New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-21

His Faith That The Spirit Of Holy
Russia Still Survives


To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your editorial "Krapotkin
Speaks" in The Tribune of August G,
carrying to the public, rs it does, not
only his words but so much Of the
greatness and power of the man him
self, seems to me one of the most inn
portant of your splendid series Of i'm
portant articles during these past six
years. 1t should be put into the hands
of every American, for it is doubtful
whether many of our younger genera
ton know that Krapotkin is the great
est living Russian and, quite as sure
~, among the greatest living Fighters
for Freedom" as you call him.
On the one hand, as you say, mot
even Trotzky would dare to question
his revolutionary record" while, for
us here in America, his moral great
ness---as proved by the utter sincerity
and self-sacrifce of his life-even
more than his radiance of intellect as
writer, economist and scientist of dis
tinctlon, makes his message to British
labor the final word, the true light
that we have been so long waiting for
on tho darkness that spreads over
Russia to-day, to show us Bolshevism
as it really is.
| write this because 7 do not know
whether you have already called pub
lie attention to an article by Krapot-
kin in The HILBERT Journal of, think,
April, 1920.
In that paper Of his, which reached
the editors Of The Journal from Rus
STA after some nlutiation and much de-
lay, Krapotkin, the old rcvolutionist
and "freethinker,' dwells largely on
the moral endurance, but still more on
the unsatisded, abiding religious
strength, OF the Russian peasants. An
extraordinary fact, which he makes
one of the central points of his state
ment, concerns new head OF the Rus
sian Church, great man Of the people,
who succeeded at the death of the pre-
Vious head, before the beginning Of
Dolshcvik control
So great, and 50 greatly beloved
among the peasants, is this man that,
as hrapotkin says, not even Lenine
and Trotzky dared to put him to death
in the early days Of their tyranny; and
still less could they dare to harm him
latar
In and around this mans person,
Krapotlun says and believes, is a CEN
ter Of securely growing and reach
ing power for good, based upon the
religious faith of the peasants, liv-
ing power, which will yet bring forth
a new and brighter day for Russia.
With his full knowledge Of the
workingmen of the West, Krapotkin, in
his message to British labor, has
spoken also to US here in America
these words, carrying at the same time
grave warning and sure hope:
You of the West can and must avoid
by all means the "iron rule
Of the dictatorship of a party"
In that other message, out of his
deep knowledge of his own country.
this great man, this real aristocrat and
true lover of freedom, for whose sake,
as your editorial says, he chose to en-
dure disgrace, poverty, prison and
life Of exile, gives US strong hope
and belief that holy Russia still lives
and that new birth of freedom shall
be brought forth in the body an6 out
OF the spirit of her people.
we'll as for Russia, still to justify this
mans present faith in US? And we
here can do so only by proving before
the world, Notwithstanding our wretch
Cd failure and their bitter disappoint
ment so far, that the great trust which
the nations SO confidently gave to us
only two short years ago was not given
in vain. ART
New York, Aug 10, 1920.