The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-11-18

self confronting a situation closely
Darallel to that which took form in
Che United States soon after the
Revolutionary, war: Just as the,
|people Of the thirteen seaboard colo
l;Rdes turned to the vast plains and
Forests to the westward, SO the mil
aSons Of European Russia are now
1eiTing thought to the hmm ehsS piains
l6f Siberia. f.. Siberia, It rs explained
f1y the Russian agents, is a sadly mis-
,lM deratood country. Tt Ia neither
iR desert nor an Icy waste, but a, great
iTeg1on, vast areas Of which are won
fully fertile, >....' ..~r, .,
A." When. the myth of the Great
J American Desert''r was explained; to
lthese, Russian agents; they smiled
fhroadly and observed that the. legend
(which representa- the Ohio. iMissis-
|sipp! and Missouri valleys as q. deAert
isWas about as justifiable as is the cur
Trent conception Of Siberia. The
Russian government is anxious to
deye lop Siberia, because the country
needs development, and also, because
Its development will keep millions
t1of them under the Russian flag who
sooner or later must otherwise be-
come aliens.
f.. Peasants Want Share.
Beyond all this, there is the land
Eproblem in European Russia. The
peasants, like the peasantry Of eve
Ery ether country, yearn for a share in
the soil. It Is difficult and usually
impossible for them to secure land
Ign Russia; and taking advantage Of
their desire for land the government
tS DESTROYS Of making the great
tSteppes Of Siberia as attractive as
(possible to them. Hence the desire
tP know as much as possible about
the genesis, development. and results
OF the homestead laws of this cou1l-
try. 1t ts not impossible that sys-
tenn Of land laws will be established
tn Siberia closely modelled after the
laph code of the United States.
Tho American system Of surveying
and establishing title, to lands was
one Of the matters in which the Rus
sian visitors were most deeply inter
ested, because this has presented one
OF the most difficult problems in ST.
IBERIA. Maps Of all the States were
occurred, together with many plats,
detailed explanations Of the survey
ing system, the laws under which the
surveys are made, etc.
One matter on which the Russian
visitor displayed a decided DISPOSE
zion to vary from the American aI-
thorities was that Of permanence of
climate. They were Investigating
the new dry farming methods for the
sem1-arid regions of the west. Sibe-
ria has parallel conditions and is in
need Of the same scientific methods
of cultivation. .. -. II
> Climate fs Fixed.
But when they were assured that
climate js q fixed and permanent
Quantity, which never changes save
For brief periods; that averages of
Tatnfall, wind movement, tempera-
ture, and the like, do not vary over
long periods, the Russians shook |
their heads most decidedly
!, Backed by the experience Of CEN
turtles In the old world, they insisted
that 1t, Is now an established fact.
Based on long observation and ac-
eeDted scientifically, that remarkable
az we'll as by other con-
ditlons. They insisted that in Egypt
there Is the most absolute demonstra-
ton of great and permanent climatic
changes, while Russia itself can
Wing other cases hardly less strik.
gig.
9s The migration Of the Russian
pgasantry across the Caucasus and
RJal mountains Is assuming proper
Cons Of a great race movement, sim
Jar to those which swept the Aryans
FER Europe, and which later carried