The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-13

and apparently more dcep-scated than Il
4. elsewhere: and. what In etill stranger.
not the least OF its exciting causes has been
tho communicate agrarian system which
was thought to be a safeguard against It.
Ia the earlier period. indeed, before the
emancipation OF the rsrfs. the Russian revo-
htionary movement was largely inspired
by an ideaiization OF the merits % the rural
but, since the emancipation, IL
has been stimulated far more formidably
by the observation 81 the commune's de-
fects. Far from preventing the birth Of n
proietarat. as Prof Harthau-en assumed
would. be the case. the communistic land
system Of Russia In now Of itself trgetting
the most numerous and the most helpless
proletarat In the world. II appearS that
there are already more paupers In IT Peters
burg, proportionately To population. h
Ia any other European capital, and as many
~ a third OF tho Inhabitants Of the prov
inces are either entirely landles- or find
their land. instead Of q benefit. only a griev-
Gus burden, from which they cannot shake
themselves clear.
The word nihilist was first employed
by Turg.nicN In his novsi Fathers and
Sons and was thus defined A nihiliSt
/. a man who bows before no authority
and who accepts no principle without eI-
animation. no matter what credit the pnn-
ciple has Is According TO Baron firrk-,
Russian nihtli-m represented NJ the out
ret the transfer ~ tho critical spirit
the spirit Of intell.Cturl revolt. from re-
ligion tn politics and social life The word
seems To- he morr descriptive ~ the earlier
developments Of the Russian revolutionary
movement, than Of the later tp To tn"
emancipation Of the s"ffs nihilism may
be said Ca have been q brnignant growth,
Ia use a medical expression. II ~as that
great historical measure which converted
IL into n malignant and deadly suppuratlun
The clamor 81 the victims Of the ffnancl-
patton &C, woke up all the earlier discon-
tents 81 the country. The Poles. indecd
| aud the Dissenting -erts seem to have con
tributed but q small contingent 10 the nihi-
liz, ranks. but the Jews. exposed a. they
are To barharous persecution. have from
the beginning hlled the scrret societies
with determined members. Even though
the Revolutionary Executive COMMITTEES
ultimately issued a proclamation against
IA. Jews on the ground Of the ex,ortion
practi-ed by Jewish money-l"nders on the
p~earantry, there are stu many Jews htnohk
the Russian revolutioni-ts
II was In 1875 that the nihilists, who pre-
viouzly had been disposed to conine them
selves Ia Socialist demonstration and to
socialistic colonization. inauguratcd the
system 81 terrorism by which they are best
known In the West In 1879 the revolu-
tionists broke into two parties. namely.
that of the Black Division, which has an
asrarian aim. and that uf the Will % the
People which adopted terrorism ~ it,
exclusive business The latter party.
through it, Executive Committee, l-sucd
sentences 81 death on the Gar and various
State officials and. after making ten at
tempts ON high functionarie~. five 81 them
fatal. and four attempts on the life Of tho
Gar. finally succeeded In killing Alexander
II on March n. 1881 With the las,-named
party tn. political side ~ their programme
o~vrr~hadowed the -ocialistic. and their
first demand from the new CZar. Alexander
III, WAS for a constitution. The demand
wns rejected. bu, Il is now known that his
as.as~inated father had determined 10 give
Russia a constitution. which was actually
in type at the time Of his murder.