The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
THE new LIGHT IN RUSSIA.
EDUCATION THE POWER THAT
MENACES THE CZAR.
Tho Newly Born Middle Class the Product
or the UniNersities-Now II Demands
Political Hights-The Awakening That
Bids Fair TO Bring About Revolution.

tonal Enforcement OF the reform pro-
gramme spreads steadily over the whole OF
Russia there is feature which recur5
persistenuy in each local movement
Bodies which are wholly non-poiitical in
other countries are here foremost in press
ing the agitation against the Government.
Medical societies, engineers associa-
tons. the teaching profession headed by
nearly all the university professors. are as
active as the lawyers. Every nation which
does its own lawmaking has naturally big
percentage VI lawyers in it's Legislature.
but IL il not the practice abroad for
doctors or architects or any other class OF
professional men when they meet TO dis
cuss matters affecting their calling to
plunge straigAtway into hot national poll
tics. That phenomenon here disoloses
Russia in the critical throes OF producing
what Is termed a middle class.
IL has been the uniform practice here that
every change should be worked by # stroke
OF the sovereigns pen. Institutions have
not grown up; they have been deposited as
completed products. and it IL the people
who have been called on TO adapt them
selves to the institutions, not the institu-
tons TO the people.
Government by the Crimean War fifty years
ago was that complete absence Of ma
tional education had proved handicap
They were entirely justified in holding
that their soldiers had proved at least "a
brave and hardy as tho French or the
English. but in all the multitude of things
that are necessary to the conduct Of
war, tho transport organization, the ar
| . be. 60 l.e, slt,.,-t l-,,s.
what another was doing, they admittedly
broke down.
! The treatment prescribed by the Gov
eminent after the war was over consisted
In the creation Of universities all over the
country. Out Of these the authorities eI
peoted to see manufactured thai newly dis
covered useful thing-education
But none Of the governing class or terri
torial nobility dreamed of sending their
sons to these brand new universities. They
had them educated privately and by travel
ling tutors. as had always been the Russian
mobiles way.
1t very soon came 10 be pressing ques-
ton who were to be put into these tmiyer-
stiles which had been established whole
sale. not only In great cities but in every
province, however remote or unimportant
The liberation Of the peasantry from being
the legal chattels Of the landowner, fed and
clothed from the proceeds of their work
on the land. but not paid wages nor allowed
TO leave their owners estate, which was also
a political sequel to the defects that the
Grim an war had disclosed. soon gave the
Government an idea which enabled it to
get out of the dilemma. The children of
those freed peasants, who were best at
leaning-there were and there are mo-
State primary schools, but in most districts
the noble family tutor or some Of his poorer
relations, very seldom the Orthodox priest,
would help n clever ohild-were drafted
into these new provincial universities,
where their training was directed in pre-
pairing them for the subordinate clerking
departments of the Government service.
But this system OF education. especially
the daily companionship Of numbers of poor
and ambitious young men who expected
nothing but life OF empty drudgery. in
a few years was once again an an iety to the
Government. The places which we're in
tended TO supply that species Of education
which the Government wanted were all
turning into forcing grounds OF radical
politics.
The rulers took the limo Of least resistance |
In creating thousands OF vacancies in the /
State service every year for no othor pur- |
pc 20 than to absorb these dangerous edu- |
Gated poor But there il limit even /
TO this in Russia, and for most Of the past
generation the universities have been turn /
ing out each year larger numbers Of men
who are trained for separate professions /
and not for Government service. They [
Represent Russia's first specimen, of an .
educated. independent middle class
To refuse to take note Of these class def .
nitons is to miss the actual working out of .
national development here.
Only two classes In Russia have historic |
traditions and legally defined po-ition3-
noble. and peasanty. The middle ground /
between the two has been gradually oc- .
cupied by people VINO are no longer tied TO .
tho land a. under the serf laws and have
pIospered more or less in business in the |
towns or have gone into the educated
professions. These people have found
themselves without political position in
the community.
The peasant laws are based on the prin-
ciple of patern1l care no responsibility (
or authority, but, on the other hand certain
legal projections from fraud. The very
QualueS tNat DElnB people INTO tnlS middle .
ground in the population of Russia are
just those which make peasant laws intol-
cradle TO them. They are not particularly
afraid Of being defrauded in the ordinary
affairs OF LIE; the fact that thoy have got
to the positions they occupy goes to indicate
that they are able to take care Of them
selves. On the other hand, they are will
ing to boar authority and rcspon {ihility.
All this educated opinion represents
different problem from that Of the peasantrv.
1t Is not a question OF more food Of more
intelligent agricultural methods, better
roads and fewer local exactions by tax
gatherers. These arc the daily questions
of the peasantry. For the educated re-
formers the agitation Is wholly political.
ANY economic reforms they would prefer
TO wait for until they were allowed to have
a hand in framing them.
Their greatest encoura cement and
strength comes from the cooperation OF the
territorial nobility. These have always re-
garded the Government functonaries, up
to and including the Ministers of State, as
a species Of Chinese hterau. trained para
Sites on the body of the nation whose func-
tions they impede. As tho agitation pro-
oaada thara appaara olnaar union,