Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-27
THE RED CROSS in RUSSIA AND
THE GRAND DUCHESS ELIZABETH
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continued from page one.I
serving the state than in being a
prince. More attention is paid to
MIN who has attained through per-
sonal effort, than TO the one who has
merely Inherited fortune aud a title
The boy who finishes at the univer-
sity, has gotten to the thirteenth
Cnln-college ASSESSOR great step
up. Then, when he enters any public
service, the army, the navy. the Gus
tom-house, he becomes civil general.
When one gets to the thirteenth
Chin, he enters the personal nobility:
that is, he is noble, but not his
descendants. When the thirteenth
Chin is reached, the person is entitled
to have prefix attached to his name
of High, Well-Born." When he
reaches the rank of general, he has
the title of ''PrevoSkhoditelstvo
His Excellency.) His children belong
to the untitled nobility. Since the
time Of Peter the Great, titles have
become somewhat diScredited. Many
of the prOudeSt families of Russia
have no titles, and would not have
one under any consideration: for
example, the Lvoffs, Leontieffs and
Glyeboffs. hsen before Peter the
Great. however, there was this
untitled nobility. Each son and
daughter in titled family inheIitS
the title. If the women remain I'M
married. they hold it all their lives:
but if they enter into marriages with
untitled men, their title is forfeited.
The sons hand down theirs to the
sons throughout the generations.
There are hundreds of men in Russia
who bear the title of Prince GaltZin:
there is an immense family of them.
Some Of these princes are among the
highest persons in the empire; others
are OF the pOOreSt-many being found
listed with the most poverty-stricken
farmers. The title brings them into
ridicule; especially with the labouring
classes, who think much more of a
millionaire, than they do Of titled
person.
Russian Nihilism.
Regardless Of the advantages at
tached to the Chin, there are
thousands of men in Russia, who,
after being educated, have no career
opened TO them, for the governmental
places and others are soon filled, SO
they grow discOntented. The univer-
sites have become the centerS of
unreSt-the TOuntain-headS of nihi-
ism: consequently, the students are
kept under the StricteSt surveillance
II five get together, they are
surrounded by the police: but the
passion Of liberty has taken such a
strong hold upon their hearts, that
| they are willing to run every risk to
promulgate their ideas; and, when
discovered, to suffer any punishment
for their sake. Numbers of students
work incognito in the factories, SO as
to Undue the laborers with their
principles. When their identity
becomes known, they are arrested and
disappearing trial is ever held. The
light cases are sent to Siberia: the
others to the fortress in st. PEERS
burg, where they die, for the prison
is lin a very unsanitary condition
damp and cold. Often several hun
dred students are arrested at one
time, marched through the streets
and placed in some large building
temporarily; then, as usual, without
trial, for Russia has no courts as we
know them, there follows a repetition
of the Old story. The political cases
are adjudicated by the police. The
governor of Moscow is allowed to
arrest any one he DleaseS and send
him away without a trial. Socialism
in Russia takes the form of nihilism.
This is the result of force of circum-
SodhSCos AhCiC 10 uO 1IcCuOu VI
utterance: no meetings are allowed to
be held by those who are inclined to
a radical turn Of thought; the press
is throttled-so, opposition takes the
form of violence. The nihilists are
almost wholly the poor students: the
rich ones are satisfied. The vast
majority of the former belong to the
peasant class. The students con-
Stitute the educated, coming Russia.
A sociolOgist, with these facts in hand,
is prepared to draw some tremendous
conclusions in reference to the future
OF the mighty empire upon which the
gaze of the world IS at present fixed.
A Gagged Press.
When students are arrested, no
mention is made of the fact in the
press; all information concerning such
matters has to come from English
and American papers, for those of
Russia are absolutely gagged. Every
paper and magazine that finds its way
to the poStoffices from foreign
countries is thoroughly read by
government inspectors. and every
article which criticises Russia in the
least degree, or announces events