The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-16

| Tho experiments sho pleases, but IL ha'
! hocn demonstrated In Richmond tina
| for all practical purposes generous s ~
snr,nklinr OF the streets with water WI
| nut the dust nuisance out OF business.
The Russian people.
IN discussing the threatened revolution
IN Russia this paper has often renihaee
its readers that the RUSSIAN pubic Is
n very different proposition from the
American public. Conditions In Russia
would not be tolerated In the : h1'co
States, for our people nre independent
and educated. But the Russian masses
arc ignorant and have become nccus'
toned to the domination of the Gar
There Ia no middle class In Russia Inc
nonulntion Is divided into the noples anu
The peasants. OF course, there are "orh F
ingmen and there arc merchants, pu.
+boy ore confined to tho cities. and con-
et,tute 4 small fraction Of the whole
population.
AR Melville %. stone, general manager
of the Associated Press, brings OUT thesc
facts admirably IN an article, appearing
IN the New York Tribune OF sunday.
AT the outset he states that OF tho ono
hundred and forty millions now conf
posing the population Of Russia, one
hundred and twenty-six millions are en-
tirely iliterate, and take no interest IN
and exert no influence upon public al
fairs whatever
That simple statement is enough IN IT.
self to tell the story and to show that
anything like a sudden and general revo-
luton in Russia is impossible.
...Four days after the war broke out
says Mr.. Stone II left st. Peterspurs
for Berlin, and all the way down 70 WIT
ballen, on the Russian side Of the iron.
tier, was naturally anxious to know OF
any new developments at Port Arthur.
While the whole civilized world outside
OF Russia was throbbing over the dra-
matte story of the torpedo attack upon
the Russian ships OF war and the de-
struction Of the Varas and l<orletz NJ
Chemulpo; while this exciting news was
known in the homes Of every town IN the
United States, 1 left the train both at
wilma and at Dvinsk to ask the station
masters: IIave you any late news"
s"'News Of what?'
"aThe war 5sgye
"'What war;
"Thcy stared at me with polite sur
Prise and stold Ignorance did not
answer, because, as they were merely
Russians, feared that tho facts might
not interest them.
II went back to the train and waited
for Wirballen. At tho news stand Of the
station asked for the French and Ger
man papers. They offered me the MUS
trated papers and comic journals Of the
week preceding, explained that !
wanted the daily papers and they
promptly Offered me a Berlin paper four
days old. But 1t had been to st. Peters
burg before 1t returned to Wirballen on
the train preceding mine, and contained
no reference to the war.
"All the peoples of the world knew q
the war except the Russian peasants
The great current of their common IRE
moved on without disturbance. Men
came and went to their ordinary. aVoca-
tions. few knew that there wassta war
and ali we're entirely Indifferent aspect
ing It. So they have moved ever since,
and It would be entirely safe toEsay that
n vast number Of the people Of 1tussin
do not know to-day that q war has been
in proeress. And when one talks of
revolution, which is either great popu-
lar movement or nothing, how IS p reYo-
luton y to occur among a. people nlne'
tenths Of whom nro plunged ina Grass
ignorance which Is equaled only py tlletl
utter Indifference"
True, tho peasants may bc educated
but IL so, 1t must be in the schools OF
the Gar and at best It would take many
years OF careful training to teach suci
q neonle the art OF self Rus
STA is not America
===---=----==
The High School Building.
Tho Times-Dispntch dsclnims any In
tention. Of prejud,cing TIL. Council or sh'
community against the Bryant plan fol
the High School building. Our sole pur
nose In the article which recently ap
pearcd was to urge the members Of thu
Council and Board Of Aldermen to re
view tho whole subject and give all tho
plans intelligent s.rutiny With q vicv
to securing tho best II tho Bryant plaI
Is tho best, by oil means let 1t BIO adopt
cd: II there Is better plan let It b
adopted That is all,
| =---=-----------=z=
The sober sided members OF the bonrt
of education In Philadelphia have e
knotty problem on their hands The
great increase in cigarette smoking anon;
the pupils in tho public schools ha:
aroused them to action. but just wha
action to take they do not know.
special committee has been appointed t
tako steps TO put an end to the habit