South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-15
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Rulers and Leaders of Wartime Europe
By the Princess RddziWill
Copyright
Bv the Princess RddziWill
Copyright 1913


their notice
Schingaren was the first TO at
tempt 10 organize a committee Of
relief, dealing especially with the
question OF "A floating population Of
refugee driven away by the war no
] one knew or cared where and the
solution of which imposed itself
quite imperiously on the govern
ment as we'll as on private initia-
= tive. He succeeded in drawing the
attention Of the cars second daugh-
/ ter, the Grand Duchess Tatiana. 10
j it and 20 win her cooperation in the
work to which he applied himself,
\ that Of seeking to dispose Of a null
\ titude OF human creatures, hose
/ distress constituted a serious danger
I 10 society.
Schingaren was no utopist, but on
4 the contrary a matter Of-fact man,
! fearless and honest He rarely &C
I cepted a compromise, and lacked
what Miliukoff also lacked. the sense
\ OF real perspective. They lost them
/ selves in details. and forgot 10 look
| ahead IL was a mistake which in
I the case Of Schingareff was 10 be
expiated with blood. Both he and
: Prof. Kakoschkine fell into the
error of thinking that the nat
I ural kindheartedness Of the Russian
nation would always stand between
/ IL and the possibility of cruel ex-
/ cesses. They had believed far too
much in the strong democratic or
| ganization Of the labor party, and
/ they had not thought il possible that
I this organization might fail at a
critical moment. Even whilst work
ing at il, Schingaren failed 10 notice
that under his feet was growing an
other force than that Of this democ-
racy. to the triumph Of which he
had devoted his existence He fail
ed 10 realize that 10 these men be-
I longed the future. He forgot and
his party forgot il too. that Russia
lacked that essential backbone, |
without which no country can exist
or become prosperous; cultured, |
educated middle class, and that the |
lower ones constituted the most dan
gerous element in her social fabric. /
because they threatened to overturn
the existing order Of things. with |
out being able 10 replace il by any
thing rational.
\ I're-war Discussion.
Just before the war 1 happened |
20 discuss this very question with |
Schinxareff. who happened 10 be in
Petrograd for a few days 1t was
during the great strikes which took
place at that time. These strikes
We're organized on a gigantic scale
and differed from all those that had
preceded them by their complete
calm which invariably precedes a
great storm. 1 had been struck by
the orderly conduct of the masses of
wOrkmen who paraded the streets
with their red flags which they dis
played whenever they could do so
without a police officer intervening,
and 1 mentioned TO Schingarem the
terrible impression which this order
~ conduct of the mob had pro-
duced upon me. lie absolutely fail
ed TO understand my point of view
In his eyes this only meant that the
revolution, which we both knew
very well was bound 10 break out
in the near future. would take place
and develop. without any excuses
coming 70 dishonOr its course. He
would not admit that the attitude
of the labor party meant that it was
! preparing itself with a strict dis
I cipline for the day when il would
/ be absolute master and could scat
, ter this same discipline TO the four
winds. In a word he believed in
| mild honesty of the Russian nation.
! and he judged it as ne would have
| judged men of his own standing and
education
He and many others with him. as
indeed his whole party, had never
studied the Russian peasant nor the
! Russian workman otherwise than
/ from the purely intellectual point Of
view. He had overlooked the brutal
I side of their character and this ex-
I plains partly why the cadets. who
really overthrow the Romanoffs.
were i'm their turn almost immedi-
ately overthrown by the mob which
they had ignored. Russian democ-
racy was murdered by that Russian
I anarchism. whose existence il had
overlooked For his mistake Schin-
CARER was punished cruelty. and his
brutal murder deprived the country
! OF one of its best citizens.