Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-27

derogatOry to its policy, is rolled
through printing press aud blouted
out. 1t is common thing to see
| whole columns mass of black. The
Russians are, thus kept in complete
| ignorance of what atrocities occur in
their ewns country: but when the
English and Americans living there
find the blotted-out pages in their
papers. they at once write home and
get their friends to send them the
prescribed articles in letter. In
this way they keep Informed. In a
Pension lately in Moscow, there was
| a company of young men hailing from
| France, Greece, Persia and some were
Russians. They all said to me, We
are in utter ignorance concerning
what is .transpiring in this country.
Can you tell US anything?" Letters
are inspected as they pass through the
mails, and if there are any which are
found to be objectionable, they are
promptlys burned. This severe
espionage is kept up all along the
| line. Every movement is watched:
especially those Of strangers. While
going through the magnificent pic
ture galleries at the Winter Palace
not long since, | stopped before "a
great War-piece and was describing in
my note book, the scene depicted on
| 10
accompanied me, stepped to my side
and said, Madame, you are writing
too much. We are surrounded by
guards. They tell me that they
object to your taking notes. They
fear that you are making sketches Of
forts from these War-paintingS to be
sent to Japanese" Later, while
looking at the royal eQuipages in the
carriage museum, | again took out
my notebook, and was Immediately
requested by the guards there, trough
my guide, not to attempt TO write in
the building. Afterwards, my con-
ductOr informed me that if i should
be seen upon the streets writing in a
note book, that l would, in all pro-
liability, be instantly arrested. II a
member of family in Russia is con-
nected with the socialist or nihiliSt
cause, the rest are pOwerless to help
him. If the member disappears, little
satisfaction is gained. There are no
revolutionary ideas at all among the
uneducated. peaSants-nO such thought
has yet reached the actual peasant
class. Their ignorance is so deep,
that it will take some time for the
rags of radicalism to pierce the men,
tai darkness in which they dwell.
| The students turn to the factory
hands for the reception of their pro-
paganda. The devotion Of the young
people of Russia to the cause of free
dom is marvellous, and furnishes the
most Sublimely heroic feature of the
age. 1t is high tragedy from the
beginning and each one knows what
the result of discovery means--bansh-
ment, Imprisonment, death. and yet,
they enter the arena unflinchingly-
not only the men but the women.
! Corresponding with the university
course for men, are the higher courses
for women,-t the students of which
are called "Kursistki," meaning
those who ARE following a course
These young women are imbued with
the same spirit as that which prompts
/ their fellow men-students to deeds
of self-Sacrifce. They enter the work
OF dissemination Of revolutionary
tenetS among the women, and when
| there is trouble in the ranks of the
men students, the girls take part and
are often arrested. When the student
riot occurred in ST, Petersburg a few
years ago, the young women who were
connected with it were fiogged as the
men were by the Cossacks that were
sent to quell the Instruction.
| The Cossacks.
While the CosSacks are Russians ia
a certain way, yet they form a diff
ferent class, and are, in reality a
separate people. Their sentiments
are not the same, there is no feeling
of friendship or kinship with the
Russians, and that fact makes them
ready tools for the use of the govern
ment. They are Semi-miltary race,
holding their land and possessing
| stated privileges under military
tenure-eyery man having to be a
| hOrSeman. The COSsackS are pre-
eminently Of lower type than the
ordinary Russian and are very
ignorant. Consequently, when the
government desires to crush a riot or
end strike, the Cossacks are always
employed. They use whip of
knotted leather called "nagaika.
1t lays open the flesh with a lash. or
cuts out an eye: and, if it strikes
certain parts of the head, it kills.
These were the men and these the
/ weapons used to quell the riot Of young
men and women students in ST. Peters
burg. There are eighty thousand
Cossacks in Russia. They all stand