New-York tribune., 1898-01-23
THE COMING OF THE SLAv
RUSSIA'S MISSION TO CONQUER ,,,,,
CHRISTANIZE THE WORLD


The Latin and the Teutonc races have h.,
their day and they have failed to cstabIlss
truly Christian civilization. They have a.
great things in the organization u society
the development Of material wealth in lners
ture art and science. and especially in racoa
nlZing and securing In some degree the ri1b,,
Of the individual man; but they have exal,ss
the material above the spiritual. and nss.
MammOn their god. They have lost the nohs.
aspirations Of youth. and are governed now 4.
the soriid calculations of old age We wall ~,
coming ~ the Slay 20 regenerate Europe es,ab
lish the principle II universal brotherhood ana
the kingdom Of Christ IN earth
This is the substance Of an address delivered
+ not long ago By a young Slay II il were N.
fancy Of a single brain ii would not be yorfs
noticing but as it is, in fact. the dream u more
than a hundred million brains IN Europe il Ia,
some interest for those who are - be reger.
erateI by the coming Of the SlaV Engishmen
and Americans used 20 have such dreams anI
somehow. without much wisdom or much con.
sc)us direction on the part of their rulers these
dreams have got themselves fu..lll' ! IN a meas.
ure II We have failed tO establish truly
Christian civilization in the world and lat
something for the Slavs to DO. IL is perhaps og,
fault. but " have certainly done something
toward the evolution of society. II We hear ,ass
of thesr dreams now, ii is tecause we har.
found that the renovation of the world vas A
bigger JOB" than We had counted upon. TIE
Latin races had certainly failed 10 realize th-,
dreams when the TrutOn.c races took I'D he
work and put new lie into II. II now the Sla.
can complete Il. 50 much the better for us and
/ the world however painful tn" process may te
The Latin races have lost nothing worth tayln,
/ by 0ur leadership and il the Slavs are 70 bin,
! IN uuly Christian civilization and universal
| brotherhood. then Latin. Tcuton and Sav viii
! share alike in all the happy results which must
/ follow There is nothing manif"stly absurd N
/ their dream. II must be scknDwlalgei tha,
there is some truth in their pessimstic view
I OF modern civilization, and II has happened
again and again In the history u the world
that new rlce has beer called u take h.
/ lead in regencrating ii. The slavic race seems
TO be- the only one in sight % which such A
/ mission could be given. 1t Is not exactly new
/ Tn SlaNs have been a long time in Central and
/ S0uthrdstcrn Europe. Even Russia is only reia-
/ lively new. But their early de. elopment was
/ checked by the Turkish invasion u Europe
But fo- this Constantinople would centuries ago
nave been the capital + a great Slavic Empire
and Central Europe might have been Slavic
instead Of German. As it was. al the Southern
l Siays fcll under the Turks and went back into
. babarism Those in Central Europe acre over.
whem,d by tn" Germans. and Russia vas ab-
sorbed in endless wars with her neishbors.
a NEW RACE N EUROPE
Essentially. then. the Slavic race Is a new one.
1t has never eXertcd any direct influence ui0a
the development Of European civilization until
! within few years. Tn race is not only new. bu,
+ far more numerous and powerful than any u
the races that in times past have been called 70
! overthrow or rcgenerate an existing civilization
/
| millions under thu ruiz OF leadership u Russia
| which is certainly to-day the leading Power in
Europe. The alliance with France may be- con-
! sidered as not simply 4 Governmental alliance
| but as 4 league Of the Slavic and Latin races
| against the predOminance Of the Teut nc. Tht
enthusiasm with which 1t has been accepted by
the French and Russian people seems TO result
from some such idea OF which. perhaps neither
is fully conscious. although it has been suggested
| by both French and Russian newspapers. Ther'
is nothing strange or absurd in such race. un
der such circumstances. feeling that they have
great mission to fulfil in the world.
II is interesting to know what this great rac
is dreaming OF, but the question which Interests
us still more is whether the Slavic people car
be depended upon to realize such an ideal ciyil
| zatOn they dream Of They are far enough
from it now. Whatever may be said of WesteI
| civilization, even enthusiastic Flenchmen hav
no desire to exchange il for that Of Russia
This however, proves nothing. The Slays ar
just emerging from barbarism and the Russlal
Government is more under the influence 0
Western than Of Slavic ideals. The same thln
is true Of the governing class and of educated
Russians generally. They may be ardent Pan
slavists and believe In the mission Of their race
but their faith is not in themsclves-it IS in IN
moujik. When ask for the ground Of TIL
faith they tell that there is omething in IN
Slavic race which is above or beyond tho com
prehensiOn of the Western world The YER
writer's who give us the saddest and most pa
thetic pictures Of the Russian people. as the
are. still profess the most unbounded faith i
the moujik. They believe that it is his destin
TO regenerate the world. Perhaps ii IL; but IN
trouble is that they give us no sufficient reaso
for their faith Even DostOievSki takes for NJ
motto the lines of the poet Tuchef:
mo man comprehend Russia with NJ
reason.
1t is only necessary to believe in Russia"
In one OF his novels he says Russia has IN
genius Of all nations. and Russia genius in al
dtion. We can understand all nations, but
other nation can understand US"
The truth seems 10 lie in the first quotation
Every Russian is to a certain extent mystic
who visions and acts upon intultiOns. h
believes in Russia Christian may believe
the Book OF Revelation. without unierstandln
IL LIS history. mast and future. Is 10 him 4 sol