The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-03-27
The Banishment of
Sonia PefrosAy

patriots"
"Is not the meeting secret one,
sonia?"
"Yes!"
'And what you will say would be
counted sedition. would 1t not,
Sonia?"
"Yes, Catharina. 1t would be un-
Justly called seditioni"
"And you are suspect, do you
not think? You are under surveil-
lance, do you not believe? Oh!
Sonia, fear for you"
Fear not, Catharina!"
you will be counted an enemy of
the state; you are counted so now
l fear you will be pronounced one,
and I fear the anathema, Go no fur
ther, Sonia; step more and 1t may
be the loss of reason, and of life it.
self. Be warned, Sonia. oh! be
warned now"
II cannot rest away, Catharina---I
must go; 1t is but to tell them what
| think is best for them, and for our
country and for our race. No power
Nlh LhdhC hdl III VI LDdl!
mo harm, Sonia, in itself, but
now-at this hour-you may do
yourself endless harm. Do not go
tonight; rest at home! You have
incurred the suspicion of the police;
the Ministry will be unrelenting If
you are onoe arrested, and oh! the
dreadful thoughts of Siberia. Re-
main away, Sonia"
Think of Michael who loves you
so dearly and who has been waiting
to plead with you" So saying the
two girls looked out at the tall,
handsome man walking up and down
the yard.
II would not pain you, Catharina,
but 1t 10 my part, and must act 1t
out; 1t is for the love of liberty-for
the love of my race. Many waters,
cannot quench love, neither can the
floods drown It,"
Sonia Petrosky, of noble birth, un-
der the tutelage of her father, dis
tinguished Russian subject, became
a lover of civil liberty and an advo-
cate for more enlightened enfran-
chisement of her countrymen. The
study of social science with her was
impersonal while her father lived,
and was confined alone to theoret-
ical forms OF government, for Mich
olas Petrosky was commissioned by
the Gear to an important post, and
disloyalty to his ruler never oc-
Cured to him.
His only thought was that 1t be-
came a gentleman and subject of
the Gear to become enlightened, to
be able to choose well when at the
proper time the best in the govern
ment should come, and when that
time arrived the Gear would be still
more the people; the resurrection of
liberty would redeem the people and
it would glorify the Gear.
At the age of seventeen, by the
death of her father, Sonia came into
possession of an ancient name and
great riches; these did not deter her
from applying herself more arduous-
ly than ever to questions concerning
the good of her country and the lib
erty and happiness of her country
men, conditions that would have
seemed hopelessly remote had she
not believed that government could
be nodded to the will of the people
when their will should once become
directed by enlightenment.
Sonia held no intolerance of the
Czar; her life was fervid longing
for the people to express in their
government the majesty of the peo-
pie themselves. Was the majesty of
the Little Father to wane in the light
of the majesty of the people? She
did not know, but she knew that
whom the majesty of the people
awakened that this awakening must
come from below--from the hearts
of the people-and she knew-for
love of her countrymen-that she
must not cease to preach the gospel
of civil liberty.
But among her associates were
those who believed In beginning at
the top and removing their rulers by
violence; while she believed In sup
planting by peaceful methods-by
the outgrowths of enlightenment; to
enlighten was her mission, and when
called to address secret meeting of
her political associates, whose watch
word at least was human liberty, she
aeceded against the earnest dissua-
sion of her elder sister, Catharina.
Sonia attended the meeting and
spoke of the uplifting of the people
that in the end would lead peace
fully to the dignity of self-govern-
ment. Her gentle eloquence might
have been heard without alarm by
any person or class within the en-
pire. but there were those among her
hearers who would use other meth
DDS, who believed that the people
could never of themselves arise
while oppressed as they were, and