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the　long　run；　serves　the　purpose　of　our　representative　as　regards



most　questions。







It　seems　necessary　here　to　give　a　special　warning　against　putting



any　trust　in　the　epigram　which　has　long　done　duty　as　a　piece　of



politico…ethnological　wisdom：　〃Scratch　a　Russian　and　you　will



find　a　Tartar。〃　It　would　be　quite　as　correct　to　say；　〃Scratch　an



American　and　you　will　find　an　Indian。〃　The　simple　fact　is　that



the　Russian　officials　with　whom　foreigners　have　to　do　are　men　of



experience；　and；　as　a　rule；　much　like　those　whom　one　finds　in



similar　positions　in　other　parts　of　Europe。　A　foreign



representative　has　to　meet　on　business；　not　merely　the　Russian



minister　of　foreign　affairs　and　the　heads　of　departments　in　the



Foreign　Office；　but　various　other　members　of　the　imperial



cabinet；　especially　the　ministers　of　finance；　of　war；　of　the



navy；　of　the　interior；　of　justice；　as　well　as　the　chief　municipal



authorities　of　St。　Petersburg；　and　I　can　say　that　many　of　these



gentlemen；　both　as　men　and　as　officials；　are　the　peers　of　men　in



similar　positions　in　most　other　countries　which　I　have　known。



Though　they　were　at　times　tenacious　in　questions　between　their



own　people　and　ours；　and　though　they　held　political　doctrines



very　different　from　those　we　cherish；　I　am　bound　to　say　that　most



of　them　did　so　in　a　way　which　disarmed　criticism。　At　the　same



time　I　must　confess　a　conviction　which　has　more　and　more　grown



upon　me；　that　the　popular　view　regarding　the　power；　vigor；　and



foresight　of　Russian　statesmen　is　ill…founded。　And　it　must　be



added　that　Russian　officials　and　their　families　are　very



susceptible　to　social　influences：　a　foreign　representative　who



entertains　them　frequently　and　well　can　secure　far　more　for　his



country　than　one　who　trusts　to　argument　alone。　In　no　part　of　the



world　will　a　diplomatist　more　surely　realize　the　truth　embedded



in　Oxenstiern's　famous　utterance；　〃Go　forth；　my　son；　and　see　with



how　little　wisdom　the　world　is　governed。〃　When　one　sees　what



really　strong　men　might　do　in　Russia；　what　vast　possibilities



there　are　which　year　after　year　are　utterly　neglected；　one　cannot



but　think　that　the　popular　impression　regarding　the　superiority



of　Russian　statesmen　is　badly　based。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　there



has　not　been　a　statesman　of　the　first　class；　of　Russian　birth；



since　Catherine　the　Great；　and　none　of　the　second　class　unless



Nesselrode　and　the　Emperor　Nicholas　are　to　be　excepted。　To



consider　Prince　Gortchakoff　a　great　chancellor　on　account　of　his



elaborate　despatches　is　absurd。　The　noted　epigram　regarding　him



is　doubtless　just：　〃C'est　un　Narcisse　qui　se　mire　dans　son



encrier。〃







To　call　him　a　great　statesman　in　the　time　of　Cavour　Bismarck；



Lincoln；　and　Seward　is　preposterous。　Whatever　growth　in



civilization　Russia　has　made　in　the　last　forty　years　has　been



mainly　in　spite　of　the　men　who　have　posed　as　her　statesmen；　the



atmosphere　of　Russian　autocracy　is　fatal　to　greatness　in　any



form。







The　emancipation　of　the　serfs　was　due　to　a　policy　advocated　by



the　first　Nicholas　and　carried　out　under　Alexander　II；　but　it　was



made　possible　mainly　by　Miloutine；　Samarine；　Tcherkassky；　and



other　subordinates；　who　never　were　allowed　to　approach　the　first



rank　as　state　servants。　This　is　my　own　judgment；　founded　on



observation　and　reading　during　half　a　century；　and　it　is　the



quiet　judgment　of　many　who　have　had　occasion　to　observe　Russia



longer　and　more　carefully。







Next；　as　to　the　Foreign　Office。　Nearly　a　hundred　years　ago



Napoleon　compared　Alexander　I　and　those　about　him　to　〃Greeks　of



the　Lower　Empire。〃　That　saying　was　repelled　as　a　slander；　but；



ever　since　it　was　uttered；　the　Russian　Foreign　Office　seems　to



have　been　laboring　to　deserve　it。　There　are　chancelleries　in　the



world　which；　when　they　give　promises；　are　believed　and　trusted。



Who；　in　the　light　of　the　last　fifty　years；　would　claim　that　the



Russian　Foreign　Office　is　among　these？　Its　main　reputation　is　for



astuteness　finally　brought　to　naught；　it　has　constantly　been　〃too



clever　by　half。〃







Take　the　loudly　trumpeted　peace　proposals　to　the　world　made　by



Nicholas　II。　When　the　nations　got　together　at　The　Hague　to　carry



out　the　Czar's　supposed　purpose；　it　was　found　that　all　was



haphazard；　that　no　adequate　studies　had　been　made；　no　project



prepared；　in　fact；　that　the　Emperor's　government　had　virtually



done　nothing　showing　any　real　intention　to　set　a　proper　example。



Nothing　but　the　high　character　and　abilities　of　M。　de　Martens　and



one　or　two　of　his　associates　saved　the　prestige　of　the　Russian



Foreign　Office　at　that　time。　Had　there　been　a　man　of　real　power



in　the　chancellorship　or　in　the　ministry　of　foreign　affairs；　he



would　certainly　have　advised　the　Emperor　to　dismiss　to　useful



employments；　say；　two　hundred　to　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand



troops；　which　he　could　have　done　without　the　slightest



dangerthus　showing　that　he　was　in　earnest；　crippling　the　war



clique；　and　making　the　beginning　of　a　great　reform　which　all



Europe　would　certainly　have　been　glad　to　follow。　But　there　was



neither　the　wisdom　nor　the　strength　required　to　advise　and　carry



through　such　a　measure。　Deference　to　the　〃military　party〃　and



petty　fear　of　a　loss　of　military　prestige　were　all…controlling。







Take　the　army　and　the　navy　departments。　In　these；　if　anywhere；



Russia　has　been　thought　strong。　The　main　occupation　of　leading



Russians　for　a　hundred　years　has　been；　not　the　steady　uplifting



of　the　people　in　intellect　and　morals；　not　the　vigorous



development　of　natural　resources；　but　preparations　for　war　on



land　and　sea。　This　has　been　virtually　the　one　business　of　the



main　men　of　light　and　leading　from　the　emperors　and　grand　dukes



down。　Drill　and　parade　have　been　apparently　everything：　the



strengthening　of　the　empire　by　the　education　of　the　people；　and



the　building　of　industrial　prosperity　as　a　basis　for　a　great　army



and　navy；　seem　to　have　been　virtually　nothing。　The　results　are



now　before　the　world　for　the　third　time　since　1815。







An　objector　may　remind　me　of　the　emancipation　of　the　serfs。　I　do



not　deny　the　greatness　and　nobleness　of　Alexander　II　and　the



services　of　the　men　he　then　called　to　his　aid；　but　I　lived　in



Russia　both　before　and　since　that　reform；　and　feel　obliged　to



testify　that；　thus　far；　its　main　purpose　has　been　so　thwarted　by



reactionaries　that　there　is；　as　yet；　little；　if　any；　practical



difference　between　the　condition　of　the　Russian　peasant　before



and　since　obtaining　his　freedom。







Take　the　dealings　with　Finland。　The　whole　thing　is　monstrous。　It



is　both　comedy　and　tragedy。　Finland　is　by　far　the　best…developed



part　of　the　empire；　it　stands　on　a　higher　plane　than　do　the　other



provinces　as　regards　every　element　of　civilization；　it　has



steadily　been　the　most　loyal　of　all　the　realms　of　the　Czar。



Nihilism　and　anarchism　have　never　gained　the　slightest　foothold；



yet　to…day　there　is　nobody　in　the　whole　empire　strong　enough　to



prevent　sundry　bigotsmilitary　and　ecclesiasticalleading　the



Emperor　to　violate　his　coronation　oath；　to　make　the　simple



presentation　of　a　petition　to　him　treasonable；　to　trample　Finland



under　his　feet；　to　wrong　grievously　and　insult　grossly　its　whole



people；　to　banish　and　confiscate　the　property　of　its　best　men；　to



muzzle　its　press；　to　gag　its　legislators；　and　thus　to　lower　the



whole　country　to　the　level　of　the　remainder　of　Russia。







During　my　stay　in　Russia　at　the　time　of　the　Crimean　War；　I　had



been　interested　in　the　Finnish　peasants　whom　I　saw　serving　on　the



gunboats。　There　was　a　sturdiness；　heartiness；　and　loyalty　about



them　which　could　not　fail　to　elicit　good…will；　but　during　this



second　stay　in　Russia　my　sympathies　with　them　were　more



especially　enlisted。　During　the　hot　weather　of　the　first　summer



my　family　were　at　the　Finnish　capital；　Helsingfors；　at　the　point



where　the　Gulf　of　Finland　opens　into　the　Baltic。　The　whole　people



deeply　interested　me。　Here　was　one　of　the　most　important



universities　of　Europe；　a　noble　public　library；　beautiful



buildings；　and　throughout　the　whole　town　an　atmosphere　of



cleanliness　and　civilization　far　superior　to　that　which　one　finds



in　any　Russian　city。　Having　been　added　to　Russia　by　Alexander　I



under　his　most　solemn　pledges　that　it　should　retain　its　own



constitutional　government；　it　had　done　so　up　to　the　time　of　my



stay；　and　the　results　were　evident　throughout　the　entire　grand



duchy。　While　in　Russia　there　had　been　from　time　immemorial　a



debased　currency；　the　currency　of　Finland　was　as　good　as　gold；



while　in　Russia　all　public　matters　bore　the　marks　of　arbitrary



repression；　in　Finland　one　could　see　the　results　of　enlightened



discussion；　while　in　Russia　the　peasant　is　but　little；　if　any；



above　Asiatic　barbarism；　the　Finnish　peasantsimple；　genuineis



clearly　far　better　developed　both　morally　and　religiously。　It　is



a　grief　to　me　in　these　latter　days　to　see　that　the　measures　which



were　then　feared　have　since　been　taken。　There　seems　a



determination　to　grind　down　Finland　to　a　level　with　Russia　in



general。　We　heard；　not　long　since；　much　sympathy　expressed　for



the　Boers　in　South　Africa　in　their　struggle　against　England；　but



infinitely　more　pathetic　is　the　case　of　Finland。　The　little　grand



duchy　has　done　what　it　could　to　save　itself；　but　it　recognizes



the　fact　that　its　two　millions　of　people　are　utterly　powerless



against