The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-28
DEVOTED HER LIFE TO-. .~
CAUSE OF RUSS FREEDOM
Katherine Bereshkopsky, the Prophecies of the Russian,
Revolutionary Party, NoD in This Country, Tells Of
the Struggles of Herself and Comrades Is
61 Years Od-Sbent e Years Co,,vict.

'ecently the Outlook published
study Of katherine Bereshkovsky the
Russian revolutionist now in this coun-
try. 1t opened with the following pro-
phetic words:
''Now, in a few months they will rise
by millions. We shall sweep away the
system of the car, and Russia shall be
free. e. she showed me bulletins
that had followed her to New York:
ebay and night they work. In place of
sleep. q dream of freedom; in place Of
warmth and food and drink, the same
dream. This dream is old in American
Breasts
"Mcre than fifty years ago, - she be-
gan, "Russia lay asleep. The peasants,
Starved, bowed low and staggering,
broke out only here and there to burn
an estate or butcher a landlord, to be
logged back into submission or death.
So deep was their subservlance that
when wee girl of ten, 1 used to tell
how I hated the bad, flogglng govern
me to whisper.'
Ernest Poole, the .writV of this char
acter study, says: '.The Russlan revo-
one heroic figure. Daughter of noble
man an earnest philanthropist; then
revolutionist, hard-labor convict and ex-
) lie for twenty-three years; and now
{ heroic old woman Of 81, she has plunged
again into the dangerous struggle Tor
freedom.
Katherine Bereshkovsky learned to
think early and noted the 1ncongrulty
between the ethical teachings OF the
church and the life about her. Her
father, who was a man of broad, lib
eral ideas, helped her in her thinking:
She was absorbed in social science, and
by 16 had read much of Voltaire, Dide-
rot and Rousseau, and knew the French
revolution by heart. She was we'll
trained in French and German;
"Fired by such ideals, she said,
around me, and longed to see them free:
At first I believed that freedom could
be reached thru the government. No
revolutionary spirit had yet been kin
died. 1t was the first great era of the
liberalists. The abolition of serfdom
was soon to be effected; trial by jury
to be instituted; and these promised
reforms sent social impulse sweeping
thru Russia. I was thrilled by the
glad news; / read of thousands going
to the peasants as doctors, schoolteach
ers and nurses; I read of agricultural
schools opened and of model farms laid
out; all teaching the peasant to be
free Filled with young enthusiasm,
opened little school near our estate.
- - IOuuQ Cue pedSdut an dDIeCI. cieti
ture, VINO grasped not even the meage
rights he already had. He could thinl
only of his mud hut and his. plot O.
ground. AS for government, he knew
only that in peace he must pay money
in war, lives. The new rumors had kin
died his old heart-deep hope of freedom
The twenty peasants in my school, Xix
the 5O,000,O00 in Russia, suspected tina
the proclamation had been hidden, an.
often went to the landowners demand
r- ing their freedom. At last the mani
festo arrived
But the freedom was mere mocker
that turned the peasant off from tn
land of his lord to which he had bee
bound, to be free and starve upon worth
less land When he refused to accep
freedom at such price, he was pei
suaded by the knout. Bleeding and e1
hausted the peasants gave in, after
struggle of five years.
Nine. BereshkovskY now saw how il
effectua1 were her attempts and >fe
that tremendous economic and polite,
changes were necessary. but sti
thought only of reform. To seek Ru
3. Z