! some years ago the emperor attended the
| launching of vessels at Odessa.
On his arrival in the city the crowds sur
| rounded his carriage, took the horses out
| of the harness. and, shouting and cheering,
| drew the carriage themselves! AS for the
| present cZar, he goes everywhere unattend-
ed. And more significant than this is the
! fact that it is his regular custom to drive
| out every afternoon in the winter at the
| same hour with the empress. There is but
| little to prevent his assassination on any
| one of these occasions.
Chief Obstacle to the Movement.
| But the greatest obstscle to the success
! of the revolutionary movement in Russia
| is the people themselves. Strange tins
| statement may seem, it is literally and
unqualifiedly true.
About 80 per cent Of the Russian popula-
| ton are peasants (mouzhiks), and it is
| ttese peasants who make Russia what
| is. Now the condition of this great mass OF
| people is ve,y peculiar Thirty-fiVe Year.
| ago they were practically slaves, bound &c
| the land and bound to the master of I'll,
lai d. In 1862 the government freed then
completely, just as our slaves were freed
| But the Russian government did not stol
| here. From each serfs former master
| bought certain amount of land am
| has provided practically every peasant H.
! the land with a home of his OWL
While the material condition of the peas
ant has been so much improved, he himself
| has advanced but little. Today the grea
mass of the Russian people live under con
| ditions that the poorest class of our pop
| IIation would deem intolerable. The moux-
| nix s daily diet is tea, black bread anG
| soup; he lives in a two-room log house
! ard he and all his family sleep on the hare
| wooden floors in their ordinary clothes
He wears few cheap cotton clothes the
year round, and in winter simply adds a
huge coat made of undressed sheepskins
| He works ten to fourteen hours day
cheerfully, but often will work only three
or -FOUR days IN week, as this is enough
| to support him. He is obedient unambi-
| tfous and contented in the extreme
| people IKE TINS. thoroughly iliterate
| ignorant. lazy and improvident cannot be
| transferred from a state of complete de-
| pendence to one of complete independence
| without some assistance and guidance. And
| this guidance and assistance the Russian
| government has always furnished it's peo-
| pie. In fact, it may be stated without the
| slightest fear of successful contradiction
that the Russian government has done
| more directly for its people than any other
| government III the world.
| Protecting the Workers.
| Take first the city workmen For the
| welfare of these the government has estab-
| lished complete and minute regulations
| Every factory is under immediate govern
| ment supervision. Its rules must be APP
| proved by the government in every detail.
| The number of working hours in a day, the
allowance for mea! hours, the ages at
| which children may become employees. the
time ana manner of paying wages and f
| the factory houses ard feeds its employees
| the condition of the houses and the weekly
| bill of fare, must all be approved by the
| government. Education is looked after NV
| compelling all children to attend school
for Il certain time.
| 1t is the same way in the country There
| the peasants are helped, guided and re-
| strained by the omnipresent government
In famine time 1t is the government that
| feeds the people and keeps them from star
walton caused by their own improvidence
In the great famine of a few years ago the
| car gave half of his whole personal in
| come for the relief of the destitute peas
| ants, the most of whom could. if they
pleased, make in any one year almost
| enough to support themselves for two
years.
Where the old system of cultivation is
| inadequate the government introduces and
maintains new methods until the peasants
have learned them.
In eastern Siberia, where salt is scarce
and stock raising is very important, the
| government supplies salt free to the in
| habitants.
In order that the peasant may travel
around and work in the cities in winter,
when his farm is covered with months of
snow, the government has made third
class railway fares so low that man can
go from Warsaw to the Siberian frontier
over 1000 miles, for $500, or about two
fifths of cent a mile. And nearly every
Russian mouzhik has received the educa-
tional benefit that comes from this travel
ing.
Compulsory Education.
In education the government does as
much for the farmer as it is now possible
to do. Schools are universal, and attend-'
ance, 1 am informed, is compulsory, just
as in the cities. There are also in the
cities the most important kind of schools
for Russia-namely, technical schools.
These are free to everybody and may be
attended by students from the country as
well as from the city. And to make at
tendance at these schools practicable for
the poor the government provides all stu
dents with free railway passes to the
schools and back to their homes During
the recent exposition at Mini Novgorod
o1S