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he　may　hold　all　Europe　enchained　to　the　ideas　of　the　autocrat；　if



he　be　Miloutine　or　Samarine　or　Tcherkassky　he　may　devise　vast



plans　like　those　which　enabled　Alexander　II　to　free　twenty



millions　of　serfs　and　to　secure　means　of　subsistence　for　each　of



them；　if　he　be　Prince　Khilkoff　he　may　push　railway　systems　over



Europe　to　the　extremes　of　Asia；　if　he　be　De　Witte　he　may　reform　a



vast　financial　system。







But　when　a　strong　genius　in　Russia　throws　himself　into



philanthropic　speculations　of　an　abstract　sort；　with　no　chance　of



discussing　his　theories　until　they　are　full…grown　and　have　taken



fast　hold　upon　him；if　he　be　a　man　of　science　like　Prince



Kropotkin；　one　of　the　most　gifted　scientific　thinkers　of　our



time；the　result　may　be　a　wild　revolt；　not　only　against　the



whole　system　of　his　own　country；　but　against　civilization　itself；



and　finally　the　adoption　of　the　theory　and　practice　of　anarchism；



which　logically　results　in　the　destruction　of　the　entire　human



race。　Or；　if　he　be　an　accomplished　statesman　and　theologian　like



Pobedonostzeff；　he　may　reason　himself　back　into　mediaeval



methods；　and　endeavor　to　fetter　all　free　thought　and　to　crush　out



all　forms　of　Christianity　except　the　Russo…Greek　creed　and



ritual。　Or；　if　he　be　a　man　of　the　highest　genius　in　literature；



like　Tolstoi；　whose　native　kindliness　holds　him　back　from　the



extremes　of　nihilism；　he　may　rear　a　fabric　heaven…high；　in　which



truths；　errors；　and　paradoxes　are　piled　up　together　until　we　have



a　new　Tower　of　Babel。　Then　we　may　see　this　man　of　genius



denouncing　all　science　and　commending　what　he　calls　〃faith〃；



urging　a　return　to　a　state　of　nature；　which　is　simply　Rousseau



modified　by　misreadings　of　the　New　Testament；　repudiating



marriage；　yet　himself　most　happily　married　and　the　father　of



sixteen　children；　holding　that　aeschylus　and　Dante　and　Shakspere



were　not　great　in　literature；　and　making　Adin　Ballou　a　literary



idol；　holding　that　Michelangelo　and　Raphael　were　not　great　in



sculpture　and　painting；　yet　insisting　on　the　greatness　of　sundry



unknown　artists　who　have　painted　brutally；　holding　that



Beethoven；　Handel；　Mozart；　Haydn；　and　Wagner　were　not　great　in



music；　but　that　some　unknown　performer　outside　any　healthful



musical　evolution　has　given　us　the　music　of　the　future；　declaring



Napoleon　to　have　had　no　genius；　but　presenting　Koutousoff　as　a



military　ideal；　loathing　sciencethat　organized　knowledge　which



has　done　more　than　all　else　to　bring　us　out　of　mediaeval　cruelty



into　a　better　worldand　extolling　a　〃faith〃　which　has　always



been　the　most　effective　pretext　for　bloodshed　and　oppression。







The　long；　slow；　every…day　work　of　developing　a　better　future　for



his　countrymen　is　to　be　done　by　others　far　less　gifted　than



Tolstoi。　His　paradoxes　will　be　forgotten；　but　his　devoted　life；



his　noble　thoughts；　and　his　lofty　ideals　will；　as　centuries　roll



on；　more　and　more　give　life　and　light　to　the　new　Russia。















CHAPTER　XXXVIII







OFFICIAL　LIFE　IN　ST。　PETERSBURG…1892…1894







The　difficulties　of　a　stranger　seeking　information　in　Russia　seem



at　times　insurmountable。　First　of　these　is　the　government　policy



of　suppressing　news。　Foreign　journals　come　to　ordinary



subscribers　with　paragraphs　and　articles　rubbed　out　with　pumice



or　blotted　out　with　ink；　consequently　our　Russian　friends　were



wont　to　visit　the　legation；　seeking　to　read　in　our　papers　what



had　been　erased　in　their　own；　and　making　the　most　amusing



discoveries　as　to　the　stupidity　of　the　official　censorship：



paragraphs　perfectly　harmless　being　frequently　blotted　out；　and



really　serious　attacks　on　the　government　unnoticed。







Very　striking；　as　showing　control　over　the　newspaper　press；　was



an　occurrence　during　my　first　summer　at　Helsingfors。　One　day　our



family　doctor　came　in；　and　reported　a　rumor　that　an　iron…clad



monitor　had　sunk；　the　night　before；　on　its　way　across　the　gulf



from　Reval。　Soon　the　story　was　found　to　be　true。　A　squadron　of



three　ships　had　started；　had　encountered　a　squall；　and　in　the



morning　one　of　theman　old…fashioned　iron…clad　monitorwas



nowhere　to　be　seen。　She　had　sunk　with　all　on　board。　Considerable



speculation　concerning　the　matter　arose；　and　sundry　very　guarded



remarks　were　ventured　to　the　effect　that　the　authorities　at



Cronstadt　would　have　been　wiser　had　they　not　allowed　the　ship　to



go　out　in　such　a　condition　that　the　first　squall　would　send　her



to　the　bottom。　This　discussion　continued　for　about　a　week；　when



suddenly　the　proper　authorities　served　notice　upon　the　press　that



nothing　more　must　be　said　on　the　subject。







This　mandate　was　obeyed；　the　matter　was　instantly　dropped；



nothing　more　was　said；　and；　a　year　or　two　afterward；　on　my



inquiring　of　Admiral　Makharoff　whether　anything　had　ever　been



discovered　regarding　the　lost　ship　and　its　crew；　he　answered　in



the　negative。







But　more　serious　efforts　than　these　were　made　to　control　thought。



The　censorship　of　books　was　even　more　strongly；　and；　if　possible；



more　foolishly；　exercised。　At　any　of　the　great　bookshops　one



could　obtain；　at　once；　the　worst　publications　of　the　Paris　press；



but　the　really　substantial　and　thoughtful　books　were　carefully



held　back。　The　average　Russian；　in　order　to　read　most　of　these



better　works；　must　be　specially　authorized　to　do　so。







I　had　a　practical　opportunity　to　see　the　system　in　operation。



Being　engaged　on　the　final　chapters　of　my　book；　and　needing



sundry　scientific；　philosophical；　and　religious　treatises；　such



as　can　be　bought　freely　in　every　city　of　Western　Europe；　I　went



to　the　principal　bookseller　in　St。　Petersburg；　and　was　told　that；



by　virtue　of　my　diplomatic　position；　I　could　have　them；　but　that；



in　order　to　do　so；　I　must　write　an　application；　signing　it　with



my　own　name；　and　that　then　he　would　sell　them　to　me　within　a　few



days。　This　took　place　several　times。







Still　another　difficulty　is　that；　owing　to　lack　of　publicity；　the



truth　can　rarely　be　found　as　regards　any　burning　question：　in　the



prevailing　atmosphere　of　secrecy　and　repression　the　simplest



facts　are　often　completely　shut　from　the　foreign　observer。







Owing　to　the　lack　of　public　discussion；　Russia　is　the　classic



ground　of　myth　and　legend。　One　sees　myths　and　legends　growing　day



by　day。　The　legend　regarding　the　cure　of　the　Archbishop　of　St。



Petersburg　by　Father　Ivan　of　Cronstadt；　which　I　have　given　in　a



previous　chapter；　is　an　example。　The　same　growth　of　legend　is



seen　with　regard　to　every…day　matters。　For　example；　one　meets



half　a　dozen　people　at　five…o'clock　tea　in　a　Russian　house；　and



one　of　them　says：　〃How　badly　the　Emperor　looked　at　court　last



night。〃　Another　says：　〃Yes；　his　liver　is　evidently　out　of　order；



he　ought　to　go　to　Carlsbad。〃　Another　says：　〃I　think　that　special



pains　ought　to　be　taken　with　his　food；〃　etc。；　etc。　People　then



scatter　from　this　tea…table；　and　in　a　day　or　two　one　hears　that



sufficient　precaution　is　not　taken　with　the　Emperor's　food；　that



it　would　not　be　strange　if　some　nihilist　should　seek　to　poison



him。　A　day　or　two　afterward　one　hears　that　a　nihilist　HAS



endeavored　to　poison　the　Emperor。　The　legend　grows；　details



appear　here　and　there；　and　finally　there　come　in　the　newspapers



of　Western　Europe　full　and　careful　particulars　of　a　thwarted　plot



to　poison　his　Majesty。







Not　the　least　of　the　embarrassments　which　beset　an　American



minister　in　Russia　is　one　which　arose　at　various　times　during　my



stay；　its　source　being　the　generous　promptness　of　our　people　to



take　as　gospel　any　story　regarding　Russian　infringement　of　human



rights。　One　or　two　cases　will　illustrate　this。







During　my　second　winter；　despatches　by　mail　and　wire　came　to　me



thick　and　fast　regarding　the　alleged　banishment　of　an　American



citizen　to　Siberia　for　political　reasons；　and　with　these　came



petitions　and　remonstrances　signed　by　hundreds　of　Americans　of



light　and　leading；　also　newspaper　articles；　many　and　bitter。







On　making　inquiries　through　the　Russian　departments　of　foreign



affairs　and　of　justice；　I　found　the　fact　to　be　that　this　injured



American　had　been；　twenty　years　before；　a　Russian　police　agent　in



Poland；　that　he　had　stolen　funds　intrusted　to　him　and　had　taken



refuge　in　America；　that；　relying　on　the　amnesty　proclaimed　at　the



accession　of　the　late　Emperor；　he　had　returned　to　his　old　haunts；



that　he　had　been　seized；　because　the　amnesty　did　not　apply　to　the



category　of　criminals　to　which　he　belonged；　that　he　had　not　been



sent　to　Siberia；　that　there　was　no　thought　of　sending　him　there；



but　that　the　authorities　proposed　to　recover　the　money　he　had



stolen　if　they　could。　Another　case　was　typical：　One　day　an



excellent　English　clergyman　came　to　me　in　great　distress；　stating



that　an　American　citizen　was　imprisoned　in　the　city。　I



immediately　had　the　man　brought　before　a　justice；　heard　his



testimony　and　questioned　him；　publicly　and　privately。　He　swore



before　the　court；　and　insisted　to　me　in　private；　that　he　had



never　before　been　in　Russia；　that　he　was　an　American　citizen　born



of　a　Swedish　father　and　an　Alaskan　mother　upon　one　of　the　Alaskan



islands；　and　he　showed　a　passport　which　he　had　obtained　at



Washington　by　making　oath　to　that　effect。　On　the　other　hand



appeared　certain　officers　of　the　Russian　navy；　in　excellent



standing；　who　swore　that　they　knew　the　man　perfectly　to　be　a



former　emplo