The Washington herald., 1917-04-23
Plain Talks
By JOHN d HARRY

VIII the Russians go too far In their
reforms. so far that a reaction will be
inevitable7 This kind OF question many
OF their well-wishers throughout the
world must be asking. And suppose the
old forms of government disappear alto
gether. VIII the new forms carry with
them those assurances Of economic fiee-
dom that are so much more important
than political freedom and that alone
can keep political freedom from becom-
ingSa mockery7 Long established ways Of
thinking cannot be upset in a day with
out good deal of confusion. and In con-
fusion there Is danger. In this instance
the situation Is complicated by the mix
ture OF political with religious IDEAS. in
volving deep-seated feelings OF loyalty
and reverence. The Czar, besides being
the Little Father of his people, has
been the head of the church How will
the millions OF devote Russians react
from his deposition2
Our hope must lie, for the present at
any rate, in the extraordinary possibili-
ties that lie in the Russian people who,
In the arts, have already given so many
evidences Of originality and talent and
genius. What a pity It is that Tolstoy
could not have lived to see this day.
The best intimate pictures Of Russian
Il
toievsky, Gogol. Gorky and the other
great realists whose work has put to
shameS the unreality, the superfciality
and the childishness Of so much of the
Anglo-Saxon literature. There is an OBJ
vious absurdity in regarding as barbar-
Gus country that could produce such
work. In many Of its aspects It reflected
an extraordinary civilization. Other as
poets, however, reflected a civilization ex-
trAOrdinarilU l0w Tha fT.frfk a. ~.
that there has gone on in Russia those
contradictions that defy logic and that
can be true only because they happen
and because they reflect the contradic-
tons In the nature of man. Side by side
with great culture there can be unspeak-
able degradation.
Already the revolution has put forth a
new aspect on the war Those who share
the human fondness for trying to trans
late disaster and sufrerings into terms Cf
good are asking IL II may not be In It.
SELF a compensation for the past three
years Some of them go so far as to
speak as II II might be a Justification.
There is something not quite healthy in
the widespread desire 20 justify acts OF
barbarity. There Is also the assumption
that barbarfty is the natural way, that
1t Is even inevitable. Surely the time must
come when human beings will escape
from this pitiful faith in violence. Is IL
not possible that the successes OF vio-
lence, In spite OF their immediate good re-
suits. are essentially evil through MAIN
tanning violence in the world as an In
stitution? The more violence there is ths
easier 1t becomes to find excuses for II
and to resist those moral forces that are
founded on Righteousness and reason and
that ultimately control mankind IL man
Kind Is ever to approximate justice.
At this moment the hope of the world
is confided to violence. Even the peace
lovers are looking eagerly toward Ger
many for signs Of an uprising inspired
by the example OF Russia. Already Beth
mann-Hollweg has tried to head OF the
danger by appealing for democratic con-
cessions to the people. The unfairness of
the Prussian system that gives votes &C.
cordhng to property rights, making one
man many men, Is obvious enough. The
marvel Is that. in spite Of the determined
opposition Of German radicalisn. Il
should have succeeded in maintaining it.
self and securing power enough to pre-
cipitate half OF Europe into war. It is
safe to assume that the German arthort-
ties are anxiously watching the domestic
situation and are Strengthening their de-
lenses. An uprising In Germany would
be very different from what has Just hap
pened In Russia