Washington sentinel., 1898-02-26
The Coming OF the slaY.
George WaSk6HyN, ID. d., in he
Contemporary ReVfsV."

"Conkemboyayy ReVisEV."
The Latin and the Teutonic races have
had their day, and they have failed to
establish truly Christian civilization.
They have done great things in the
organization Of society, in the deyel.
opment OF material wealth, in literature,
art and science, and especially in recog.
nizing and securing in some degree the
rights of the individual man; but they
have exalted the material above the
spiritual, and made Mammon their god.
They have lost the nObler aspirations of
youth, and are governed now by the
sordid calculations of old age. We wait
the coming OF the Slav to regenerate
Europe, establish the principle of uni.
versal brotherhood end the kingdom OF
Christ on earth. This is the substance
Of an address not long ago by young
Slav. If it were the fancy Of single
brain it would not be worth noticing;
but as it is, in fact, the dream of more
than hundred million brains in Europe,
it has some interest for those who are to
be regenerated by the coming OF the
SIav.
In his religious character at least the
0IoaJLk is the most original and inter-
esting peasant in Europe. He has grave
faults and weaknesses, like other men;
but his peculiar virtues, his pathetic
endurance of suffering, his profound
sympathy with humanity, his faith in
voluntary self sacrifice, his very dreams
of destiny commend him to the sympa.
thy OF all the world. He does not seem
to belong to the matter of tact world of
the nineteenth century. How far the
educated classes in Russia and the
Slavs in other countries partake of the
character of the mounk is a question
not easy to answer. The Russian gen.
tleman whom we meet in society seems
to be very much like every other Euro
pean gentleman-perhaps even more
cosmopolitan, type OF Western civil
ization; but a more intimate acquaint-
ance with him, and a careful study of
Russian literature and especially of
Russian biographies, cannot fail to
modify this first impression. But, after
all, what else he may be, he is a Slav.
He believes in the mission OF his race as
much as the mouik, even though he
may be an open enemy of the ex isting
Government in Russia-and his relig-
ious instincts are not unlike those of
the moujik, though he may call himself
an atheist.
The only conclusion which wish to
draw from these facts is that the edu-
Gated Russian differs from other edu-
Gated Europeans as much as the Russian
peasant differs from other peasants, and
in much the same way. Wide as is the
gulf which separates the moujilS from
the educated classes, and little as they
understand one another, the Slavs of
Russia are homogeneous race, and are
likely to bring he Slays of other coun.
tries under their influence. It is not an
accident that it is a SlaY, GolUchowski,
who has brought Austria and Russia
into alliance. But the Slavs of other
countries are by no means so homoGe.
neous as those of Russia. The Moham.
medan Slavs are lost to the race. Their
religion seems to have DESTROYED their
race characteristics. They are the most
fanatical of Moslems, and are gradually
leaving the Balkan peninsula for Asia.
The Slavs OF Austria and the Balkan
States are divided into so many nation
allties, each with long history OF its
own, that they seem to have little in
common, and to care far more for their
nationality than their race. They are
divided, too, between the Orthodox and
the Catholic Churches; but the conflict
with the Germans and the Magyars is
rapidly bringing them together in Aus
tria, while Russia has brought Bulgaria,
SerYia, and Montenegro into alliance,
and is preparing the way for Slavic rule
in Macedonia. There is no question
about the coming of the Slav in south
eastern Europe. This era OF peace, so
called, is working out changes more
momentous than many great war. It
is clear now that the Slav, and not the
Greek, is to inherit the eastern empire.
This does not necessarily imply the
speedy extension Of the Russian empire
to the AdrIatic; but when the time comes
for Russia to take Constantinople the
southern Slavs must inevitably come
under her rule, and the coming of the
Slav will, in the end, mean the coming
of Russia. What Russia may be or NAV
do after she takes Constf ntinople, the
Gar himself could not tell us. AS we
have seen, the Slavic race is still in its
youth. What it may be when it comes
to maturity; how far 1t will realize its
dreams, and develop higher and better
civilization than that Of the West, the
next century will show. AS the race
becomes more united, more enlightened,
and more self-conscious, il will be less
likely to yield to Western influences
This is already manifest in Russia. II
is more Russia to-day than it was in the
time of Alexander H., and there is
nothing in the happy disappearance oi
PobIedonOstset from the front, or in the
more liberal acts OF the present Gar
which IS inconsistent with a still more
distinctively Slavic development. Rus
sia is every year less dependent upon
the West, Intellectually as we'll as polit
ically and commercially; and this has
gone so far that the French alliance is
not likely TO exert any permanent inau.
ence upon the course of Russian thought