Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24
BY DIR. LEONID sTRAkmOvsKY.


BY DIR. LEONID STRAKHOVsKY.
A STAR-LIT sky over the dark
~ grim looking Kremlin. The
"A towers of Ivan the Terrible keep
4 silent watch. Inside the heavy
walls there seems TO be no life.
The churches and cathedrals are closed.
The large palace and numerous old
buildings bear not a single light. And
like red hooking tongue high in the
star-lit sky in a stream of beams from
powerful lampS-tioatS blood-red flag.
That is how the heart of Russia looks
today. But l Imagine that one day Will
come when glory to God will be sung
in the numerous churches and cathe-
drals. when the whole Kremlin will be
just one mass of light and JOY and high
in the star-lit sky new fiag-a symbol
of regenerated country-will unwind
proudly its colors: White, blue, red.
I firmly believe that such day Will
come, a day when freedom in Russia
will not merely mean word which Ia is
into oblivion so that it might soon be
lost for the Russian language. but when
it will be. together with the three
colored banner, the embodiment OF that
ideal for the realization OF which Russia
was striving for more than century.
And that day will witness the union
of the best that the Russian people
ever had and that Is spread all over the
world wherever there are Russian eXileS
Those that have suffered during ali
those interminable years the maftyfdom
of intellect and soul in Russia and those
who suffered perhaps more throuSn
being exiled than through the material
hardships of life abroad VIII ma az
last their common cause Wnlch hss III
the freedom of their country. mus
united after years of misunderstanding
I after wears Of mistrust. during when
wears the only link between them was
their common pain and suffering. RuS-
sian neople will start rebuilding that
magnificent structure which Is caiiec oy
the sweet name of Russia and now les
i'll ruin.
Soul of Russia Attacked.
This union will come, because We
have not been estranged enough to be
indifferent. because We cherish equally
orr land. which Is our love. our very
life. And our sorrow of being away
from our country Is as deep as the sor-
row OF those who witness their country
to be put into ruins. Yes, not"lth,
standing the building OF factories ana
mills, of roads and railway lines, the
present rulers of Russia have ruined
her because they have attacked the
soul of Russia. With their materlallsln
and rationalism they have put the hui
man being on level with an animal or
machine: they have taken away the
aim of humanity to better itself In try
ing to better the immediate surround
ines of man. And We feel here the
rising of that small but powerful force
which Is the spirit OF nation that III
the end no human ruler has ever Deen
able to stamp down for too long.
MANY a skeptical reader will think
that I am id.alizing the circumstances.
that I am far away from realities OF
life. But I am not and I will prove II:
One has only to look into the past OF
the Russian nation to md now par
ticularly patient the Russian people are.
In the darkest hours of its history when
everything seemed to be lost forever,
Russia has always found an issue III
appealing to her own spirit. Thus dur
ing the three centuries of the Mongol
domination Russia did not surrender
her spirit.
Yes. damage was done, because at the
hour of liberation from the Tartars
Russia did not step in the path OF free
dom indicated to her by her broad
minded princes and wealthy merchants
of Kiev and Novogorod during the first
centuries of Russia'S cultural and civil
lized life, when those centers of the
Russian nation were true representa-
tives of that wide "Republica Chris
tiana" of Europe formed by all Chris
tan rulers and their people. Instead.
Russia. thankful to the overthrowal OF
the Tartars' rule, gave freely into the
clever scheme of the Moscow tsars ana
lost her freedom for more centuries to
come. But her spirit remained intact.
Her energy was not wasted, because
under the cover of patience 1t accumu-
lated new forces that remained latent.
but nevertheless efficient. And then
came a new test.
During the most troubled times OF
the end of the sixteenth century. when
foes from every land and of every creed
gripped Russia at her heart and domi-
mated her by installing themselves in
one of Russia's most venerated sane
tuaries-Moscow's Kremlin-the people
of Russia found force and energy TO
lead their country on the road to sal
walton.
The Struggle Of East and West.
At this time Russia started gradually
to come back to her natural road OF
progress. She abandoned one by one
the inheritances of Asiatic rule and
turned more and more toward the
West in order to regain her former po-
sition in the family of European ma
tons. And then came the bolshevik
revolution and plunged Russia back into
Asia. Thus all through Russian his
tory we can see how violent and cruel
was and is in Russia the struggle be-
tween East and West And up till late
we have always witnessed the victory Of
forces of order If not always of freedom,
the victor of West over East. This will
also happen now, but we must be ready
IN helm Prussia to recover In order that