The Minneapolis journal., 1901-10-05

Russia's Mission in the Far East Sale of the
Library of the Fourth Earl of
AShburnham.

Britain and Ireland. It's capital will be
SIS, 100000. The object of the combina-
tion, which includes such prominent
manufacturers as Wills, Player, Clarke
and Pignett, is to meet American compe
| tition.
Russia's Mission.
Havelock Ellis in the Contemporary Re-
view, speaking Of the future of Russia and
France, says that it has been RuSsias
singular good fortune-for 1t has certain
ly been more by luck than by policy-that
during the past century she has constant
ly been engaged in sending the best blood
from her European territory to vivify her
Asiatic territory. She has compelled her
most forceful people-her political rebels
and her religious dissenters-to take ref
uge with her criminals in her own terri
tory in Siberia. With the new century
she has wisely ceased to send her Grim
inals to Siberia; the worthless majority
among them were "a weakness precisely
because they were vagrants and never be-
came permanent part Of the population.
But the stronger elements that were sent
to Siberia will not so pass away. The peo-
pie of Siberia are already proving their
energy; before long they will more than
rival the people Of the European mother
| country.
A great deal has been said concerning
| the enormous industrial expansion of Rus
| sia during the past century, and concern
ing the great Trans Siberian railway, now
approaching completion, which, although
| 1t cannot have much direct influence on
| commerce, will certainly have an enor-
nous indirect influence in stimulating the
| development of new trade routes and
readjusting the trade balance throughout
| the world. Certainly this industrial ex-
| tension has been very great. But per-
| haps something too much has been made
| of it. Her position as the natural land
carrier between Europe and Asia gives
Russia an inevitably important CONNER
cial position; her great natural wealth
gives her an inevitably important indus
| trial position. One may doubt, however,
| whether industry and commerce are the
| main lines along which the special and
peculiar characters Of the Russian people
will be developed. This is indicated by the
fact that the industries Of Russia have
hitherto been to a considerable. extent
in other than Russian hands, and, though
we may certainly expect this state Of
things to be altered in the near future,
it serves to show that the Russians are
not pre- eminently commercial and in
dustrial people.
The Russians possess, more distinctly
than any other people, special mission
of civilization. In Europe, it is true, they
nave uO HIASfUu1 III HQQ IN f1Q@
land they have not been more successful
than England in somewhat similar at
tempts to rule peoples Of alien civiliza-
tion. But for her peculiar task Of domi-
mating those barbaric eastern peoples
which are not already in the hands of
European powers, and have not already
shown some power of civiliZing them
selves, Russia is eminently fitted. She
has herself, it is true, not yet perfectly
OF nod eli ho nj ~ fha
east or of the west; she has never reached
the level either Of China or Of France.
But even the elements Of barbarism in her
own life and ways, as we'll as the power
full Asiatic strain in her blood mark her
out for the task which naturally falls to
her, and enable her to blend harmonious
ly with subjugated peoples, from whom
British conquerors, for instance, would
have been held permanently aloof by lofty
disdain. But there is more than that.
Beyond any other European people the
Russians possess a degree of receptivity,
a radical humanity Of feeling, fund Of
high idealism, and a sense of the rela-
tionship of ideas to practical life, which
cannot fail to carry them very far. These
things, far more than either an outrage
Gus militarism or the capacity for frantic
industrial production, in the end make
up civilization.
Engines in Palestine.
According to the Chamber of Commerce
Journal of London, a German firm about
three years ago introduced into Palestine
oil engines Of three or four horsepower
for pumping water from the deep wells
At first garden proprietors looked upon
them with suspicion. Finally however.
the agent volunteered to set up an engine
free Of expense in one of the gardens by
way of experiment, and it was found to
work so well that several orders were at
once placed. When first set to work these
engines were made to pump up the water,
but 1t was found that the pipes frequently
became clogged with mud and sand.
Now however, by simple adjustment
of the belt the old water wheel with its
buckets is made to rotate and the water
is raised as formerly, only at consider
ably greater speed. 1t is found that an
oil engine will fill a large reservoir in
about six hours at half the daily cost Of
keeping three or four mules, and the gain
to the gardeners is, therefore, manifest.
Since 1898 about sixty of these oil en-
gines have been employed in the larger
plantations, two-thirds of which are of
German manufacture, and the rest OF
British make. The latter are becoming
more in request on account of the sim
plicity of their construction, a matter not
to be overlooked when 1t Is considered that
the engines are placed in charge Of ma
tive laborers.