The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-04-11
AN APOSTLE
OF LIBERTY
Maxim Gorky at New York
In Peasants Garb
BELIEVES IN REVOLT
Comes 10 Spread Doctrine Of
Union of All Men in One Com
rade Family Of Free Workers.

NEW YORK. April H. AleXei Max
imovitch PieShkon emancipation pa
triot and man Of letters whose fame as
a novelist under the pSeudOnym Of
Maxim Gorky has penetrated to the
far corners of the earth arrived last
night on the steamship Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse, picturesque figure dress
ed in the garb of the peasants of the
Steppes
The great Russian reyolutonist and
social pathologlst was accompanied by
his wife, very beautiful woman with
mass of light brown hair and large.
lustrOus eyes. who served as her huS-
bands Interpreter and spoke in soft
Partisan French the harsh cultural
Russian words uttered by him,
Gorky, though coming 10 America a
sick man. in no WAY resembles the
nervous. unaemic. hunted. sentimental
individual which his photographs pie
ture. The apostle of Russian liberty is
tall square shouldered deep cheSted
man whom 1t * very hard TO believe a
consumptve
The face, though not in the least elias
steal in its features. is that of virile,
intense. strong manly man. The fore
| head is broad. furrOwed deeply when
he talks and surmOunted by Il mop Of
dark hair pushed back Two fearless
gray eyes look dehantly from under
heavy bushy eyebrows,
You feel at once that this Is self
| possessed. masterful mana man In
whom character is even more remark
able than intellect.
| The great apologlst of the humble Of
the little people of Russia, the Cos
sacks Of the Volga valley, was hanging
over the rail of the big liner as the
revenue cutter drew up alongside. and
his eyes AT once picked ont little Nico-
lai, his adopted son, who has been in
New York studying English for year,
from among the crowd of newspaper
men and Russian revoluti0nist leaders.
There was wild waving Of hands,
and as Nicolai reached the deck Of the
vessel two strong arms closed about
him. aud for few minutes there were
nothing but tears and kisses and
strange words in Russian.
About the first question asked of the
author of "Foina Cord ven was as ia
his motive in coming to America
First of all" said the great I'M
IL. Ntl
poor and | shall have 10 prop Il up
before step into the arena again
The spirit Is unconquercd, but the
body is not what it was. You see,
have gone through many harlshps
aud they leave deep scars
LAS much as my strength will per
nit however, | shall devote all my
time to the spreading Of the doctrine
of the union Of all men in one comrade
family of free workers | shall preach
Socialism the religion of liberty
equality and fraternity and those
cannot reach with my voice | shall en-
deavor to reach through my writings
Il do not know how long or how
short my stay in this country will be.
said Gorky. but of this am sure
that while here will try to do some
thing for my fatherland.
II do not believe in the dOuma MOI
in the present method of holding elec
tons. The elections have no connection
whatever with the liberation of tn,
people. The Social Democrats are no
taking part in the elections as n party
though great many have been elected
individually.
"That the douma will bring Russia
quiet and prosperity | do not believe
The actual condition of the revolution
in Russia is this. In more than twenty
two provinces the people are starving
TO death, using all the money they have
and receive to buy arms with"
Asked whether he thought that the
revolution could succeed without arms
Gorky's answer was broad smile
you can know from historical prece
dents that 1t is impossible he said.
Tonight a dinner will be given here
in honor OF Gorky. Besides his Rus
sian friends many Americans are ex
pected to attend, and one of the prin
cipal guests will be Mark Twain.
Before he returns to Russia il is ex
pected that he will travel all over thu
United States