Albuquerque morning journal., 1914-12-21
Young Russia Land of
Nearly Unlimited Possibilities

Showing how Russia is iargAr than
the entire continent Of North America,
with the islands OF the Caribbean
thrown In; how II occupies three
dfths OF Europe and two-fIfths of
Asia: how its Asiatic possessions are
one and a half times as great as those
OF China and three times as great as
those OF Great Britain: how II COM
pfiscs ono-sixth OF the landed area
OF the globe and one-tcnth OF the
worlds population. Gilbert II. Gros-
venor, director and editor OF the Ma
tional Geographic society. has just
furnished the nearly $50 members
Of that ORGANIZATION with striking
pen picture OF Young Russia--A
Land OF Unlimited Possibilities.f
After giving an impression Of the
diversity Of the origin OF It's peoples,
who come from the orient and the
occidcnf, the frigid north and the
troplc south; Of It's range Of climate,
which gives the Palm Beach touch
to It's crimca and the breath OF the
north to It's White sea region: of its
vast agricultural wealth; OF the wide
~ varying aspirations Of It's peoples
which dlffer as greatly as those OF the
Poles and the Mongols, as those Of
the confucIans and the Jews, as those
Of the Tartars and the Lapps; and
OF the vnstness Of the geographic linn
It's Of the empire, Mr.. Grosvenor
says:
But with all its geographic great
ness Russia Is about as poor In nat-
ural outlets TO the world as the small
est OF the countries of the earth. Hol-
land could be hidden In the vast
reaches OF the Russian plain, almost
as needle In q haystack. yet Am
sterdam does more international bus
mess than all the ports OF Russia to-
gether. Not one free outlet TO the
open sea does European Russia pos
sess except on the icebound shores
Of the Arctic ocean. The path from
the Black sea 20 the Mediterranean
leads through the Bosphorus and the
Dardanclles held by alien hands"
An Immense Population.
Mr.. Grosvenor next shows how
there lives within the boundaries Of
the Russian empire enough people to
duplicate the population OF Germany.
Grent Britain and France combined,
with enough left over TO duplicate
half the population OF Austria Hun
gary. Furthermore. II Russia grows
from 1912 to 2000 as she grew from
1872 to 1912 her population will be
upward OF 600.000,000.
He then continues; "From such
record OF size, of blgness in every
thing, we should expect Russia TO be
an old nation. like Great Britain, with
perhaps thousand years OF unhin-
dered growth behind her. But, as a
matter OF fact Russia Is u youth
among the nations compared with
England. strpllng whose fun stature
and breadth II still a subject OF con-
lecture and speculation.
Russia Is young because she never
has had a chance 10 grow until re-
cent years. Her geographical shape or
condition was such that for centuries
her people were constantly being en-
shaved or despuiled by stronger
nelghbors."
Freedom of the Scrfs.
After dealing briefly with Russia's
remarkable history, especially with
the surprising reign of Peter the
Great, Mr. Grosvenor shows that
when Alexander II freed the b0,000,-
900 scrfs of Russia he released from
bondage population equal to that
Of the twelve leading states Of the
United States, and population more
than twelve times as great as was
freed by Llneoln's emancipation proc
lamation, not very many months al
terward. Alexander bought 3ao,V0V,-
900 acres of land for them permitting
them TO buy 1t from the government
on easy terms. lie thereby carried IN
to effect the most extensive piece ol
agrarlan legislation ia history.
each village conducts It's own IN