The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-27

1 equdiA 10 expect lHdA AhO l zemstvo would allow this administration
 free hand in the matters which had
 been placed within it's full control. And l the event justified these apprehensions; 1 no sooner had the zemstvo begun its work | than accusations came from all sides that l 1t was arrogating to itself political , character; on the other hand, the zemstvo 1 retorted with sincerity and justice that ! it's work was being interferred with
 For National Education.
 "The most Striking example of this
 was given iR connection with its efforts l for national education. The zemstvo 1 had been empowered to deal with this 1 question: but under the foggy bureau cratic proviso within the limits defined | by law Now, the law, not having been ] drafted with prophetic provision of the
 newly created institution, was mute on l the subject of limits But when the l zemstvo began to build schools and semi
 naries organize libraries, etc., the satis-
 faction which the ministry of public in- i struction should have felt on seeing a great share of it's work assumed by other shoulders quickly gave place to dread
 lest the ministerial progress of education
 might be disregarded, and chiefly lest
 such powerful weapon for political evo- lution as the education of the younger generation might fall into other hands.
 Restrictions followed. With the aid of i legislative measures and circulars, public
 and secret the ministry of public instruc- tlon brought matters to such a pass that the zemstvo after voting the money and
 building the schools were forced to sur i render them to the ministry. As a slight
 concession they were, however. permitted to conduct primary schools including not more than two classes (standards): pro ylding the teaching adhered strictly to
 the government programme, using only school books authorized by the ministry and under the most stringent control of
 the government all of which involved
 enormous expenditure of energy and
 money.
 l "It is of interest to follow the course of school evolution in Russia, which Is
 of such special importance for this coun-
 try since it is the lack of education that keeps Russia a laggard among the Euro i pean nations. Every peasant instinct
 ively feels the necessity of education. Neither vexatious restrictions nor Dra- conian laws could discourage the vil- lagers from attending school. Plenty or
 devoted schoolmasters and schoolmis- tresses unable to endure the govern
 ment yoke. were willing to serve the 1 Zemstvos, however humble and narrow
 might be the sphere of the Zemstvo
 school. But the Zemsvo budget Is mod
 est. It could pay the teacher not more
 than an average of twenty. sometimes thirty, fifty, more often fifteen roubles month. For this sum the teacher was content to live in a remote village often in a cold lodging, and give lessons under
 the most trying conditions in small class rooms crowded to suffocation, and few, If any. class books.
 Mortality Was Enormous.
 "The mortality among the teachers Is
 enormous still more become fncurable invalids. They receive no pensions. Yet there is never a vacancy open. Students,
 both in the capitals and in the prov lnces. consider it an honor and sacred duty to take the places of those who drop out of the ranks, and enthusiastically forsake their chances of brilliant career in order to teach the children Of Russia to prepare the coming generation for better times than the present. It IS
 natural that these sef-imposed martyrs
 are not prone to bend the knee before
 their administrative superiors. Indeed. 1t may be said, that the government does not find in them the pliabe material 1t
 seeks for it's purposes. Latterly their efforts to unite themselves into an or ganization have caused great apprehen-
 sion to the government, and, 1t may be added the apprehension was not un- founded Imprisonment, exile, police surveillance and the widest encourage
 mcnt to informers have been resorted to,
 but have only served to intensity the fanaticism of a class which is likely to
 figure in Russian history
 Resort to Every Means.
 Judging by results and ignorant of
 the causes, bureaucracy resorted to every means of offense and defense, among
 these being an attempt to offset paro- | Iai,s. xrt11 nothing n common with the conflict be- tween religion and state education in France, for instance. Lay school in Rus
 sia are all compelled by the established
 programme to devote considerable time to religious instruction and, moreover, the Russian people are so devout that
 school without religon would be fore doomed to failure. So the government
 had to resort to purely religious schools
 in its fight against schools that were e-fourths religious. This strange
 idea would be inexplicable If we did not
 remember that 1t germed within the bureaucracy of St. Petersburg, which is totally unacquainted with the people or
 their lives and draws It's conclusions
 fen official reports.
 Frightened St. Petersburg.
 "Panic-stricken provincial authorities l and the reactionary press had for years l been trumpeting the intelligence that the
 Zemstvo teacher was a goddess revou- 1 tionary who was demo.aizing the people,
 till at last they succeeded in frightening
 all-powerful Petersburg. The priesthood, ] through the mouthpiece of the strong 1 bureaucratic organization of which 1 Pobedonostzeff Is chief procurator, took
 up the cry, declaring that the parish priest was powerless to cope with the 1 goddess teacher since the latter was in
 constant touch with the children. and
 during the transfer of the village schools
 to the church. But here arose a diffi-
 culty. The schools belonged to the 1 Zemstvo. This three-cornered conflict
 between the ministry, the church and l the Zemstvo went on for years; so long,
 indede. that it's petty, departmental l origin was lost sight Of; the idea was 1 spread abroad that the Zemstvo schools
 were hotbeds of atheism and that popu- | lar education must be entrusted to other I hands. capable of upholding the ideals
 and spiritual requirements of the people. But there was no way of dispossessing 1 the zemstvo of it's schools, so it was | finally decided to establish large num- 1 Der of rival institutions entirely under | the control of the church. Russia being | terribly deficient in the most elementary | means of educatlon this enterprise would l certainly have proved highly benefcient | had it been properly carried out. But l instead of opening schools where none I existed, the church devoted all its ener- l gies to competing with the zemstvo 1 schools in villages which were already well endowed, completely neglecting oth- l CTS where the peasants had no school