Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago the word communist"
was not heard in Russia, but there was
an even more sinister title
Russian in use, that of "nihilist."
N;b;lis+s 1t designated radical
"AAIAiS's' enemy of the czarist gov
eminent who practiced murder in an
effort to destroy the Romanoff regime.
In The Star of September 90, 1880, u
the following:
THE organ of the Russian nihilists,
called the Will of the People, has sud-
denly made it's temperance in st.
Petersburg. and neither the police nor
any of the authorities can tell whence
1t came. The paper announces In the
| plaineSt terms that its mission Is not
yet accomplished. 1t pronounces the
reforms introduced by Count Melikon q
sham, and says the government has
made no progress in the direction Of
liberality; that it shows that it only
knows how to lie and play the fool
with the credulous' This organ of that
mysterious but powerful and determined
element of the Russian population, de.
nominated nihilists, intimates, in its re-
appearance, that the plots, designs and
attacks upon the head of the govern.
ment are to be resumed. 1t says the
government promised to adopt a liberal
policy If the dagger and dynamite would
permit it; that the dagger and dynamite
were withdrawn, or, in other words, the
nihilistS suspended operations and re-
manned quiet, to see the promise of a
liberal policy fulfilled that it has not
been fulfilled, the government is as bad
as ever, and consequently those who
would reform it as by fire. must resume
their work This declaration of the
nihilist organ shows that Count Melikoff
has been awarded credit and praise
where he did not deserve it. The cessa-
ton of nihilist plots and the appearance
OF peace and order have been supposed
to be due to Melikoff's administration.
But If the Will of the People be correct,
the orderly state of affairs Is owing to
an armistice determined upon by the
n1hilsts to test the sincerity Of the gov
ernment's promises of reform"
x
Half a century ago the bicycle was
coming into use in Washington. That
p;.oI;.1 the riders had their trou-
olcyc1lSC bles is indicated by the
Protests following communication
to The Star printed In the
issue of September 80. 1890:
IT would like to call the attention of
the police to the annoyance and peril
bicycle riders undergo through the
cussedness of the rabble that seem to
live In the streets. They attempt TO
throw brooms or any convenient article
through the wheels, and If they are not
successful they either make you run
over 1t or they run behind and throw
the back wheel up, thereby throwing
you over the front and causing YOU seri.
Gus injury. I merely wish you to put
TINS In so as to warn those boys, as we
intend to see that We arr fully pro-
tected."
AT last there is prospect" says The
star OF october l. 1880, that the public
E1oo4v;o will have an opportunity to
ELECTRIC find out Just how much the
nv worth for practical purposes,
Edison has recently been taking steps
70 lay wires and introduce his lamps in
closely settled district in the lower or
business part of New York. and meas
ures have been quietly adopted lately to
give the Brush invention a thorough test
In the same city. The headquarters
CHOSEN for this interest are in the neigh
borhood of Madison Square, which is
quite a center for hotels, club houses
and elegant private residences. The
Brush light has been used with great
success, 1t Is claimed, in a number of
Western towns, and in some places In
the Eastern States also but as a rule
the public at large has as yet had little
or no opportunity to learn anything
about its real merits. The proposed ex-
periments in New York will, If made.
soon demonstrate which of the two in
ventions is the better, or whether either
of them is worth anything or not. II il
high time for such a showing. Until
now we have had little but experiments
descriptions and promises of perfection
at an early day"