The Washington times., 1904-03-01
Russian Ideals.
as Seen by Mr. Beverage and as Illus
trated in British Blue Book.

In his valuable book, "The Russian
Advance" the junior Senator from:
Indiana draws a beautiful picture of
the depth and breadth Of religious
he III Russia-as pure and lofty as
the world has seen since the Master
lived and taught" And Mr.. Bev-
crldge adds: you may try to rca-
son yourself out of it; you may de-
bate with this one and that one, but
you viii come into possession of an
internal and personal knowledge of
that subject which no debating or ar
Guing or reasoning can shake. much
less overthrow. Indeed, all the writ
ers who have with intelligent and
sympathetic insight looked into Rus
sian character have admitted in the
last analysis that it is saturated with
a pure religion and uplifted by a
sincere faith"
We are glad to know this, since.
Ike the canny Scot, we were disposed
TO "hae our doots ABBOTT IT." But we
shall not debate, argue, or reason
about it. Much less shall we at
tempt to reason ourselves out of it.
And for similar reasons shall we re-
frain from following Mr.. Beverage
INTO the Improbable field of discus
sion touching the orthodoxy of the
Greek Church, firmly believing
wasn't 1t Archbishop French who
said itP-that orthodoxy is ones own
doxy, while heterodoxy is the other
fellows. doxy. Let us concede, then,
what Senator Beverage says is the
belief of every Russian, that "the
Christian faith is the all-conquering
light and the Greek Orthodox Church
the only true bearer of that sacred
torch" also that ''holy Russia looks
to the regeneration Of the world as
ono of her great, if, indeed, not her
greatest, historic mission"
We concede all this. we say. And
yet it IS difficult sometimes 70 believe
1t. The ideal is such lofty one and
the goal seems such a distance off.
Yet, when Senator Beverage penned
this glowing tribute to the Russian
character, saturated" as he SAYS It
Is, with a pure religion" he could
not have read the parliamentary blue
book published in London last week.
which contains the correspondence be.
tween the British and the Russian
governments regarding the Russian
occupation of Manchu1ia and Niu-
shwang.
The publication in question covers
period of three and a half years.
from July, 1000, till the end of last
January. A perusal Of it shows that
again and again Count Lamsdorff Is
questioned by the different ambas-
sailors as to some acts of his agents
in China or Korea, and he gives salts
factory explanations or denials. as
The case may be. A few pages fur
tier on one gets reports from the
spot which show that the explanations
are erroneous and the denisls untrue.
Not the least assuring feature of the
St. Petersburg declarations and ex-
plantations is that their untruth Is al
WAYS aseertained at once. Thus Count
Lamsdorff is indignant at the sugges-
ton made by Ambassador McCormicI
that the Russian minister in Pekin
vas opposing the opening of Mukden
nnd Antung, and he states. truly
enough, that Russia's interest in her
railway Is all in favor of foreign
trade. Mr. Mccormick almost apollo
gIzed for the suggestion. We can al
most see that astute diplomat retire
In confusion, not daring to call the
bluff Of a statesman saturated with
a pure religion" And, of course. be-
fore he had time, figuratively speak
ing, to doff the "glad rags" in which
be had appeared before the "satu-
rated one" the British, American.
and japanese governments had all
learned from their agents that the
Russian minister was pressing the
Chinese not to open those very ports.
The Christian religion, we take 1t.
Is based in a measure on the Golden
Rule and the Sermon on the Mount.
If it has ever countenanced living we
are not aware Of it. But we may be
mistaken about that And in the
meantime VIC place on record, side by
side, Mr.. Beveridge's truly eloquent
Interpretation of Russian aims ana
ideals and the acts and utterances of
the foreign Office at ST. Petersburg.