Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-24

over 80 degrees of latitude, with its so ma
| tions, races, tribes.
Progress?
wish you knew Russia and the mighty
work that is being done there. You would
begin to understand why Tolstoy said that
Russia was the future.
know that the Government is not per-
feet. You may think of it as a huge iron
frame stretching over these 80 degrees OF
latitude and 80 races. The peasants hardly
know that 1t exists. Not till they rise from
their self governing communities and as
semblies up to the Zemstvo do they come in
touch with it. It weighs upon them just
about as heavily Washington weighs on
the hog warden in a Connecticut village.
And that is why the "intellectuals'-th
overeducated young men, who have lifted
themselves above the people and yet found
no welcome among the peers-have gone in
vain to the peasants preaching revolution.
The peasants have their own democracy.
The Government To Be
Now and then this huge iron framework
of Government sags at one corner and pinches
one ace-somewhere on the 3Oth degree of
latitude. 1t does not always fit. Perhaps no
Government does; but Of one thing you may
be sure when it says too much it win break
steep road of evolution has to fit itself every
now and then with new garment of govern
ment And Russia, based on democracy
with age old habits of democracy-will es-
tabllsh a government in accord with its new
needs and ideals.
For Russia has ideals.
You may not believe either in compulsory
education or in compulsory sobriety but Rus
STA believes in both The new law which has
banished strong dt t'lk from Russia--from it's
80 natlons-ls an epoch-making event. 1t is
the second step in long planned reform that
have watched for years. The first thing the
Government did was to introduce the So
called Swedish system of handling the liquor
question It closed all the taverns and grog-
geries-sinks of corruption-and took charge
of the traffic itself. Where the village grog-
gerry had been it set up shop of Its own,
where vodka could be bought in the original
package-and that way only. 1t could not
be drunk on the premises There was how
ever a room where the villagers could gather
and drink tea Hot water was provided free,
and there were warmth and light and cheer.
All this made for sobriety, but the chief bene-
fit was the fact that the peasants could not
drink on "tick'-pawn their ponies and
plows and clothes and mortgage their fu-
ture crops to the dirty traffickers in vodka.
That was a great reform Then when the
hour struck the Duma passed that new law
whlch--just the other day-prohibited the
sale of alcoholic liquors over the mighty land
Of Russia.
You may not like that sort OF thing; you
may not like democracy; but you cannot
know Russia unless you know that these are
fIa datf IN WJh he ig hRF
future
National Cornerstoues
Compulsory education, compulsory sobriety
and demoeraey-th three.
There's one other cornerstone Of the new
Russian edifiee. don't know that it has
any place in a newspaper article, though It
is the sort OF thing that is supposed to be
quite innocuous-eyen for children, 1t Is this
Russia is religious country-it is more than
religious; It is a God-haunted country. He
who would sketch the future OF Russia must
reckon with that enormous fact And so you
may see the Russians as a grave wise folk
notably given TO song ana prayer; friendly
with rare humanity and a sense OF world
brotherhood quite ineonesivable in a Europe
OF clashing trade competitions and craving
military ambitions-a kindly. mystic land
You can't Judge Russia by the cheap ana
taWdry melodramas OF other days nor by the
ranting OF the ''intelleetuals" who are mostly
deelassed proletaFians educated above their
brain power, and wandering without place
or work in world they do not understand.
Some Of them are dreameFs and martyrs
without hungry personal ambitions; and they,
like the peasant are making the future OF
their amazing land.
And that future you and Land the big
doetor-shaiI live to see