The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-04

i
| John Ayscoueh's "Nonksbridee,"
(Lonfmans, Green ana Company
| Arthur Stanwood Piers .Tbe Women
We Marry" tHoughtoh Miifiin Com.
psnyD =
II Is curious to read OF Shatov's ex-
pcriences in America in Fyodor Dostoe v.
sky's story Of THE Possessed" translated
from the Russian by Constance Garnett
thc Macmillan Company. Shatov was n
queer fellow. but no queerer than the
other characters In this ample and
strange tale. II seems that there were
six Russians who had come over in an
cmiGrant steamer for the purpose OF
testing certain social conditions here.
They included students, even land
owners coming from their estates. some
officers too and all with the same grand
object" They hired themselves out as
workmcn to an exploiter who cheated
them and did them bodily violence.
The exploiter's treatment OF Shatov
and his chum Kirillov is particularized
Says the moody Shatov in his account
I'VE worked, sweated. wore ourselves
out: Kirillov and I were exhausted at
last: fell ill--went away-we couldn't
stand 1t. our employer cheated us when
he paid us off: instead OF thirty dollars.
as he had agreed. he paid me eight and
Kirillov fifteen. He beat US, too. more
than once. So then we were left with
out work. Kirillov and I. and we spent
four months lying on the floor in that
little town. He thought of one thing
and I thought of another Was this
treatment resented? Was there protest.
perhaps profane protest? Not n bit
Of 1t. says Shatov.
He drops into a playful irony here.
though ordinarily he is far from being
a humorist. There was no protest, pro-
fame or otherwise. ''On the contrary
says this sornbre radical. "Kirillov and
I made up our minds from the first
that we Russians were like little chill
dren beside the Americans, and that
one must be born in America, or at
least live for many years with Ameri-
cans, to be on level with them. And
do you know, II we were asked dollar
for thing worth a farthing we used
to pay It with pleasure, In fact with
enthusiasm. We approved Of every
thing: spiritualism, lynching. revolvers.
tramps. Once when we were travelling
n fellow slipped his hand into my pocket,
took my brush, and began brushing his
hair with II. Kirillov and | only looked
at one another and made up our minds
that that was the right thing, and that
we liked 1t very much. Shatovs
studies of the problems OF life were
terminated dreadfully. He was exc
cuted" as a traitor by that jaunty and
sanguinary revolutionist and group
leader Pyotr Stepanovich and his body
sunk in a pond. His wife. who had just
become a mother. went mad in conse-
uuence. About the same time his chum
Kirillov, who had long been pledged to
commit suicide on demand, fulfilled the
pledge.
Kirillov specialized profoundly. What
he made out was that TO shoot hinsef
was the highest expression of self-will'
To shoot somebody else would not an
swer. BY shooting himself he would
effect the salvation of everybody. Il
cant understand" said Kirlllov, how
an atheist could know that there Is no
God and not kill himself on the spot,
To recognize that there Is no God and
not TO recognize at the same instant
that one is God oneself Is an absurdity,
else one would certainly kill oneself. IT
YOU recognize II you are sovereign, ana
then YOU won't kill yourself, but will
live in the greatest glory. But one, the
drst, must kill himself. for else who Will
begin and prove It? ] ain kill
Ing myself to prove my independence
and nv new terrible freedom" Kirillov
said this and a good deal more like It
shortly before pulling the trigger.
The young arstocrat, Nikolay Nsye-
volodovitch was pretty surely pos
sessed" His career in the slums and
his marriage to TIE demented and Grip
MED girl he encountered there might be
held to Indicate as much, but he did
many strange and cruel things. Pyotr
pavlovltch Gaganov, an elderly gentle
ran OF high rank. had phrase that
zee often used in ths course of heated
discussions. mo" he would say, 'you
can't lead me by the nose" He said II
once at the club, standing amid a group
OF ulNllnE llNll'' "''i' .NtN''"s
seized his nose, COMPRISING 1t firmly
between two fingers, and actually led
the old gentleman a short distance in
that brutal manner.
Another of his victims was the pretty
Nine. Liputin, to whom he had just
been Introduced She was very shy.
lie led her out to dance. noticed how
pretty she was and suddenly before all
tho company seized her round the waist
and kissed her on the lips two or three
times with great RELISH The lady
tainted. Nkolay seemed to be sorry.
Taking his hat he approached her nus
band, "who stood petrified in the middle
of the general excitement" % ID to him
with evident sincerity, Don't be angry
and went away The husband also was
queer. He ran out after Nikoay into
the entry, helped him on with his fur
coat and bowed him politely down the
stairs.
sun ni~lin Nikolay behaved scandal
ously to his uncle, Ivan bSsipoVltch,
who was Governor OF the prov incc, II
was in the waiting room of the official
residence, Myosha TclyatnikoV, a clcrk
OF refined manners, was opening letters
n corner. A sturdy Colonel Of the
imperial military was also present. lie
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