The Washington herald., 1916-11-20
WHAT one MAN pid.
by ORIsON SWEET MARDEN,


Michael Demitrovitch Tcheiisheff
is striking example of what won
derful things a single man with
great purpose. without any of the ad-
vantages of rank or fortune, can ac-
complish
This man, who is really the father
of prohibition in Russia, is a peasant
by birth and was house painter by
profession when he became mayor
of Samara. He is now millionaire
and one. of the most influential men
in Russia.
How he picked up an education is
told IN his own words by an Ameri-
can writer: 81 was reared in a small
Russian village. There were no
schools or hospitals, nor any of the
improvements we are accustomed to
IN civilized communities. / picked
up an education from old newspapers
and stray books. One day chanced
upon a book in the hands of a moujik,
which treated of the harmfulness Of
alcohol. 1t stated among other things
that vodka was a poison"
just as he got his education, by
constant effort and hard work, this
man raised himself from peasant to
statesman; and since his rise he has
devoted himself to the uplifting of
the peasant class in Russia. especial
ly through the suppression of vodka.
Before his election to tho mayor
atty, when Tchelisheff was an alder
man in Samara, a drunken man, in
one of the houses owned by him,
killed his wife. This made such an
impression upon him that he regis
tered vow that he would make a
supreme effort to strike a death blow
to the greatest enemy of his people.
Later he was elected to the Duma
on the anti-vodka platform. He got
a bill passed by this body to the
effect that every bottle OF vodka
bill passed the Duma it went to the
Imperial Council. 1t was there tabled.
But Tchelisheff was not beaten. He
secured an audience with the Gar,
and told him what vodka was doing
to Russia and her people. After
listening attentively the Gar referred
him to his minister of finance. This
man said the measure to prohibit the
sale of vodka was dangerous in
novation, depriving the government
of one billion rubles ($5oo, 900, ,ooo)
yearly revenue, with no method of re-
placing it. The Gar did not rest
satisfied with this, but visited the
country around Moscow, and saw for
himself the terrible havoc vodka was
making among his people. He then
dismissed his minister of finance and
appointed E. NJ. Bark, in his place.
Then followed the war. At the
very beginning, the. mobilization Of
the army brought home to Grand
Duke Nicholas the memory of the
terrible disorganization due to drunk
enness in 1904, and he ordered the
prohibition of all alcoholic drinks
except in certain high class clubs
and restaurants. This was not enough
for Tchelisheff. He kept on working
until he gained his object. and prohi-
bition in Russia was made universal.
The whole world is now familiar
with the transformation prohibition
has wrought in Russia. And let it not
be forgotten that it is primarily the
work of one man, who was born
poor peasant.
Emerson says, what we need
more than anything else in the world
is somebody who can make us do
what we could" What a splendid
thing it would be if every human
being had some level-headed. loyal
friend who would be frank with him,
and show him how much more he is
capable of than he is actually doing.
If your achievement does not ap-
proximate your ambition there is
something wrong somewhere, be.
cause your ability to achieve and
your ambition to achieve were intend
ed to go together. The enormous dis
crepancy between the ambition and
the actual performances of most OF
us shows that there is serious lack
somewhere. What is it
This is a problem which we must
solve if, like Michael Demitrovitch
Tchelisheff, We would give our best