The San Francisco call., 1905-03-05

people. Aleksey Maksimovich Pyesh-
koY' known 70 the whole world by his
pen name. Maxim Gorki." Cork" is
the Russian word for bitter, and one
can easily surmise the keynote of his
writings Cork" was born thirtv-f5ve
years ago in Nizhnee- -Novgorod. the
capital Of the province of the same
name some three hundred miles east
OF MOSCOW, at the confluence Of the
Oka' River with the volga. Nizhnee-
Novgorod is most prominent for It's
sreat annual fair, which attracts hun
oreos Of thousands Of people from all
parts Of Russia.
The son Of a poor upholsterer, Cork
was thrown upon his own resources at
the age Of nine. and since then he has
experienced all sorts OF struggles and
depravity and misery. Shoemaker. ap-
PIE vendor ikon painter, dockhand.
railroad guard, baker and tramp-these
are but some Of the many occupations
OF the unique man before he began TO
write. During his trampi, gs by the
Volga he more than once attempted TO
take his own life. He recently attract
ed the widest attention upon being i'm
prisoned after the St. Petersburg riots
IN the fortress Of Petropavlovsk. but
his life was not in danger.
Under the guidance of Vladimir Ko-
rolenko and Anton Chekhor Cork be-
gan 70 depict the life he knew so well.
and within a very short time his sto-
ries took Russia by storm Cork at
once became the idol Of the Russian
youth. and the workmen as well as the
peasants love him and read him-and
those that cannot read themselves get
their more fortunate friends to read to
them his stories.
When a Nizhnee-N Novgorod newspa-
per printed some tine ago a brief news
item TO the effect that GorIxi's health
was failing and that it was believed
he had consumption thousands of peas
ants from the remotest parts of the
empire sent him various herbs TO cure
him Of the white plague
Cork became the exponent of a new
school in Russian literature and among
his followers are almost all the gifted
younger Russian writer's. such as An
dreyer. Skitaletz. Bunia and Chirikov.
Cork has written two novels, "Foma
Gordeyer" and The Three" and three
volumes OF short stories. Several rev.
olutionary articles and poems by him
We're published in Germany The
Peasant" which promised TO be one
OF his very best stories, appeared in
the Russian magazine Zhizn, which
was later suppressed. The Peasant
remained unfinished. During the last
four years Cork has published three
plays, but he has devoted most of his
tine 10 the revolutionary movement.
Now that all eyes are centered on this
remarkable young Russian. it viii be
particularly interesting TO have the
following most characteristic extracts
from his unfinished novel. The Peas
ant" for the first time in English
BY Maxim Gorsd.
In provincial towns all intelligent
people know one another. and when a
new figure appears in their midst It
brings with il q perfectly natural ami
nation. At first everybody is glad.
every body makes much of the new
conner; they sound him more or less
cautiously. TO see whether there is any
thing peculiar about him. and doing
this they often scratch him a little.
Then If the man lends himself easily
10 a definition he is defined by a GER
tain word and-the deed is done. The
new figure enters the circle Of local in
terests and becomes one Of their own,
and Il he will not be carried away by
the local interests he VIII feel lone
some, and perhaps begin TO drink, be-
come q thorough drunkard-and no
one win interfere with him in this.
You are among the domestics of
Russian free thoughts" said Surkov to
Shebuyev one day. Russian free
thought has long laid itself as a heavy
burden. upon the servile minds of the
Russian people. And all these present
here are fettered in the shackles Of
free thought. they sit in the wood
stocks OF various 'isms.' and they
themselves tighten the wood stocks
more closely. In the words OF slaves
this is styled acknowledgment. and
constitutes the usual occupation Of the
Russian intelligent man. 1 am repre-
senting here the devoted slave OF the
true freedom Of thought"
That's rot freedom, but dark is-
hrrity.'' roared Kirmalov iudiffer-
entity.
When I hear you speak I always
wonder" said Nalinin, smiling. why
you show yourself so exasperated. re-
Eouncing everything. 1t is impossible
to believe you have no faith within
YOU being so emotional. Do Won
know. think that you have some
enormous faith In something? But IL
may be that IL has not yet become
clear TO you; that it has not yet con-
sumed the contradictions Of your soul
although you surely must have felt IT
already Only in this way can 1 ex-
plain the passion Of your contradictions
ana all these apparently airnIess tests"
Malinin became silent.
Well? Co ahead" said Surkov. Iift-
ing his head and staring at Malinin
searchingiy through his eyeglasses.
That's all I merely made this re-
HIN! Devil Well. thank you for
this. am returning to the beginning
Here, Akin Andregevich. look 10 This
best If Russian poets-anvng sanitary
physicians. he represents in bfraseI,