Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-29
EVIL FOLK IN RUSSIA
Suffering From Plague of Eight
Million Vagabonds.
THE NUMBER IS ON THE INCREASE
All Classes Of People Are Among
the Outcasts.
SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
THE NUMBER is ON THE INCREASE
SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

From the chicago Infer Ocean.
AI-xei Svirsly lives in s. Petersburg and
makes his living by newspaper work. His
father was "A Greek and his mother Polish
Hebrew but he has Joined the orthodox
church and calls himself a Russian. He is
about thirty-three years old. Unlike the
usual Russian SocioloE+>.. ne has not had a
university training. and takes very little
interest in the academic appreciation of
men and affairs but he has read a great
deal i'm Russian, German. French and Eng
IiSh. aud Ids quite as definite ideas the
average professor. He born in very
poor circumstances. and has had to fight
his way literally out uf the gutter, but he
knows today more about outcast life in
Russia than any other man. / first heard
of rim from the assistant project of St.
Petersburg. During conversation with
this gentleman in regard to one Of the local
sIums in which l was very much interested,
he said
You ouch; to meet young Syirsky. He is
just the man 70 tell you what YOU want to
know / DO not agree with all his notions.
but have read his writings with interest,
and there is doubt that he has made a
very thorough study of tramp and criminal
life in Russia He Is generally to be seen in
the editorial office OF the Novosti. and you
might tell him that l sent you to him.
An Interesting Personality.
found Nh Svirsky in the editorial rooms
of the Novosti He looks like man who
has been through a great deal of hardship.
He has sad face and subdued voice
such as men acquire who have been long in
prison. The first impression of him, and d
correct one. is that he could pose for almost
anything if he dressed for the occasion.
In the street / have seen him look and act
exactly Ike the Russian Vagaboud. and in
his OthCe like the stereUtyped police official.
~ n w fch has
nvceS~. ,Ited. has made II easy for him to
assume different characters. and he is al
most as good an actor as he is an investiga-
tor.
L became interested in vagabond life,''
h. SaId when 1 was a mere boy. One day
thu cholera came 70 the town in Poland
where | lived, and, after It had carried
away my father and mother. l was put in
t. IN" street and told TO pick up my Iiv-
i.g a. best l could. Naturally, l drIfted in
To The cJmpauiunShip Of vagabOnds. They
Nr-r- :ar only persons who could tell me
how 20 live, and. for a number of months,
mad So manage more OF less as they do.
/, was The Impressions that I got then
which lmpellei me later to study their life
seriously and u write about 1t. l was
"'rkln; On newspaper in Southern Rus
50 at he time, and uHe day the thought
C.rrne 10 ME thar it would be d good work
[" explore the ou,cas- world in Russia and
j.. M c1untrymen See what It is. My in
tcre>t IN it was more literary than philan-
trr"lI- tut hoped. ii / could do The work
WI. .'lt IL would help in reforming social
Conditions here II did not take me long
L. max" the necessary prepare tons / gave
w ny l'5. said goodbye to few friends
and -Hru simply disappeared. l was d year
On this first trip
One Year Police Tramp.
How did you manage with the police?
1da', hey ind you out?"
'Ih never actually discovered that I
was "a voluntary brodiag. but it was occa-
s'"Hally necessary for me to tell them my
right name man who wanders In Rus
STA a. l have done has TWO chances TO TO-
nance about himself before the police are
entitled jy send him 10 Siberia as an en-
forced r'lonlSa. and ! have known about
t!'S regulation and taken advantage of it.
l~H started out for The first time tore
u my passport. and then went 10 a police
station In x town some distance from the
one lived in and notified the officer in
oa"rS@ hat l was without a passport
II Is gone 1 SAID, and l want an
Where do You live the officer asked
~ar|f"T on tho Noya'
-Nls rS1t; consider yourself d prisoner
Nh'H Ne can Identity You. We will take
l"- ~ HaratoH by etapes. and # you con-
Vince Us th&t YOU are what YOU say Won
or W W:lI release you
u t"'k them nearly SIX weeks to get me
u S.taf.it- hut l saw ii great deal of vaga-
q ..-'! and prison life .!1ng IN. wav and mi,
VS. what 1 wanted At Saratoff. when they
ASK M L" identify myself l said that /
H@. ih'"- Il mistake. that | had since learn
ca fHs-t the people who could prove that I
W .si night Were at Tashkend in Cen
tlai Asia
In Forwarding JaiIs.
tH"n We Will take you there the
rHt..e said but il You fail TO clear Up mat
tfr@ after that you Will have to go TO ST.
t.rlI a colouist'
i--E were more than year transport
ing me 20 TashkenG and | had to wait in
i'f"aTn.ng Jaiis for weeks at q time. but
W a11iiy reached the place. and I taIa
er Hrer To- my friends 70 send me- a mss
port u came in due course and | was re-
i-'s'n In this way / have Travelled all
over Russia. and have been lodged in the
IL "aihi-S IdllS in all our cities Of more
Than .|-osV Inhabitants I finished INV
t-t'r-f about eighteen months ago and /
nav" seen all that / care 10 Of etape life
iN 1t!rT mat / might see for myself what
i-a~N.tH N0Eahords look Ike Nj Syirskv
t.'"k no To- several Of their hauuts in ST
I'i'r>HUrg- We both dressed like ro1tibil.e
$" ihat VIC could pass about freely among
ta- people. and W. got a glimpse of ali the
..''i!""S resorts of the local beggars and
't'v's-- h'Se resorts are not much worse
IN general appearance than were many of
tH"' ~i1n quarters in America but in no
"'Hrr elly that l have been in Is there such
over. r'WGiHg. In one lodging house alone
NOR" than lo."0u people sleep on winter
nights. and there are number that afford
shelter for Il thousand The inmates are as
tdi'"Tv' and diseased collection Of people
q on" can lind N years travel. and Mr.
SNirsEy said il would he better for All CON
t"'H-t Dr. they did not exist Mr. Syirsky
csrH contend that they ought not to be al
loved {" live. if no better environment can
D. furnished them than what they now
have.
Eight Million Dangerous Outcast.
II frankly confess" ne said that am
h't 'ar 81 those who believe in proIonging
such miserable lives These people are of no
Us" 10 themselves or any one else. The bulk
OF them suffer from disease. and they are q
constant menace to the health of the town
Il they were animals and not human beings
there would be no dpub; as to what should
0" done with them In manner and tenDor-
am ut great many Of them are animals.
AND Ih' best way TO deal with them is ON
THIS basis l know that it sounds harsh fo
sp'Hk 90 human beings in this fashion hut
Russia Is 50 Uttered up with this particular
kiha ~ human beings that they have sim
Ply gut 10 be weeded out
How numerous are they?'