Year: 1879

peasants have long been accustomed to elect theil
own elders and mayors


VILLAGE ExcLUsIvENEss.


But rs an illustration of the true capacities of the
Russian peasant may PUT forward the following in
out any assistance from without-instances which
may be not without interest to the Americans. who
are known to be SO well disposed toward
the kussians-There is village called Bou-
tourlinovka, situated in the government of
Voronegh. 1t belonged before the emancipation
OF the serfs to certain Count Boutourline. of
the greatest despots who ever welded knout under
the Emperor Nicholas This village contained at the
time about one thousand three hundred serfs The
Count Ill treated his sers in the most cruel manner,
and for the smallest offence he had his peasants
brought to his stables and logged until they were
cruel rule for several Of years without any at.
tempt being made by them to free themselves.
But change was brought about in an unexpected
manner. The Count had small servant boy in his
establishment whom he used to fog every other day
but once when the Same boy was brought to the
stablein presence OF score or two of peasants, he
turned to thom and asked them :-"How is it that
all of US always submit to be fogged like brutes
by the order Of single man? Would it not be bet
tor to hog him instead and make him fear also?'
These simple words fred the long-dormant feelings
of hatred for the Count; the peasants rose in
obliged to keep his bed for weeks afterward. But
when he got better he went direct ST. Petersburg
where ne naa great ana powerful relations at Court
send all those peasants he might desire from among
his own serfs to hard labor Siberia for life At
the time when Boutourlino made this appeal there
already existed in the high circles OF capital the
undercurrent indicative OF the coming liberation of
the serfs, which to be subseq uenty carried out
by the present Car, and the request of Count Bou
tourline was refused. But, as he could no longer
retain the same footing among the serfs who had
his village. Boutourlinovka. with all the peasants
belonging to it. 10 the State Bank, from which
make Of the said village as test of the regula-
tons and rules which were ultimately put upon the
peasants and wi which are still in use among them
in Russia. The Count Boutourline consented
at last under the persuasion of the En-
peror himself; but when the peasants heard that
their lord and master had pawned them to the State
Bank they declared their readiness to buy them
selves OF with their own money. The government
allowed them long terms to redeem the land at
tached to the village. and they accomplished 1t by
means OF the richest peasants giving up all their
savings for the public good of the village and this
instaments This was. as far as t understand. the


first instance Of large village belonging to liberated
peasants during the reign Of the Emperor Nicholas.


The peasants OF Boutourlinovka began their
life by razing to the ground the of their old
proprietor. in order to have nothing which might
remind them OF him and his race. and they at once
applied themselves wholly to the cultivation of
their soil in summer and the fabrication OF boots
and other leathern materials in winter. The money
thus produced was put at interest and formed the
foundation of local bank; the village was fully
organized and oil matters concerning the local ad
ministration managed solely by bailiffs elected by
the peasants among themselves.


How far such system has been found to pay is
sufficiently shown by the present state of the vii
lage. 1t has about 1000 inhabitants. divided
into eighteen parishes; it has nine schools two local
banks, and contains hundreds of versts OF paved
thoroughfares and many libraries and large shops.
More than once the question has been raised as
to the making of q town of the said village,
but the inhabitants OF it have always stoutly
fully aware that if it happened their self-admnis-
traton and independence would be at an end The
trade OF the village has restricted itself to the
speciality of leathern wares, which has thrved SO well
that there are now several "millionnaires" found
among the peasants. saw lately gentleman
who came direct from Boutourlinovka to conduct
some business with one of our richest men, and
when the latter called upon him he desired the SER
want to announce him as the peasant Trotmoff."
When my friend in the course of their conversation
asked him why he called himself peasant now hav-
ing been SO long q wealthy merchant, the other
license for commerce, but that it is only
business matter, and that he had always
been be and would always | remain maj peasant
ination has become something like noble title.
They are free from debt and wealthy, they arc in
structcd and enterprising people and enjoy almost
as much freedom as they would have in q constitu-
tional country. And all this because they were
allowed to act on their own account without special
teachers being sent to them in order to apply any
system invented for the purpose and without any
nihilist enlightening them as to their true wants
and benefits.


POPULAR INSTRUCTION


The Russian peasants, as q rule, arc very unwill-
ing to submit to anything introduced into their vii
lagos from without. So, for instance, they mostly
reuso to send their children to the schools subjected
to the rules OF the present Minister of Public Educa
"o ts mode of Ss %
teaching does not answer their purpose. But again
in that respect they are mostly opposed to tho
formalities with which the popular instruction is
filled and not against knowledge itself, which they
receive and adopt with the greatest gratitude So,
for instance, in the government of Toula there Is
village called Novaya Derevnia school was
opened there once and shut up again for want of
pupils. Now, in the place OF the said school, the
peasants arranged the matter follows One of the
boys Of the former school, a lad Of fifteen, had
learned all he could under the former teacher and
now applied himself of his own accord to teach
reading and writing to the other boys of the village
There is schoolroom for the classes as yet, but
the teacher goes to each house in the village
in order in the afternoon, where all the boys
ble He does his work OF instruction, and gets his
dinner at the house where the class hap
pens to be held. In the evening adult peas
ants join the school. and the lad is then
asked to read to them aloud and explain to
them what he knows himself. But the youth of tho
teacher made the peasants suspect his ability and
they asked the female teacher of Eeighboring viii
lage to come and see II the lad was teaching their
children right. The lady and found the
boys progressing quite well; on hearing her
say the peasants decided to collect money and
buy the books and writing materials required for
their instruction. to pay their teacher two rubes
month and send wagon once week to fetch the
lady teacher from the other village in order that sho
might give further directions to their young master,
and now it officially reported that almost all the
boys and girls OF the village can read, write and
cipher fuenty, while the peasants on their side
proud OF having attained this end without any inter-
ference OF the administration or any teacher from
without


have selected these two examples out of a hun
dred OF others. because they are the most remark
able and hope 1t may to rctute. at least In
small degree, the insinuations frequently put for
ward as to the unincss of the Russian peasant for
the work of civilization. He is only obstinately
fusing to be pushed on by force to anything the
use OF which he does not comprehend. but will
stoutly defend his rights when he has them and
use them to his own profit. How long tho public
institutions will be thus kept apart from tho people
and must yet be maintained by tho money OF tho
people without affording the latter any profit in
turn IL question 1t is hard to decide; and how
long tho people will endure the present msmanago-
n
In view OF that state of things right hoping
that the new reform will mean indeed extension
OF sclf-government In the country, and the people
will have q considerable share OF its advantages.