Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-30

OF the scaffod. The zemstvos, state
lana county governments did mhnase
In spite OF governmental obstruG ION.
10 establish a few good schools. Their
progress In this direction was cut snort
by a law passed at the instance OF
| Atcsares phobedonostsem and Nltte 20
| limit the increase of zenStNo 'hNeA'
| Pobcdononstcns object was to prevent
the secular schools from multiplying
| Whites TO concentrate IN MS own
| hands all tho empires resources
| sim. tho people began to awaken
| Millions who could not lind school TO
| attend, learned to read ana Wrlle oy
| means Of sclf-educators, but TINS gave
| them merely II most Imperfect TOOL II
| reused their thirst. but furnished n"
water Of knowledge to Stake IT WIN
| Tho government kept It's hands on the
output OF books and periodicals Be-
sides the general censorship. puplic
libraries were restricted 60 a select as
sortments Of harmless books. / do not
think they flourlshed.
II needed n great shock TO start INC
100000 rustlcs thinking. The JONI
cnn,e from the decisive defeats OF Rus
sia's army and navy by the despised
yellow mnnkies' and the daring ae-
tvity OF the tiny revolutionary MINOR
ity, / am not now discussing the per
instability or the wisdom or poitlcai
ssaassinntion II would be ditticult
at significance IN country where the
car was worshlped next to God and
the saints Of the blowing OF the Grand
Duke Serge, the ears uncle ana
hrother-in-law. into bits, or of the un-
successful stoppage of the csar's busl-
moss. Those who had spent their lives
I'm fear ana trembling in the face of
village constables. saw the chief min
ister Of the crown begging n commit
tee OF workmen for permission to send
telegram TO general governor.
HOLY RUSSIA" SHAKEN.
Though spent the revolutionary
storm left many n scar and bestreWed
its pathway with human and other
,yrecksee. il made IL Impossible for
fourth OF the white races ever to re-
turn to the mental attitude Of Holy
Russia" II planted seeds for a future
harvest. Nor did It fail to leave any
thing positive The floodgates or pup
licity were opened. and the TIDE OF
newspapers was licked up like a freshet
in n tropical desert. The doors may be
closed again. but everybody now real
ICES that the horse has been stolen, to
change the metaphor.
The newspapers are now more COM
pletelv at the mercy of the police than
ever before. Fines of $1,000 imposed
at the uncontrolled discretion of chiefs
OF police ana lntbl SbNtIAbiS AlthNN
broken the spirit of the proudcst edi-
tors But In spite of that, the presses
are now turning out an immense
amount of matter which differs in
every way from the ante-bellum pro-
ductions. The attitude of the censors
themselves has changed. They no
longer struggle against sentiments and
facts which would have cost the life
OF a paper half a decade ago. Tho
government has seen that print is not
as terrible as 1t formerly seemed II
has learned TO rely on the army and
be more tolerant, perhaps more CON
temptuous. too, OF those who can only
talk.
The duma also remains, | am not of
those that attach Importance to the
daily doings of that emasculated
chamber but the existence of an elect
ed body, though adequately represent
ing only one class, the landlords
thanks to the cmperor's violation OF
his solemn pledges, nevertheless spells
some progress. for 1t affords a slight
barrier even now to organized official
plunderers, and II may In time become
more effective. In spite of itself.
But the exhaustion of the intellect
ual forces of the country Is profound,
the depression and apathy of the pro-
gressivc elements are complete. II Is 4
not merely that terrorism has been
terrorism has had much political con-
sequence since the shambles at Prime
Minister Stolypin's summer residence
on the Apothecary !iaianb lRuasia's
nerves are dulled. Nothing new counts
as IL would have done year or two
ago, The land question, which was
used 10 stimulate the PEASANTS inter-
est in reforms, is sleeping. A few mill
on acres of government and private
Hands are being distributed to the
stronger peasants The land hunger
OF the rest is Just as keen as ever, but
it's gnawing Is no new sensation. The
active revolutionary and liberal work
ers are rapidly being weeded out and
those who have escaped So fat have
become inactive. Some | know have
passed from revolutionary editorial
sancutums to government offices; some
have gone into private business; somc
are just starving. Hundreds nf thou
sands have been withdrawn from cir
There's many an unblessed
grave in Russia. Every Jail, prison
and penitentlary Is overcrowded' polar
deserts have been populated by tens of
thousands of cxiles,
AN ABNORMAL PERIOD.
Russia could not have passed
through the political and social con-
WILSON'S of the last lustrum unless the
active elements Of society had been
possessed of ideas and ideals of more
han demnnlac force and intensity. 1t
has been said ana it is quite true that,
measured by ordinary standards OF
.anity, Russia was abnormal for from
II to "A months. These emotional cX
oerionces made men and women read
er and litter to die than to live for |
their ideals The Generalization left |
Nv the troubles Is more discouraging |
than failure have seen schoolboys |
and girls OF . TO ~ years march around |
town closing the schools and then SO |
10 a newspaper office and write out |
.wo-columu political programme, and |
get It printed, too. There Is n regular |
school of immoral literature In Russia |
II problem plays and prose and poetry |
so far I'm advance of western ideas |
hat Russian critics speak OF Bernard |
shaw's Mrs Warrens Profession" |
which IS now being given ~ the lmpe- |
'lal theater Of st, Petersburg. az mere |
81 rejecting John Bulls traditional |
lrudery. \ generation with so many |
,oirupt elements win not supply revo- |
.utionary agents. There must be n |
lew crop of school children, TO say |
iothing Of students, before another de-
,lslve advance can be hoped for,
There arc plenty Of men IN the pub
ic oye including "A unmber of duma |
deputies, elected under the rotten Dor
lugh franchise Of 1907, who arc not
-ery particular about "a reputation for
financial integrity. and Il VIII take n
mighty strong public opinion to pro
vent the empire from being knocked |
Town In job lots 10 the most favored
nations. II not tn the lowest bidders.
Admiral Roiostycnsky was asked not
long ago n he thought that a now
navy would b. built,