The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-09-20
THE DEATH OF sToLYPIN.

Stolypin, Russian premier, has been
shot and killed, presumably by nihil
lists. For the man we can have moth
ing but sympathy. He was brave
man. He did his duty as he saw it.
He faced death constantly, unflinch-
ingly and knowingly for many years
This was the third attempt upon his
life and it is credible that for the past
few years there was not moment
when the secret plotting, was not go
ing on and when his life was not in
danger. To pursue ones way with
calm and steady purpose, to do what
one believes to be right under such
constant pressure is certainly heroic.
That, according to our ideas, Stolypin
lessen. his personal heroism. He stood
for the established order. He believed
in" autocracy, that the car was the
instrument of providence and that the
people were not Ito be trusted with
,self-goyernment. Such a position is
abhorrent to American ideals. But
man is largely a creature of environ
ment. 49,
Years ago we stood at the summit
of high hill in the very heart of old
Bavaria On this eminence there was
tablet commemorative the fact that
this was the farthest south reached
by the victorious arms of Gustav
Adolphus, the Swedish king who lead
the armies of Professionalism. To the
north and south of this so-called noun.
tain there is a narrow strip of what
might be called neutral ground, where
Catholics and Prctestarts are found in
almost equal numbers. But north of
that, clear to ...e pole, Professionalism
to the Mediterranean Catholicism is
supreme. All OF these people, both
to the north and 10 the south, believe
firmly in their religion, they would in
dignantly deny that Gustavus Adolf
Plus had anything to do with their
belief they know they are right and
would soiemnly aver that no event OF
history could have influenced them in
this matter of conscience.
Nevertheless, that old tablet on the
top Of "Heselberg" is unanswerable,
memorable, indisputable. The line OF
cleavage at the foot of the Bavarian
hill is almost as well defined as the
line of sea and shore. One cannot-get
away from the idea that had the for
tunes of battle or the whim Of wind
or weather held back the advance Of
the Swedish army for fifty miles, mil
lions of men and women would have
lived and died as Jealous Catholics,
who in fact have abhorred that faith,
and that had fortune favored and the
army advanced fifty miles beyond the
Heselberg, millions who have lived
and died as. Catholics would have en-
braced the Protestant faith.
If such is the historic fact relative
to the religious life Of millions Of peo-
pie why does not, environment ex-
plain the position of millions of other
people?.v Why does it not explain
Stolypin? Wig does it not explain all
Russia? why does it not explain the
nihilist as we'll as the czar?
The nihilist is the result of environ
ment. Years of oppression have
caused revolt. 1t is deep-seated hat
red that has for it's basis the eternal /
principle of the liberty of man. In
this country discomfort and dissatis-
vent in many ways. Men use, and
abuse, the right of free speech, they
use, and abuse, the right of a free
press, they use, and abuse, the right
to vote, but all these things, even the
abuse of them, are SO many vents for
the volcano that sometimes RACES in
the hearts OF men.
Ii the crater of Vesuvius never be-
came choked there would be but a {
harmless flow OF lava, streams OF
gases, flashes of light and the deep {
of internal movement. But {
when the crater is choked the molten {
masses gather. the gases, accumulate
and at last there is an explosion with ;
mighty tAyhleyings and a vast stream
,f. destruction bursts the barriers. K