The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-16
RUSSIAN STUDENTS REVERE TOLSTOI
q
eaNovelist Surrounded by Throngs of Coegans When
He Appears in Public.
RUSSIAN

Is a new and unusually interesting view of
Hile recent students uprising In Russia
Ehd Of Count Tolstois connection With it
lss given in Black and White The writer
rs Vladimir Tchertkoff, private secretary
pf the count, and thus in a measure the
jBbokesman Of the famous author and
Eeformer.
"For US Russians" he says, that
Which Is now taking place in our cohn-
Try, being so new and unexpected, is Of
'the utmost interest, filing us with feel
angs both of Joy at the symptoms Of the
awakening Of social consciousness, so
long dormant, and Of horror at the fero-
'cious actions of an autocratic govern
ment, hopelessly run amuck in the alb
Rence of all control. A new period in the
fsocial life of Russia has undoubtedly
been opened. What further develop
ments viii ensue, 1t is of course as yet
Impossible to foresee; but one can indi-
cate the essential features Of the pres
ent movement, so far as one is able TO
fudge by what has already taken place.
Tho chief events Of this movement
are already familiar to English readers
through the papers, The disturbances
were called forth by the enforcement, in
December last at the Kieff university,
of the imperial edict for the compulsory
enlistment of fractions students into the
military service. The edict in its fool
ashness and cruelty, may serve as char
hcteristic illustration of the present Rus
sian governments mode Of action. Its
foolishness has been sufficiently manifest
ed by the fact that at this, its first prac-
fical test, instead of subdufng the eX-
citement Of the dissatisfied students. it,
on the contrary only added fuel to the
fire On the other hand. the cruelty or
this measure becomes evident when one
takes into consideration that thereby
the moment when
they are in1amed with the most bitter
ranCour against authorities who have
shockinely ll-treated them, are suddenly
transferred from the university benches
into the rigorous conditions Of military
discipline, where for any rash act, for
which in their exasperated state of mind
they can hardly be called responsible,
these youths are liable to execution.
And. as a mater Of fact. one Of the
first results Of the application of this
measure was the shooting, by court-mar-
tial, Of one of these unfortUTR,e students
for striking IN d moment of unControHa-
bic Indignation, an officer who had
coaTseiy insulted him. Since then an
other student-soldier has met the same
fate. OF all forms of murder the one
called capital punishment, in its cold
bloOded cynicism and self-righteOus le-
gality is undoubtedly the most bastard
"; but the enactment of such q murder
upon q lGAlON IildiI plc1CCI III IAlC POS+I-54A
described is so unspeakable an atrocity
that ones soul sickens at the thought Of
st. and one shudders at the weight Of the
moral responsibility which che blood Of
these poor youths lays upon the heads OF
those who from the emperor downwards
have been concerned in prOclaimtng the
criminal edict. There followed, as is
known, disturbances and street demon
STATIONS in all the university towns OF
Russia to which the government respond
ed by sending CossacIs to trample under
their horses feet and lash wfSh knouts
in SOM. cases to death, helpless women
youths and venerable citizens.
This action gives another vivid Illus
traUiOu o. the real attitude of the Rus
stan government towards the public, and
viii hencefOrth serve them as fresh
stimulus for further efforts towards free
Ing themselves from the unbearable OPP
preston of an obsolete and brutal des-
potism.
ONE BRIGHT FEATURE.
a. bright feature of this new social
movement in Russia is to be found in the
fact that having begun in the restricted
sphere Of students interests, it has at
Gracted the attention and excited the in
dignatiOn of the best part of the nation
at large; not only have the educated
classes. as was also the case during the
same kind of disturbance two years ago.
shaken off, for a time at least, their
usual tOrpOr and Indifference, and become
against the conduct of the government.
but now for the first time have the in
dustrial classes of the towns energetiCally
shown their sympathy for the ill-treated
students-a fact the Importance of which
cannot be oVerestimated.
zone Of the questions which most gen.
orally interest the English public in con-
necJiOn with any social events in Russia,
Is: What is Leo Tolstoi's attitude towards
1t? Upon this subject he is preparing
some writings, which will probably soon
be published in England; but l may per-
haps do well now to quote a few remarks
from a letter I have recently received
from him:
D." The information which has reached
you is perfectly correct-the troops did
have bah cartridges distributed to them
The most remarkable fact in this move
ment is that the working people are or
the side of the students. or rather OF
the side of the expression of dissatisfac
tion. Many workingmen come to see ms
and write to me as also do students and
I tell them one and all. the same thing
For the welfare Of men, mutual union is
necessary before all else and, therefore
the more reciprocal intercourse and sym
pathy there is In this movement, the
better. One should. however, unite, MOI
in the name of enmity, but of mutua
love; and ii such union appears dangerous
and harmful to some persons, then S,
much the worse for them. We invite then