Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-01-24
Future Outlook
In Russia Is Happy

1 lCDDuCoo aOOub ANuboAh ehu WV
Russian that ii may be well to cal
attention to a few facts-not transi
tory facts, but fundamental facts.
In the first place the Russian peo
pie occupy territories over twice a
large as those of the United States
including Alaska and all the islant
possessions. These Russian terri
tories stretch in one solid band from
the German and Austrian frontier
to the Pacific ocean. They cover il
all nearly one-sixth of the land sur
face of the globe.
The colonization of these terri
tories by the Slavic people has occu
pied roughly LOO years-from thu
ninth century until the present time
In this process the Slavs have over
come or assimilated every alien ol
hostile race-and there have beer
over a score-with which they have
come in contact, says William l.
Raymond in the Boston Transcript
Their movement has been as irresisti-
BILE and as inevitable as that of a
glacier.
How can we account for this?
There have been three leading reas-
ons: First, the innate vigor and vi
tality of the Slavic race; second, its
unusual fecundity or ability to propa-
gate itself; third, its ability to adapt
itself to changing conditions. The
Great Russian peasant probably is
the best natural colonizer in the
world-not excepting the Anglo
Saxon.
There is another salient feature
about Russia. While there are on
the borders of the Russian territories
many diverse and sometimes antago-
nistic races-such as the Firms, the
Tartars and various other Asiatic
central belt of both Eu-
ropean and Asiatic Russia is occu-
pied by the Slavic race, and mainly
by the dominant, homogeneous stock
known as the Great Russians.
Furthermore. the Little Russians,
the White Russians and the Poles all
belong to the Slavic race. Out of a
total population of over 175, 200, 900
in the Russian territories-o
Of Finland-probably over 1876, ,OOO,-
900 belong to the Slavic race.
1t is generally agreed that what
ever the future course of events in
Russia, the people who ultimately
will determine and control that
of events in Russia are the
peasants, who constitute over so per
cent of the total population. Now
the Russian peasant-ignorant, su-
Derstitious and backward though he
nay be-has none of the characteris-
les of decadence. 1t is to be remem-
)ered that no further back than 1861
lie was economically and personally
slave. To a large extent he is still
economically dependent. But he has
within himself a sincerity, an open
and an eagerness to
earn which speaks we'll for his fu-
ure. The ability and willingness to
evolt is in itself a hopeful sign.
spain decayed because her people
ost first the desire and then the
,ower to revolt.
The Russian revolution to date has
the corresponding phases Of
he French revolution. Power has
'assed from the moderate, liberal ell
'ments to the socialistic dreamers
nd then to the extremists; soldiers
lave refused to obey their officers,
ountry estates have been pillaged,
axes have been refused, excessive
ssues of paper money have been put
in very much the same way.
IS precedents for the present separ-
.tist movements in the Ukraine, Fin
and, the Caucasus, the Crimea and
siberia, we can read in any history
4 the French revolution of revolts
gainst the Commune and the terror
n Rennes and Caen in the north
vest; in Bordeaux in the southwest;
f royalist revolts in Lyons and Tou-
ons; of open rebellion by the peas
nts in La Vendee and Deux Sevres-
ebellion which in La Vendee at
aimed the proportions of civil war
S there any reason to think that
hese things mean the end in Russia
ny more than they meant the end
q France?
Should we not rather recognize
hat the present distressing condi-
ions in Russia are nothing more
han a phase-and a phase, at that,
n the awakening and regeneration of |
great nation?