The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-25

 nihilism and revolution, of strongly contrasted wealth and poverty, of mis cry and splendor, of vast territorie: and vast ambition coupled with weak achievements, that any intellectual ef fort proceeding from the empire i: likely to be overestimated in the popu- lar mind, just as a fairly good picture painted by an armless man with his toes Is sure to find those who will ac- claim 1t as a masterpiece. But Rus sia had literature before Tolstoi and before Maxim Gorky, and one well worthy of praise and admiration. Who would compare the flimsy tinsel of Anna Karenina" with the solid gran deur of "Taras Bulba" or ''Mujikf' with "Dead Souls? Nikolai Gogol was one of the really great writers not only of Russia but of his tinle
 T HE two sons of Taras Bulba, the
 fierce old Cossack hetman, had
 just returned home from the Royal academy at Keif T1ey were a couple of lusty youths, strong and healthy, with faces upon which the They wore long gowns of coarse cloth, the garb of students at the university, and looked rather shy and awkward, as youths of their age will in any land and in any country when they find themselves under the scrutiny of their relatives and strangers on a formal oc- casion. And this return of Ostap and Andril to the hut of their father (for spacious and stored with wealth it was, the hetmans abode was little better than a hut) took place in the fifteenth century, when the Cossacks of the Ukraine were d semi -independ- ent people, acknowledging an alliance with Poland rather than her suzeranity.
 All that corner of Europe was then half nomadic. Some of the great Cos sack chiefs had felt the influence of the Poles, had begun to build castles and to affect ways of living similar to those of western Europe. But old Taras Bulba lived as his fathers had lived. drank as heavily as they fought as bravely, was as merciless and cruel, was as faithfud and as honorable aft Ter his light and as sternly patriotic. As the two boys stood before the paternal door the withered mother poor. neglected woman, often abused and always cowed by her great brute of husband-wanted to embrace them, to weep over them; but Taras said: ."None of that nonsense, old woman! Keep out of the way" And he began Laughing at the abashed boys. What
 
 Come, run a little; let us see if your skirts won't trip you up."
 Don't laugh, father, don't laugh" said the eldest of the boys at length. See how touchy they arel" Why should I not laugh at two such great hobbledehoys?" Because" broke out Ostap, because, even though you are my father, if you laugh at me any more, by heavens, I will beat you!' 'So you want to fight? We'll let us fight with fists then" Taras rolled up his sleeves, and father and son were soon administering to each other right heavy blows. The mother cried out to the retainers: Look, good people, the old man has gone mad! Did you ever hear of such thing-fghting with his own son
 
 whom he has not seen for over year?' You fight we'll" said Bulba at length. when his sons blows were becoming rather uncomfortable for him. You will be a good Cossack Some, embrace me, son. Now welcome" And father and son embraced and kissed each other.
 Then the father wanted a boxing bout u-it hut ba in terfered, saying: That's enough for the present. The child is young and has had a long journey. He is tired and wants to eat something before he fights" The child was 20 years old and six feet in height, but the mother threw her arms around him and the homecoming battle was over. Bulba laughed. Do not listen to your mother. little ones," said he; "she is a woman and knows nothing. But come in, come in we will eat and drink What rubbish you have been learning-A C and philosophy, and all those books! I spit upon them, but I will take you to Zaporozhe. the land of the Cossacks be- yond the falls of the Dnieper. There you :, will live in the setch. the great barrack city of the war-wagng Cossacks, and there you will learn to be men. Go, old woman, and let us have something on the table is trice. Bring us whole sheep, give us a goat and as much corn brandy igorilka) as possible. not with raisins and such stuff in it, but real gorilka, which foams and misses like mad"
 Taras took his sons to the principal room of the building, large one, whose clean walls. were covered with colored clay. On these walls hung hunting whips. sabres. firearms, fish nets, powder horns and gilded bits for horses. There were tether ropes. with silver plates and on shelves in the corner stood jugs, bottles and fasks of green and blue glass, carved silver cups. and gilded vases of various makes. They sat down with the principal retainers at a great table. Taras filled the glasses Now drink" he said, drink welcome! May you. Ostap, and you, An drii be always successful in wars; God grant that you may conquer the Mussul- mans, the Turks and the Tartars and if the Poles attempt anything against our faith-then may you beat the Poles. Come. my sons, the liquor is good The Latins were stupid; they did not know even the name of gorilka. What was the name of the man who wrote the poetry? l don't know much about reading and such things. think his name was Hor- ace" What a governor!' thought Ostap pretehds to know nothing"