Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-12-27
LEARNING ABOUT RUSSIA.
The statement is often made that it is i,

St The statement Is often made that It is irnpossi~
NJ, bic for those who live at a great distance from Rus
". STA to obtain anv reasonably accurate knowledge
wi concerning conditions in that unfortunate country
because of the bias OF practically all who have visit
NJ I'd the land and who have written of their impress
d. Sions. There is more or less truth in this, but the
4 thing as obtaining information reasonably accurate
r. p even by means OF biased witnesses. 1t did not re-
Q uuire a journey to the far north or an interview
N with the Eskimo who had accompanied Dr.. Cook
OF on his alleged journey to the north pole to demon
hi strate that he had not been near the north pole.
N Positive testimony to that effect was obtained lat
in ter, but as soon as there was opportunity to ex-
+ anime carefully the statements made by DR.. Cook
C himself. it became evident that his famous discov-
ery was a myth. He had manufactured a story out
Y Of the whole cloth. He had gone into detail and
tie been very specific. He had been SO specific that
&c his statements contradictcd each other and it re-
h: quired only a reasonably careful checking up Of
81 those statements to cancel most Of them and DEM
~onstrate that the man was lying.
a. In a similar way. it is possible to eliminate
i frotn stories Of Russian investigation many of the
Il misstatements and mistakes, and to silt out that
g S which is really true. The Measurements make
Il dictory or contradictory of each other, and whether
u they are made Intentionally or as the result of I'M
3 trustworthy information it is quite possible to
h eliminate from the explorers and Investigators
g stories very many of these statements and have left
the record OF actual fact. This is true of the state
e nlents of investigators of all types. No matter how
,,yprejudiced they may be or toward what side Of any
d controversial question they may lean. If they arc
! biased, their bias exhibits itself. Ii they have been
9 3 n,isinformed, their sources of misinformation are
{ quite apt to become apparent. Hence, whatever
] detailed conditions exist, we believe that in the
mass of testimony that has been brought out from
! Russia there is enough material on which to base
a fairly accurate picture Of the more important con-
ditions which prevail in that country.
The information which we have. while lacking
in trustworthy detail in many instances, may be re-
lied on sufficiently to be accepted as informative oil
the real important facts. Of the desolation, the
misery, the >hopelcssness, that exists in Russia
there is no doubt. All that we lack concerning
] these conditions is the measure Of their extent. A
I TO their character, there is no real difference O.
opinion. The system which was inaugurated there
which was to revolutionize the country, and ulti
n1ately the world, has in fact revolutionized Russi;
to Russia's external sorrow, and it will be genera
tons before the country RECEIVERS from the mis-
! guided attempts to create a new heaven and a new
earth ont Of materials and according to method
upon which no heaven or earth could ever be con
strueted. =