New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-13

with any other and unwilling to unite en- any
common basis. This is why no general idea can
he accepted by the whole nation, il is split up
INTO too many different sets. The arist0cracy,
( for instance considers only its particular
erds. and takes but very little notice Of the
/ public veal: it disdans to concern itself With
commerce. although il could bring To this de-
partment valuable assistance. The national
genius II we have any. sleeps. merely because
the people themselves will not organize ard
awaken it, 1t is as unproductive. under the
conditions described. as is the unexpected min
eral ore lying in many Of our mountains.
Meanwhile. however. tlic population increases,
the exigenCie5 Of life become greater. means
formerly sufficient no longer suffice the peas
ants in the country are in need and the artisans
liz the towns arc in the same plight. II is only
in the last ten years that Russia began to move
/ at all. The peasants are beginning 10 look for
land in Siberia. the artisan class is fOcking
to places where factories are being built.
and the nobility is devOtnS itself with increased
energy TO the army and bureaucracy. From this
II oycment Of all the classes there results de-
post which we find in such places as the House
Viazemski There are a great many for whom
he movement is too difficult they cannot keep
pace with it and they fall out of the ranks ard
l
|. is because the change coming over US is TAX
ing hold Of all classes that we find them ali rep
resented in this rosiduum. Fer many Of the
arstccrats the struggle is hard as fer the
happy -go-lucky peasant and those Of them who
fall have to take their places in the s!ums side
by side with the nluzhil,s. The probability IS
that things will be worse they are better.
Every year row indGstriaism IS getting a
tighter hold On Russia and this means an IN
creased activity and movement cf the popuia-
ton. Tie weak ones. however, in my judgment.
have only just begun to show themselves, and
for the next twenty years kecve that inst'tu-
ticns Ike the Viazemski will be much more fire.
quert than they are now"
DRASTIC REMEDY SUGGESTED.
Such is MIR SYirsl.y's sociological explanation
Of the origin Of Russian Sums. Ia final con-
versation | ha1 with him before leaving Russia
he said 10 ne: Now ! should be interested to
know how in America you would deaf with the
class Of people We have been stud rg. read
in the papers that you have model institutions
over there and gradually decreasing your
SUM population. but what do you do with the
people? Where do you put ;hem or 90 they all
become good citizens after a time? For instance,
= what would YOU personally do with the NIa"enl-
SKI crowd IL the car should command you to
shut up tie place within given time and set
the people out If the way" | could only reply
thai was too ignorant Of Russian Ii Q ard ways
Of managing to suggest a plan WELL do you
want to know what would do with them?' lie
said. Il should take every one Of them out TO
The Hot Field rc2r the Moscow gate. line them
up in convenient oder. have the priests give
them las, consOling word. ard then tel the
Cossacks to erd their lives as speedily and pain
legsy as possible. That is the only way | can
think Of To get rid f such diseased worthless
creatures would not even spare the children.
for every che q them is suffering from some
revotirg malady
asked Mir Svirsky whether n did net think
il would be more humane. perhaps. TO bear
with such unfortuEaies until they died na'ur-
ally and devote our Efforts To getting at the
sources of the evil which produces them. lie
did not consider il an attribute Of civilization 10
spare TIE useless lives" Of such useless hu-
man beings" Whether he stands alone in this
Cuinion or rot among Russian sOcicogists can
no, say bat was struck with the matter-of-hct
way in which he stated it. 1t is an Indication.
AT least Of how serious the problem seems TO
one who has STUDIED it over a larger territory
rrobabIy than any ether investigator. and OF
the stupeEdOus work Russia mas before her
when once she settles down to the organization
~ her immense possessiCrs II is rot Impossible
ira; out OF The experiments she will male there
NAV cone to Weston countries methods OF pro-
cct,ure which they VIII be glad 10 make use or