The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-22
Lifts Minds of Masses to q
More Patriotic Plane.
SIMPLE LIFE BARD SEES GOOD
Surprised to Find
People Working for Govt.
Eagerness for Public Service
Seen Everywhere.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs.

Petrograd, July 22.-"War is not at
all bad" Pastor Charles Wagner
author of 1.-The Simple Life" declared
to me in the course of a Paris inter-
view, December, 1914.
And when I asked him to go on and
explain, he said:
"Out of this turmoil and slaughter
few blessings are bound to emerge,
like lilies from the sand of a pond.
For one thing 1 see a return from a
form of everyday life. For another l
believe the minds of the masses will
be lifted by the war to a vision of big
ger things.
mo man can go through such an
experience and remain the petty crea-
not go back to his anvil and his last
and pick up bristle and thread Just
where he left off.
War hardens but war educates; one
must be different afterwards; one
mus be wiser"
speaking of the soldiers of France
alone. He included all peoples affect
ed by the war-the English, the
French, the Germans, the Austrians
and the Russians.
His inference was that France will
OS d u1AISI0uI COuIllTy dlleT the war.
So will Germany and England and
Russia and all the others.
Russia Already Changed Nation.
Russia is bound to be new Russia.
That is one of the things the war
means to this mighty empire. If
western Europe will be changed
through this Armageddon, how much
more so will the Europe of the east
where the people are comparatively
young.
These are the things implied by
Pastor Wagner. Russia. in fact, has
already changed, already started on
the new road.
The American coming to Russia ex-
poets to find things much more CEN
tralized than in France or England.
He expects to see the government
working independently, above and
apart from the people because in the
past the government has played the
part of the parent looking after the
needs of the child, or the people. To
his surprise he observes nothing of
the kind.
He finds the Russian people work.
ing for and with the government.
He discovers two great armies in
the land, one in uniform, under arms,
fighting. The other in plain clothes,
or overalls, at bench and lathe. work.
ing. The governments agent, the
general staff, commands both and CO.
ordinates their efforts.
People Work for Public Good.
Through their All-Russian Zemstvo
union, their All-Russian Municipality
union, their central committee, their
war industry committees, their CO.
operative societies and kindred organi-
cations, Russian plain people and
Russian gentry are working hand in
hand, collaborating with the govern
ment and army for the good of the
country at large and for victory.
Never before have the people shown
such an eagerness to do public serv-
ice and never before have they dis
played such an aptitude for it.
No one here makes any secret of
these things 1 have talked to many
people, high and low, and the facts
which 1 have attempted to set down
in this series of articles are recognized
as showing the new. trend in Russia.
War hardens, but war educates, -
said Wagner. And it lifts the minds
of the masses to higher Visions
One can see it working out here in
Rpssia, even with the naked eye The
people have demanded to be put to
work for the public good. Jobs have
been given them, they have set to
work and already they love it.
There are a lot of busy bees i'm the
world who don't know how to gather