Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-14

Narwa by one-eighth OF their number
under the glorious madman," Charles
Al. ihey VIII teach US to beat them
YET. quoth Peter. confident in himself
ana the resources of his country, and
before the nine years war closed by
the utter ruin OF Sweden at Pultowa he
WAS already master of the coast south
or the Gulf OF Finland and had built
IN his window by sacrificing Il hundred
thousand lives amid the marshes OF the
NeVa; ST. Petersburg. for all the fool
ish choice OF site. became Russia's
wars Azof was lost again to the Turks,
out Astrakon WAS gained on the Cas-
plan from Persia
III the intervals the great work OF re.
organizlng an empire and refashion-
may be classified briefly.
/. Inc social changes were extended.
women were compelled to sacrifice
their oriental wells, as the men their
oeards. Peter himself designed enter
aaininents TO bring the two sexes to-
Sether in social intercourse The Flu
ropean calendar came in with European
dress. $500
2. Town life was promoted. The guild
system was borrowed from the west,
manufactures were fostered and an at
Sen,.'e VAS made To build up middle
class. while the nobility were organized
INTO pubic servants in the table of
ranks. or tchin. which lasts to-day.
3. AT last the administration was re-
formed. The clumsy patriarchal meth
Oh gave way to more effective, if
equally despotic, Capitalization and con-
solidation. AT the toa is the senate.
below are colleges of ministers: while
the empire is divided into provinces
ana subdivisions with modern gov
ernorS.
=. Dahscr lurked in the separate
power OF the church So when the
patriarch died the Office was not fl,nd.
but n holy synod was appointed to
regulate matters of religion. and to be-
itself regulated by Peter. Henry VIII
Of England is outdonc.
SUMMARY AND CRITICISM.
III all this Peter was both direction
ana actor. lie builds ships with his
own hands and navigatcs them: he
SSuperintends personally every academy.
hospitai, prison. mandatory: he mod.
eis iortrcsscs. draws w treaties. pulls
tceth. lights in the front rank i'm war
lie is terrible worker, and even learns
to live tcmperatcIv tb,t no ,,,,, ,',s
more.
Not all his work was wise. and the
best of it was married by the short
cohlinSs OF tyranny and by AN over
confidence in brute force Peter Ignored
the tremendous force OF moral scnti-
inent in Il peoples life. He made no
'.Nh'bI IL create or pGucltp pubIi,,
opinion. His very schools wero oni,,
academies to mako engineers. not to
make men. Where an Alfred the Great
would have worked upon the spirjt or
the nation, Peter the Great s.nnt him
ser upon cNternals. And 50 it is still
true mat IF YOU scratch IL Russian Won
VIII ma Tartar" Peter tried II has
been well said, "to r,uropeanize bv
Asiatic methods" lie civilized by The
cudgel. ~ '"'
Ana, worst of all. these reforms. sucr
us iney were. touched only the surface,
OF the nation. The small unner rlos.
TOOK on n European vcncer--cnouph In
de- Kussinnizc them-whiIe the masses
remained harbarous ana Asiatic. and
we Eh' between the two distinct pco-
pies mas not yet begun to close.
Gun RUSSIA was made II great state.
ana politically Il European stata. ,rho
-. pt"'se Tor Peters work is the fact
that ii lasted-though his immndiat,
successors counted four women. two
uoys ana wv" madmen--and that il lies
AT The hhse of all the PROGRESS Russia
mas made i'm this century.