The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-03-08
THE RUSSIAN PEASANT
The Three Branches Of the Slavic Population Gentle
ness of Characterize Communistic System in
the Vllages--The Penal System
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men are treated by ov rseers. A recent
trip down the Mississippi upon river
steamboat revealed scenes of hard
heartedness anG cruelty on the part
OF the overseers who were driving
negro stevedorcs to the utmost limit
of human endurance, shocking every
sentiment of humanity. The harsh and
rasping tones. the terrible profanity.
and the repeated blows upon the backs
of the overworked negroes, contrasted
In forcible manner with the patience
observed everywhere here. The Anglo
| Saxon overseer Is Il brute compared
with n Russian. These feelings of sym
pathy found expression in striking
scene which | once witnessed in
group of children who had come out
to slide upon some newly frozen ice,
at the beginning of winter. A number
of children were barefooted, but those
who had shoes, instead of monopoliz-
ing them entirely to their own bene-
| fit, at intervals took them off and lent
them to tneir less fortunate compan-
| IONS
THE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT.
Paradoxical as it may seen, one of
| the greatest hindraEces to progress
among the Russian peGsaatry is the
amount of liberty retained by the vii
| lige commune of Mir. Admirable in
| many respects as an organization is,
1t is looked upon by The most enlight-
ened friends of Russia as one of the
main OBSTACLES to progress IN the So
cial and political condition of the EN-
pire. The Mir either owns or rents
the lands which its individual mem
| suffrage l. which the women who are
widows, or whose husbands are alb
sent, take part, elders are elected
whose duty it is to see that each fam
lily has its proper proportion Of the
land assigned to it. But, If there Is
any dissatisfaction, each individual has
the right to call public meeting and
make final appeal to the whole body
of voters.
But every house has its garden well
stocked with cabbages and cucumbers
and other vegetables, while the house
itse.f, built of logs and covered with
thatch, S admirably adapted to the con-
ditions of life to which the peasant
has become attacked. 1t is warm in
winter and cool in summer, and prOvid-
| ed with large brick oven in the prin-
| cipal room, which well conGerves the
heat FINISHED by the scanty supply
of fuel. The furniture is mple, con-
sisting of few enches and rough
| bedsteads and table. The oven it
self also often serves the purpose of
afording facilities for the weekly
steam bath which every Russian is
careful to take. In the winter the top
of the oven is a favorite sleeping
place for the aged members of the fam
lily. After driving over a level and
treeless prairie for many miles with
out seeing a single habitation, as one
is ordinarily compelled to do, it is a
| pleasant experience to come suddenly
| upon village of. such houses, snugly
| ensconced beside SON little stream
which furnishes convenient water
supply. Life in these villages is GER
tainly much less lonely than in the
scattered habitations of our own West
ern prairies.
The Mir, again, has the right and
responsibility of dealing with infrac-
tons both of the civil and criminal
laws up to certain degree, and is per-
mitted, as the ancient Greek commu-
Iltt tn CfV.aO nj oh fsTra nj
members. More than fifty per cent.
of all the exiles to Siberia have been
sent there by vote of the village COM
munities in which they lived. When
such vote is taken, the unfortunate
member is turned over to the general
Government and put under police sur
VIGILANCE in Siberia. Nor is criminal
who has been sentenced by the courts
permitted to return to his commune
except by general permission.
The Mir has certain common re-
sponsibilities which every individual
shares. 1t owes to the gneeral Gov
eminent taxes and military service.
This is essential to the maintenance
of the unity of the Empire and to the
| VI All lHe higher usDlTd-
tons of the Slavic race. Hence il
comes about that the individual mem.
Der of the Mir is not permitted to &c
and come as he likes; but, upon leav-
ing home, he must give a pledge to
his fellow men bers that he will con,
tinue TO bear his share of the common
burdens, at least until the next cen,
sus is ,aken. He must, therefore, Sc
cure leave of absence from them. This
is the reason for that Internal pass
port system which to outsiders seems
so meddlesome and onerous, while
viewed in the light of the real equities
of the case, 1t is perfectly fair and
just and is so considered by the mass
of the Russian people. The great
commercial and manufacturing centres
of Russia are filed with peasants who
have obtained ten porary leave of alb
sence from their Mrs foi the purpose
of improving their condition in these
broader fields of activity. Often they
continue for the rest of their live,
to reside in the cities, while cheer
| fully having their annual tax IN thu