Warren sheaf., 1905-04-27

mating in Paris, spread all over Ger
many-was attracted by the tumult OF a
multitude of his subjects who had surged
into his palace square. What do these
people want?" asked the duke Of one Of
his ministers who happened to be in at
tendance. They want a constitution,
your highness." 'Oh, botheration, re-
piled the duke; give them two, il they
like"
But Nicholas was not wise enough to
initiate the policy of the serpent, and
the result was that the snow-carpeted
streets OF his capital began to be extern
sively crimsoned with the blood of his
subjects, whose only arms We're their
own desperatism and stubbornness.
The March revolution. say, through
out Germany was comparatively blood
less one; yet it would have been far
otherwise had. the several rulers in the
Fatherland decided to resist the de-
mands OF their subjects. But there was
no concerted action between them, and
the military power of the nation was
still in its infancy. On the other hand,
the people had the means of obtaining
or manufacturing arms, without which
no successful revolution is possible;
while their powers Of cooperation and
organization were also great in coun-
try SO comparatively compact as Ger
many. They could command most OF
Mr.. Gladstone's resources of civiliza-
ton" to combat their oppressors; but
how many of these resources are at the
disposal of the poor, downtrodden, des-
perate Russians?
Even in Paris the storming of the bas-
tile and all its momentous consequences
would have been impossible had Louis
XVI. been served by such a crushing
force of obedient soldiers as are now at
the disposal of Nicholas H. and his uncle
Vladimir. Militarism is at once the in
strument of foreign conquest and of do
nestle coercion. AS long as the Russian
people continue to be policed by the Rus
sian army, their chances of rising sue
cessfully against their autocratic rulers
are but small 'Town after town. saws
the editor of Free Russia, ''will rise. un-
til the troops become demoralized and
fraternize with the people, but hith-
erto there have been few signs of this
determination. Against it is the great
est virtue of the Russian soldier-his
blind obedience to his superiors. as well
as his strong religious feeling, amount
ing to superstition, which makes him
shrink from violating his oath to his
Little Father" no less than to his
Father in Heaven.
And then, as for the successive risins
of separate towns, what would that avail
If there were troops enough on the spot
-as there always are at the great urban
centers-tO extinguish these reyolts in
blood? Isolated risings of this kind can
be OF no good unless there is cooperation
between them; and the long distances in
Russia are against this. The very vast
ness of his half-civilized dominions is
more thon half the battle
Without arms and organism this Rus.
sian people, rightly struggling to be
free, may enjoy our sympathy, but
not our hopes as long as their soldiers
remain true to their solemn oats and the
principle once propounded by the pres.
ent kaiser in swearing in some recruits
"In view of the present socialist troubles
it may come to this-that command
you to shoot down your own relatives
brothers, and even parents in the streets
which God forbid; but then you musl
obey my orders without murlnur.' Il
this be the fundamental maxim of mill
tarism in Germany, what must it be il
Russia? Quo Vadis? A very long way
yet, it is to be feared q path devious
disastrous and bloodstained before the
Russian people can fulfil their destiny ol
becoming IS great as they are free.
CHARLES LOWE.