Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-24
MISCOLORED RUSSIA
is A DEMOCRACY
Nation is Better 7ypiGed by Peasant
Tillers of Broad Farm Lands Than
Black Pictures of Siberian Wastes
and Military Rule.
By VANCE THOMPSON

| He had never been in Russia. He coulC
neither read nor speak the language bu
he had an immense fund OF information
| about Russia and Russians-only, unfortu.
nately, it was all wrong.
What stalSed through his huge imagina'
tion was a memory of some tawdry actress
of his first youth; she was dressed in pinl
satin and chains and staggered through q
paper snow storm and Cossaclt whips to-
ward Mr.. Kennan's--or was 1t Mr.. BARLEY
Campbell's-Siberia; this was what he saw
and he called her Russia.
/ have no intention of writing an article
on Russia. That were absurd when the
subject howls aloud for follos. But there
are one or two misconceptions / should like
to knock on the head-mldly.
Democratic Tradition and Reality
First Of ALL Russia is not a military nation.
It's Government is not militarist Its civili-
zation is not based upon a military concep
tion Of the state. 1t is built upon an exactly
different basis-democracy. l think it is the
Oldest democracy in Europe; certainly it pos
sesses the oldest tradition of democracy.
Russia is not that girl in pink satin and
chains, staggering through paper snow
storm; Russia is the peasant. Bear in mind
Of the arabic and--nearly three ifths OF it.
To a great extent the land is held in COM
mon; that is, each little community of
farmers-each mir-is independent. The
peasants work the land together or, more
often divide IL themselves, according to
laws of their own.
1 remember talking with an old peasant
once. 1t was at that famous first Duma. He
was calm old man, Khevilenlo of Poltava.
He took my hand in both his big paws and
held it firmly during our entire conversation
"a friendly, reasonable old And
when asked him what he wanted he said:
81 want the land for my people-Tve been
sent here to get it, and / shan't go back until
1 do" l found out his trouble 1t was
simple. Every man, woman, child and babe
in his commune had ten acres Of land; but
near by lay we'll watered meadow, which
at the time the land owners were dispossessed
had been left in possession of the owner.
Khevilenko's village wanted 1t; and 1 am
tolerably sure they got it. For that year
over quarter OF the land remaining in the
hands of the mobiles" was turned over TO the
peasants. Today a peasant can own his
land individually or leave 1t in the self
governing community, as he pleases.
The village commune has home rule. A
group of these communes forms a canton, as
in Switzerland. 1t also is self f-governing. II
has an assembly made up OF one man, chosen
by the peasants, out of every ten families.
In the cantonal court the peasant first comes
into touch with the law Of the land-and in
that court sit five peasant Judges selected by
the peasants themselves. Above that is the
district assembly, which is another elective
body Bluntly stated this is democracy of
no bad sort.
No Aristocracy in Russia
But the aristocracy," said the big DOCTOR
whom you met in the beginning of this
article, that ruthless Russian arlstocracy!"
I smiled, and blandly, patiently, as one in
structs child in the rule Of three, I said:
"In Russia there is no aristocracy."
mo aristocracy!"
mo aristocracy," l repeated, except, of
course, just such an aristocracy as we have
in dear old Virginia and Massachusetts, and
New Rochelle-an aristocracy which is made
up Of certain old and illustrious families who
trace their blue blood back through the gem
erations. To be Dolgoruk or Troubetskoy
adds just the same lustre it gives Yankee
to be an Adams or an Endicott but it lends
neither place nor power. It's mere thing
of family pride"
blood with it's privileges; but there is no
aristocracy. There is. of course nobility.
But that is an admirable thing and essen
TALLY democratic. because it is open to every
Russian.
The son of the peasant or the son of the
any mans son-can be a noble
il he will. He has but to go through the
schools, pass the civil service examination
and then-at a given point in his eareer-hs
is automatically ennobed. The rank goes
with the grade he has won in the civil serv-
ice So there is a perpetual flow OF plain
folk up into the class Of the nobility; and a
return current. Of course. gradually carries
the descendants Of the unfit back into the
people. II is a life-giving circulation; and
1t is democratic. It is democracy in essence
reward and distinction for services TO the
State
How the War Win Hurt Russia
The other day at Yale met Mr.. Petrunke-
witch, the son of a rare heroic old man /
knew in Russia-Petrunkevite one Of the
vice presidents of the Duma. am old, gray
insurgent who had spent half his life Ia
exile. The wheel of the years turned and
found myself sitting al table with his son
Ia New Haven. and young Petrunkevitch
shook his head dolefully over the war. Il
was not that he feared the issue-he looked
forward gladly TO the overthrow OF Prussian
feudalism and freedom for the Ger
man people. And he did not fear that Rus
sia would be "militaFized" by victory. I'VE
are not a military nation" he said; that Is
not the danger"
why the dolefulness2g / asked,
THE war Is setting back, fear. our splen-
iid system OF edueation-iust wen under
way
lie gave we the facts
The education BIN Was passed b the
oema about ave years ago. It provided