The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-12-08

DIOOu IOr MIN the next.
They are like great, shaggy, dumb
beasts, snarling and showing their
teeth when kicked by the one who
masters them, and waiting for chance
to fly at his throat when he is off his
guard, but fearful and covering be-
fore the recognition Of his superior
power. But let foreign beast attack
their master, and woe betide the in
truder II he is less strong than they;
they will tear him in bits without the
least conjunction for daring to touch
with anything less than reverence the
scarlet person Of their ruler.
But aside from this fierce uprising of
the emotions, the Russian peasant has
little sense of leadership about him.
He can work under head, but with
out that it is impossible .or him to ac-
complish much, and what small ad-
vancement is visible he has copied
from his more progressive neighbor-
ing countries. Like :: sponge, Russia
has absorbed; she has not assimilated.
The Russian peasant is as closely
attached to his landlords community
AS he was while serf, not being al
lowed to leave it without his former
owners permission, Under penalty of
fine and Imprisonment, and being sent
back again. The ex-serf was given
a small piece of land in his commune
to cultivate. but it was scarcely more
his own than the piece Of ground
which he had planted in his owners
estate.
Neither the individual peasant nor
the commune possessed the land as
signed, but held only the common right
to cultivate it, and neither may relin-
quish lis right or dispose of it; may
not sell the land or forfeit it or be rid
OF it in any way, and yet they must
pay their regular heavy taxes. Not only
this, the commune must pay certain
sum, nd if the crops of some of the
peasants have been 90 bad as to pre-
vent their paying their share, then
others must work doubly hard on their
more productive plots to make up the
proper sun
In spite Of this oppression, the high
er classes look upon the peasants as
the people Of Russia They are re-
garded as the means of bringing about
developments which will make Rus
STA even greater than it is, and help
the Slav race to success in the world
struggle for supremacy. Even the
Church and the Government have re-
spect for the peasant power and both
priests and officials are careful to
avoid situations where fey would be
in position Of anjagonisJl to it.
Yet in spite of this, the peasant re-
mains dull. stupid, uneducated, unin-
and ignorant of the power he
possesses. He remains the same slave
of his surroundings and conditions as
in old Muscovy; it is the aspect of
others toward him that Las changed.
The brightness and charm. the clean
liness and attractiveness of the little
people Of the Mikado's Empire. and of
their towns and homes, is painfully
lacking among "the people" of Russia
Low, clumsy houses, with rarely an
attempt at anything like architecture,
some with single and most of them
with matched roofs, they are not made
more attractive by their inmates. Few
Of the houses are made with more than
one story, unless it be the space under
the roof, which is never used for any
thing but lumber room. Mother,
father, children, sons and unmarried
for the brides are taken to
their husbands parents to live, daugh-
ters-in-law and grandchildren, all are
crowded into one small hut, and the
dirt and squalor, coupled with poverty.
are appalling. The small piece Of land
attached to the house is worked by the
men, and the women, when opportun-
ity offers and permission is granted,
hire in the fields along with the men,
than whom they are no less able work
erS.
Lately, with broadening of ideas
in the the country, it has been found
that village workers are considered
more able than those Of the towns, and
find employment in all the large cities.
Field labor is undertaken in this way,
and gangs of peasant women may be
seen wedding the market gardens in
the neighborhood Of the capitals. Too
often labor OF this kind is contracted
for by middle man, who advances the
railway fares, feeds, and sometimes
lodges, has gang Of laborers, and pays
them lower wage than he receives
for their hire.
But the peasant lives in misery and
and at certain seasons may be
i'll actual want, ordinarily. though he
grumbles and objects to his taxes and
church expressions, he would be
nightly offended if you Were to sug-
gest that, in comparison with the lower
classes Of other countries. he was
pauper.
In his eyes the fact that in the West
ern countries the laborers Go not ros-
sess land nor cows, nor even a NNrSe.
indicates the most AFFECT royerly.
{ The question of chan labor in Rus
sia finds its answer il tie mnrner Of
living Of the peassrts. 80. 10 eSsf'aa