Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-02
no aristocracy, and no proletariat.

| However the Russophills' insist
ence that Russia has no social classes
is not strictly correct. 1t Is true, as
| incongruous as it seems, that Rus
slams, the supporters Of autocracy, are
among the most democratic Of all peo-
pies. In their local organization, the
village communes, the Russian peas
ants possess an almost perfect organ
ization from the social democrats
point of view, while their mobiles, once
lfreeholders, remade into servants OF the
state by Peter the Great, and modifed
by succeeding sovereigns, have devel-
oped no strong class consciousness, no
iron -clad-traditions, and no isolatins
esprit de corps. They comprise rich
and poor Russian citizens, citizens
of high and low degree, citizens OF
culture and illiterate citizens. Never
theless, position, wealth. and culture
in Russia, as everywhere else, do con-
stitute class advantages, while until
just recently the clergy Of Russian
church have formed the most exclusive
of fixed castles. The mobiles, mostly
large land proprietors, and the Tchin-
ovniks, or the innumerable government
officers also form special classes, and,
as in Western Europe. there are cir
cles within circles. Moreover, these
various classes are recognized by a
mass of legislation in the Russian
code. Nevertheless, Russians can claim
one advantage. This is, that their
country is almost free from class
hatreds, and that the existing classes
are, generally speaking, very fluid. A
firmly established autocracy leaves
little room for bitter struggle be-
tween class and class; country where
more than two thirds of the people are
engaged in agricultural pursuits has
still less occasion for class animosities,
and, when it is further considered that
the true Russian is social democrat
by nature, it Is no longer an object for
wonderment that the catchwords Of the
west, used in the political and econo-
mic struggles Of the classes, have but
little substance and meaning for the
Russian.
1.-The distinctions between man and
man, and family and family, in Rus
sia, are largely superficial. The law
recognizes-as the Russophill explains
merely by way of administrative fic-
tions, four general divisions Of the peo-
ple-the nobility, the clergy, the
town -dwellers and the peasantry. Peter
the Great, a passionate organizer who
spent his energetic life in the endeavor
to centralize the state and give in an
efficient scheme Of government, made
class distinctions in the land much
more definite than they had been be-
fore. and, also, added to them. His
successors travelled in the paths which
he had pointed out. Cathrine the Great
a German princess, endeavored to
create a West-European aristocracy
and a bourgeosie in her empire, and,
with these objects in view; as, also
probably, that of her own fame, she
was untiring in her efforts to found
towns. Peter the Great made efficiency
the road to rank, and among the counts
whom he created, some had begun life
as peasants, BARRIERS, buffers, etc.
Cathrine II took the organization Of the
French monarchy as her model,
"The great landowners and the
higher government officials form the
first society of the realm, the wealthy
merchants, smaller landowners and
the great part Of the professional peo-
pie make up the middle class. There is
practically no proletariat-though such
class is in the making in Moscow and
some Of the greater cities. Decorations
are very common, as are titles. There
are more than 100000 members Of the
nobility, among which the hundreds Of
princes and princesses. Russia's plenti-
full supply Of nobilities has kept them
from becoming objects Of awe to Rus
sian folks in general. The Russian
pays most honor to the government Of
ficials, the tchinovika. or the rank
holders in bureaucracy"