New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-16
4 Memory of Forty-eight
Nord Courtney of Pcnwhh in The London Ndion)

helpful genius Of Cayour Speaking geheia''y
Of Italy. the truth may be conle's'u ''"
,bose who theoretically wanted freedom ana
self government were relatively 700 -"
accomplish their desire, and the toreiEn
mower had not learned the necessity sun
less the wisdom. Of withdrawal voluntary
rolinouishment Of domination Is the last les
son that governing humanity learns VDr
departurc from the Ionian Islands ~ perhaps
the only example Of it. unless the peaceiu'
scparation Of Norway from Sweden may De
e,ted as a partial illustration. Anyhow az
the close Of tho first half Of the last century
the Italians were not strong enough ann
united enough TO gain freedom for tnem'
qelves. and the powers Of Austria would no'
concede IT,
Conditions in Middle Europe
The cbbinc Of revolution in Middle Europe
was marked by some special circumstances
though the deeper causes Of tho movement
may have been the same. The MagyarS
might probably have been strong enough 20
secure for themselves the control OF Hun
cary. but the Gar Nicholas INTERVIEWED az the
colo surviving executor Of the Holy Alliance
"a nut down the disturbers Of peace; ana the
forces o. the young Francis joseph, reheVed
Of this difficulty, succeeded IN maintaining
the conglomeratc dominions Of Austria. had
gU the clements seeking after freedom united
TO help one another they might have re-
uelcd even Russian armies; but they did nov
unite. and Metternich could have grimly
smiled at the result Of revolt. Inc STORY
or North Germany m ght well be retold al
the present time AZ length as great warn
ing. with suggestions a. once OF encourage
r-cr+ and encouragement The King o. Pruf-
IA had not been alone in capItu.auoH; all
tho kings in Germany bowed DO tlrn before
tho storm. and he Of Bavaria, the inend oil
Lola Monies. abdicated A constituent as
sembly. so TO speak, rose spontaneously OUT
Of the ruins of German Confederation, but as
IL proved weak the reluctant surrounding
rowers grew strong, and after a couple OF
Years of shifting uncertainties and csumbllng
combinations the order Of 1915 was reestao-
lished. and all that had happened came 20
nothing. The most important TACT tnat
emerged from this interim weller OF con
fusion was the individuality OF one man,
Otto Won Bismarck. who knew his own mlnf
and knew the mind of others. and thus pos
sessed measures Of strength and of weakness
enabling him to conceive the plans he per-
fected in after years.
\ Comparison with Russia
do not moralize. II is indeed impossible
20 make the barest narrative Of facts with
out some suggestion of their connection with
one another some faint indication Of strains
Of success and OF failure. leading up to the
fulGlment or abandonment OF undertakings.
will not attempt 10 pursue these indi;t'nct
inquiries. Things never quite repeat them
selves The minds Of men vary, 1t may be
infinitely, with varying generations and vary
ing circumstances. and minute variations be-
come. in time, papable and important. Two
things may be said Of the revolution in Rus
STA which has quckened my memory OF ls48.
In the first place. II did not spring directly,
like that Of Paris, out Of political agitation.
Ii has revealed political forces which had
long been at work with unascertainable and
still unascertained powers. but 1t was itself
the outbreak Of foodless people, and its
success was made possible because. whether
through popular sympathy or military dis
content. the troops refused to fire on the
hungry multitude. The next distinguishing
fact Of the Russian revolution is that it is
contemporaneous with a great war in which
Russia is a principal factor. II was not os-
tensibly made TO promote that war or TO
check it. and | draw attention to the war
only for the purpose of suggesting the eX-
IRENE difficulty of working out great con-
stitutional change and a great war stimuli
taneousy A constituent assembly and
war council can hardly move abreast of one
another and we need not go far to see that
constitutions are apt TO collapse before the
necessities of war Here | stop. What may
be the outcome in Russia must profoundly
engage our attention and even our magma
tion. When we get down among the unnum-
bcred millions of the people we move in an
atmosphere of eXataton and Of submission.
capable of any sacrifice of heroism and Of
devotion When we mount 70 the company
Of the upper and governing classes. we ask
ourselves with uncertainty, Can these furnish
the leaders worthy of the men they ought to
lead?