Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1920-05-29
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War?
RUSSIA ALWAYS UNDER YOKE
Easy to Understand Why the Unhappy
People Have Turned to solshe-
vism in Their Cropping fo~
Freedom.
Article XVI.
By FRANK coMERFoRO.

legend Ncsror Of kiev, an Old monk
ish chronicler. tells the story. Kiev is
the mother Of Russian cities. IN the
ninth century SlavS and Films lived in
a tribal state in the forest region near
Lake linen. between Lake Ladoga and
the upper waters Of the Dnieper river.
Bands of military Adventures from
the land Of Rus. which is supposed 10
have been a part Of Sweden, eXacted
tribute from the tribes. In the year
SO the tribes threw off the yoke of
the Norsemen and drove them out Of
the country. Ii was Russia's frs revo-
luton. so the old chronicler relates.
and il was successful. Freed from the
tyranny Of the tribute takers the tribes
hogan to quarrel among themselves.
Their land was large and fertile. but
civil war destroyed order. Then as
now. order was the first essential to
peace and happiness. 1t is told that
after three years of tribal war they
confessed their inability to manage
their own affairs and they sent q mis-
sion to Rus TO invite their OLD masters
to come and rule over them.
According to the legend, three broth
ers. princes of Rus, Rurik, Ssneus and
/ TruvOr. accepted the call and founded
a dynasty, from which many of the
Russian princes of the present day
! claim descent.
While much discussion has been pro-
vOked as to the identity Of the war
| riOrs from the land of Rus, the found
ers of the Russian empire. 1t is gen
orally believed that they were the
! hardy Norsemen, who In the ninth CEN
fury roamed through various countries
Of Europe. These rowing bands in
vaded and conquered territory and
lived as the dominant military caste
until they were gradually absorbed by
the native population.
Novsorod First Capital.
Prince Rurik built his capital on the
banks Of the River Volkhov, which
with Lake linen formed part of the
great waterway connecting the Baltic
and Black seas. By this route, the
tall, blonde Norsemen. who composed
the famous Varangian bodyguard of
the Byzantine emperors, .trsveled from
Scandinavia to Constantineple. Rus
sia's first capital was Nbvgerod.
These Ssew rulers frSh be land of
Rus brought with them 6cAspirIt of
adventure of the Norsemen. They
were not contented to rule the tribes
who had invited them. They set out
to conquer the surrounding country in
all directions, and before two hundred
years had passed they had invaded
! Byzantine territory, established them
selves at Kiev, threatened CONSTANT
nople with a feet, secured as consort
for Vladimir l, one of their PRICES, a
sister of the Byzantine en- beror,
adopted Christianity for themselves
and their subjects. learned to hold in
| check the nomadic hordes of the
steppe. and formed matrimonial al
liances with the reigning families of
Poland, Hungary, Norway and France.
! They became a great power In eastern
Europe.
They had great appetite for con-
quest, but they lacked the power to
organize the territory they conquered
The political future Of the new state
was destroyed when the princes Of the
Rurik dynasty divided the state into a
number Of independent principalities.
For a time these were weakly and
loosely held together by the patri-
archal authority of the senior mem
Der of the family, the grand prince,
who ruled in Kiev. FAMILY quarrelS
became frequent. These princes were
strong men. They wanted power. They
str0v1 to enlarge their territories at
the expense of their rivals. The tradi-
tional authority. of the grand prince
declined. Yaroslav the Great was the
last of the grand princes. With his
death in 1854. family feuds multiplied
and dsintegratiOn set in. During the
next 10 years, from 1854 to 1924,
Russia was split into over sixty prin-
cipalities. Disputes over the question
of succession led to eighty-three civil
wars.
Ruined by Internal Struggle.
During these interminable struggles
of rival princes, Kiev, which had been
so long the residence of the grand
prince, was repeatedly taken by storm,
and ruthlessIy pillaged. Finally the
whole valley of the Dnieper fell a prey
to the marching tribes of the steppe
Thereupon Russian colonization and
political influence retreated north
ward. and from that time the contin-
nous stream of Russian history is
to be sought in the land where the
Vikings first settled. and in the adjoin-
ing basin Of the upper VOlga. Here
new principaIities were founded. some
of them having a grand prince, who
no longer professed allegiance to Kiev.
Thus appeared the grand princes OF
Suzdal. of Tver. of Ryazan and of
MOScOw-all irrecOncilable rivals with
little or no feelings of blood relation
ship. The more ambitious and power
full among them aspired not to sue