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I　found　him　a　scholarly；　kindly　man；　ready　to　discuss　the



business　which　I　brought　before　him；　and　showing　a　wide　interest



in　public　affairs。　There　were　few；　if　any；　doctrines；　either



political　or　theological；　which　we　held　in　common；　but　he　seemed



inclined　to　meet　the　wishes　of　our　government　as　fully　and　fairly



as　he　could；　and　thus　was　begun　one　of　the　most　interesting



acquaintances　I　have　ever　made。







His　usual　time　of　receiving　his　friends　was　on　Sunday　evening



between　nine　and　twelve；　and　very　many　such　evenings　I　passed　in



his　study；　discussing　with　him；　over　glasses　of　fragrant　Russian



tea；　every　sort　of　question　with　the　utmost　freedom。







I　soon　found　that　his　reasons　for　that　course　of　action　to　which



the　world　so　generally　objects　are　not　so　superficial　as　they　are



usually　thought。　The　repressive　policy　which　he　has　so　earnestly



adopted　is　based　not　merely　upon　his　views　as　a　theologian；　but



upon　his　convictions　as　a　statesman。　While；　as　a　Russo…Greek



churchman；　he　regards　the　established　church　of　the　empire　as　the



form　of　Christianity　most　primitive　and　pure；　and　while　he　sees



in　its　ritual；　in　its　art；　and　in　all　the　characteristics　of　its



worship　the　nearest　approach　to　his　ideals；　he　looks　at　it　also



from　the　point　of　view　of　a　statesmanas　the　greatest　cementing



power　of　the　vast　empire　through　which　it　is　spread。







This　being　the　case；　he　naturally　opposes　all　other　religious



bodies　in　Russia　as　not　merely　inflicting　injury　upon



Christianity；　but　as　tending　to　the　political　disintegration　of



the　empire。　Never；　in　any　of　our　conversations；　did　I　hear　him



speak　a　harsh　word　of　any　other　church　or　of　any　religious　ideas



opposed　to　his　own；　but　it　was　clear　that　he　regarded　Protestants



and　dissident　sects　generally　as　but　agents　in　the　progress　of



disintegration　which；　in　Western　Europe；　seemed　approaching　a



crisis；　and　that　he　considered　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　in



Poland　as　practically　a　political　machine　managed　by　a　hierarchy



in　deadly　hostility　to　the　Russian　Empire　and　to　Russian



influence　everywhere。







In　discussing　his　own　church；　he　never　hesitated　to　speak　plainly



of　its　evident　shortcomings。　Unquestionably；　one　of　the　wishes



nearest　his　heart　is　to　reform　the　abuses　which　have　grown　up



among　its　clergy；　especially　in　their　personal　habits。　Here；　too；



is　a　reason　for　any　repressive　policy　which　he　may　have　exercised



against　other　religious　bodies。　Everything　that　detracts　from　the



established　Russo…Greek　Church　detracts　from　the　revenues　of　its



clergy；　and；　as　these　are　pitifully　small；　aids　to　keep　the



priests　and　their　families　in　the　low　condition　from　which　he　is



so　earnestly　endeavoring　to　raise　them。　As　regards　the　severe



policy　inaugurated　by　Alexander　III　against　the　Jews　of　the



empire；　which　Pobedonostzeff；　more　than　any　other　man；　is



supposed　to　have　inspired；　he　seemed　to　have　no　harsh　feelings



against　Israelites　as　such；　but　his　conduct　seemed　based　upon　a



theory　which；　in　various　conversations；　he　presented　with　much



force：　namely；　that　Russia；　having　within　its　borders　more　Jews



than　exist　in　all　the　world　besides；　and　having　suffered　greatly



from　these　as　from　an　organization　really　incapable　of



assimilation　with　the　body　politic；　must　pursue　a　repressive



policy　toward　them　and　isolate　them　in　order　to　protect　its　rural



population。







While　he　was　very　civil　in　his　expressions　regarding　the　United



States；　he　clearly　considered　all　Western　civilization　a　failure。



He　seemed　to　anticipate；　before　long；　a　collapse　in　the　systems



and　institutions　of　Western　Europe。　To　him　socialism　and



anarchism；　with　all　they　imply；　were　but　symptoms　of　a



wide…spread　political　and　social　diseaseindications　of　an



approaching　catastrophe　destined　to　end　a　civilization　which；



having　rejected　orthodoxy；　had　cast　aside　authority；　given　the



force　of　law　to　the　whimsies　of　illiterate　majorities；　and



accepted；　as　the　voice　of　God；　the　voice　of　unthinking　mobs；



blind　to　their　own　interests　and　utterly　incapable　of　working　out



their　own　good。　It　was　evident　that　he　regarded　Russia　as



representing　among　the　nations　the　idea　of　Heaven…given　and



church…anointed　authority；　as　the　empire　destined　to　save　the



principle　of　divine　right　and　the　rule　of　the　fittest。







Revolutionary　efforts　in　Russia　he　discussed　calmly。　Referring　to



Loris…Melikoff；　the　representative　of　the　principles　most



strongly　opposed　to　his　own；　no　word　of　censure　escaped　him。　The



only　evidence　of　deep　feeling　on　this　subject　he　ever　showed　in



my　presence　was　when　he　referred　to　the　writings　of　a　well…known



Russian　refugee　in　London；　and　said；　〃He　is　a　murderer。〃







As　to　public　instruction；　he　evidently　held　to　the　idea　so



thoroughly　carried　out　in　Russia：　namely；　that　the　upper　class；



which　is　to　conduct　the　business　of　the　state；　should　be　highly



educated；　but　that　the　mass　of　the　people　need　no　education



beyond　what　will　keep　them　contented　in　the　humble　station　to



which　it　has　pleased　God　to　call　them。　A　very　curious　example　of



his　conservatism　I　noted　in　his　remarks　regarding　the　droshkies



of　St。　Petersburg。　The　droshky…drivers　are　Russian　peasants；



simple　and；　as　a　rule；　pious；　rarely　failing　to　make　the　sign　of



the　cross　on　passing　a　church　or　shrine；　or　at　any　other　moment



which　seems　to　them　solemn。　They　are　possibly　picturesque；　but



certainly　dirty；　in　their　clothing　and　in　all　their　surroundings。



A　conveyance　more　wretched　than　the　ordinary　street…droshky　of　a



Russian　city　could　hardly　be　conceived；　and　measures　had　been



proposed　for　improving　this　system；　but　he　could　see　no　use　in



them。　The　existing　system　was　thoroughly　Russian；　and　that　was



enough。　It　appealed　to　his　conservatism。　The　droshky…drivers；



with　their　Russian　caps；　their　long　hair　and　beards；　their



picturesque　caftans；　and　their　deferential　demeanor；　satisfied



his　esthetic　sense。







What　seemed　to　me　a　clash　between　his　orthodox　conservatism　on



one　side；　and　his　Russian　pride　on　the　other；　I　discovered　on　my



return　from　a　visit　to　Moscow；　in　which　I　had　sundry　walks　and



talks　with　Tolstoi。　On　my　alluding　to　this；　he　showed　some



interest。　It　was　clear　that　he　was　separated　by　a　whole　orb　of



thought　from　the　great　novelist；　yet　it　was　none　the　less　evident



that　he　took　pride　in　him。　He　naturally　considered　Tolstoi　as



hopelessly　wrong　in　all　his　fundamental　ideas；　and　yet　was



himself　too　much　of　a　man　of　letters　not　to　recognize　in　his



brilliant　countryman　one　of　the　glories　of　Russia。







But　the　most　curiousindeed；　the　most　amazingrevelation　of　the



man　I　found　in　his　love　for　American　literature。　He　is　a　wide



reader；　and；　in　the　whole　breadth　of　his　reading；　American



authors　were　evidently　among　those　he　preferred。　Of　these　his



favorites　were　Hawthorne；　Lowell；　and；　above　all；　Emerson。



Curious；　indeed；　was　it　to　learn　that　this　〃arch…persecutor；〃



this　〃Torquemada　of　the　nineteenth　century；〃　this　man　whose　hand



is　especially　heavy　upon　Catholics　and　Protestants　and　dissenters



throughout　the　empire；　whose　name　is　spoken　with　abhorrence　by



millions　within　the　empire　and　without　it；　still　reads；　as　his



favorite　author；　the　philosopher　of　Concord。　He　told　me　that　the



first　book　which　he　ever　translated　into　Russian　was　Thomas　a



Kempis's　〃Imitation　of　Christ〃；　and　of　that　he　gave　me　the　Latin



original　from　which　he　made　his　translation；　with　a　copy　of　the



translation　itself。　But　he　also　told　me　that　the　next　book　he



translated　was　a　volume　of　Emerson's　〃Essays；〃　and　he　added　that



for　years　there　had　always　lain　open　upon　his　study　table　a



volume　of　Emerson's　writings。







There　is；　thus　clearly；　a　relation　of　his　mind　to　the　literature



of　the　Western　world　very　foreign　to　his　feelings　regarding



Western　religious　ideas。　This　can　be　accounted　for　perhaps　by　his



own　character　as　a　man　of　letters。　That　he　has　a　distinct



literary　gift　is　certain。　I　have　in　my　possession　sundry　articles



of　his；　and　especially　a　poem　in　manuscript；　which　show　real



poetic　feeling　and　a　marked　power　of　expression。　It　is　a　curious



fact　that；　though　so　addicted　to　English　and　American　literature；



he　utterly　refuses　to　converse　in　our　language。　His　medium　of



communication　with　foreigners　is　always　French。　On　my　asking　him



why　he　would　not　use　our　language　in　conversation；　he　answered



that　he　had　learned　it　from　books；　and　that　his　pronunciation　of



it　would　expose　him　to　ridicule。







In　various　circles　in　St。　Petersburg　I　heard　him　spoken　of　as　a



hypocrite；　but　a　simple　sense　of　justice　compels　me　to　declare



this　accusation　unjust。　He　indeed　retires　into　a　convent　for　a



portion　of　every　year　to　join　the　monks　in　their　austerities；　but



this　practice　is；　I　believe；　the　outgrowth　of　a　deep　religious



feeling。　On　returning　from　one　of　these　visits；　he　brought　to　my



wife　a　large　Easter　egg　of　lacquered　work；　exquisitely



illuminated。　I　have　examined；　in　various　parts　of　Europe；



beautiful　specimens　of　the　best　periods　of　mediaeval　art；　but　in



no　one　of　them　have　I　found　anything　in　the　way　of　illumination



more　perfect　than　this　which　he　brought　from　his　monkish



brethren。　In　nothing　did　he　seem　to　unbend　more　than　in　his



unfeigned　love　for　religious　art　as　it　exists　in　Russia。　He



discussed　with　me　one　evening　sundry　photographs　of　the　new