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against　the　Jews　at　Kishineff；　which　he　might　easily　have



prevented；　and　nothing　more　cruel　or　short…sighted　than　his



dealings　with　Finland　has　been　known　since　Louis　XIV　revoked　the



Edict　of　Nantes。　I　can　only　explain　his　course　by　supposing　that



he　sought　to　win　the　favor　of　the　reactionary　faction　which；　up



to　the　present　time；　has　controlled　the　Czar；　and　thus　to　fight



his　way　toward　the　highest　power。　He　made　of　the　most　loyal　and



happy　part　of　the　empire　the　most　disloyal　and　wretched；　he



pitted　himself　against　the　patriotism；　the　sense　of　justice；　and



all　the　highest　interests　and　sentiments　of　the　Finnish　people；



and　he　met　his　death　at　the　hands　of　an　avenger；　who；　in



destroying　the　enemy　of　his　country；　has　struck　a　fearful　blow　at



his　country's　happiness。







While　a　thoughtful　American　must　condemn　much　which　he　sees　in



Russia；　there　is　one　thing　which　he　cannot　but　admire　and



contrast　to　the　disadvantage　of　his　own　country；　and　this　is　the



fact　that　Russia　sets　a　high　value　upon　its　citizenship。　Its



value；　whatever　it　may　be；　is　the　result　of　centuries　of



struggles；　of　long　outpourings　of　blood　and　treasure；　and



Russians　believe　that　it　has　been　bought　at　too　great　a　price　and



is　in　every　way　too　precious　to　be　lavished　and　hawked　about　as　a



thing　of　no　value。　On　the　other　hand；　when　one　sees　how　the



citizenship　of　the　United　States；　which　ought　to　be　a　millionfold



more　precious　than　that　of　Russia；　is　conferred　loosely　upon　tens



of　thousands　of　men　absolutely　unfit　to　exercise　it；whose



exercise　of　it　seems；　at　times；　likely　to　destroy　republican



government；　when　one　sees　the　power　of　conferring　it　granted　to



the　least　respectable　class　of　officials　at　the　behest　of　ward



politicians；　without　proper　safeguards　and　at　times　without　any



regard　to　the　laws；　when　one　sees　it　prostituted　by　men　of　the



most　unfit　class；and；　indeed；　of　the　predatory　class；who　have



left　Europe　just　long　enough　to　obtain　it；　and　then　left　America



in　order　to　escape　the　duties　both　of　their　native　and　their



adopted　country；　and　to　avail　themselves　of　the　privileges　of



both　citizenships　without　one　thought　of　the　duties　of　either；



using　them　often　in　careers　of　scoundrelism；one　feels　that



Russia　is　nearer　the　true　ideal　in　this　respect　than　we　are。







As　a　matter　of　fact；　there　is　with　us　no　petty　joint…stock



company　in　which　an　interest　is　not　virtually　held　to　be　superior



to　this　citizenship　of　ours　for　which　such　sacrifices　have　been



made；　and　for　which　so　many　of　our　best　men　have　laid　down　their



lives。　No　stockholder　in　the　pettiest　manufacturing　company



dreams　of　admitting　men　to　share　in　it　unless　they　show　their



real　fitness　to　be　thus　admitted；　but　admission　to　American



citizenship　is　surrounded　by　no　such　safeguards：　it　has　been



cheapened　and　prostituted　until　many　who　formerly　revered　it　have



come　to　scoff　at　it。　From　this　evil；　at　least；　Russia　is　free。















CHAPTER　XXXV







〃ALL　SORTS　AND　CONDITIONS　OF　MEN〃　IN　RUSSIA1892…1894







Still　another　department　which　interested　me　was　that　known　as



the　〃Ministry　of　Public　Enlightenment；〃　its　head　being　Count



Delyanoff。　He　was　certainly　a　man　of　culture；　but　the　title　of



his　department　was　a　misnomer；　for　its　duty　was　clearly　to



prevent　enlightenment　in　the　public　at　large。　The　Russian　theory



is；　evidently；　that　a　certain　small　number　should　be　educated　up



to　a　certain　point　for　the　discharge　of　their　special　duties；　but



that；　beyond　this；　anything　like　the　general　education　of　the



people　is　to　be　discouraged；　hence　the　Russian　peasant　is　the



most　ignorant　and　helpless　in　Christendom。







There　was　evidently　a　disposition　among　very　many　of　the　most



ardent　Russians　to　make　a　merit　of　this　imperfect　civilization；



and　to　cultivate　hatred　for　any　people　whom　they　clearly　saw



possessing　anything　better：　hence　it　came　that；　just　as　so　many



Frenchmen　hate　Great　Britain；　and　so　many　in　the　backward；



slipshod　regions　of　our　country　hate　New　England；　it　was　quite



the　fashion　among　large　classes　of　Russians　to　hate　everything



German；　and　especially　to　detest　the　Baltic　provinces。







One　evening　during　my　stay　a　young　Russian　at　a　social　gathering



of　military　and　other　officials　voiced　this　feeling　by　saying；　〃I



hope　the　time　will　soon　come　when　we　shall　have　cleared　out　all



these　Germans　from　the　Russian　service；　they　are　the　curse　of　the



country。〃　Thereupon　a　young　American　present；　who　was　especially



noted　for　his　plain　speaking；　immediately　answered；　〃How　are　you



going　to　do　it？　I　notice　that；　as　a　rule；　you　rarely　give　a



position　which　really　involves　high　responsibility　to　a　Russian；



you　generally　give　it　to　a　German。　When　the　Emperor　goes　to　the



manoeuvers；　does　he　dare　trust　his　immediate　surroundings　to　a



Russian？　Never；　he　intrusts　them　to　General　Richter；　who　is　a



Baltic…Province　German。　And　when　his　Majesty　is　here　in　town　does



he　dare　trust　his　personal　safety　to　a　Russian？　Not　at　all；　he



relies　on　Von　Wahl；　prefect　of　St。　Petersburg；　another　German。〃



And　so　this　plain…spoken　American　youth　went　on　with　a　full



catalogue　of　leading　Baltic…Province　Germans　in　positions　of　the



highest　responsibility；　finally　saying；　〃You　know　as　well　as　I



that　if　the　salvation　of　the　Emperor　depended　on　any　one　of　you；



and　you　should　catch　sight　of　a　pretty　woman；　you　would　instantly



forget　your　sovereign　and　run　after　her。〃







Richter　and　Von　Wahl　I　knew；　and　they　were　certainly　men　whom　one



could　respect；thoughtful；　earnest；　devoted　to　duty。　Whenever



one　saw　the　Emperor　at　a　review；　Richter　was　close　at　hand；



whenever　their　Majesties　were　at　the　opera；　or　in　any　public



place；　there　was　Von　Wahl　with　his　eyes　fastened　upon　them。







The　young　American　might　now　add　that　when　a　man　was　needed　to



defend　Port　Arthur　another　German　was　chosenStoessel；　whose



heroism　the　whole　world　is　now　applauding；　as　it　once　applauded



Todleben；　the　general　of　German　birth　who　carried　off　the　Russian



laurels　of　the　Crimean　War。







One　Russian　official　for　whom　there　seemed　to　be　deep　and　wide



respect　was　Count　Woronzoff…Daschkoff；　and　I　think　that　our



irrepressible　American　would　have　made　an　exception　in　his　favor。



Calling　upon　him　one　day　regarding　the　distribution　of　American



relief　to　famine…stricken　peasants；　I　was　much　impressed　by　his



straightforward　honesty：　he　was　generally　credited　with　stopping



the　time…honored　pilfering　and　plundering　at　the　Winter　Palace。







One　of　the　most　interesting　of　all　the　Russians　I　met　was　General



Annenkoff。　His　brother…in…law；　Struve；　Russian　minister　at



Washington；　having　given　me　a　letter　to　him；　our　relations　became



somewhat　close。　He　had　greatly　distinguished　himself　by　building



the　trans…Caucasian　railway；　but　his　main　feat　had　been　the



annexation　of　Bokhara。　The　story；　as　told　me　by　a　member　of　his



family；　is　curious。　While　superintending　his　great　force　of　men



and　pushing　on　the　laying　of　the　rails　through　the　desert；　his



attention　was　suddenly　called　to　some　horsemen　in　the　distance；



riding　toward　him　with　all　their　might。　On　their　arrival　their



leader　was　discovered　to　be　a　son　of　the　Ameer　of　Bokhara。　That



potentate　having　just　died；　the　other　sons　were　trying　to　make



their　way　to　the　throne　by　cutting　each　other's　throats；　but　this



one　had　thought　it　wise　to　flee　to　the　Russians　for　safety。



Annenkoff　saw　the　point　at　once：　with　a　large　body　of　his　cavalry



he　started　immediately　for　Bokhara；　his　guest　by　his　side；　pushed



his　way　through　all　obstacles；　seated　the　young　prince　on　the



throne；　and　so　made　him　a　Russian　satrap。　I　shall　speak　later　of



the　visit　of　this　prince　to　St。　Petersburg。　It　was　evident　that



Annenkoff；　during　my　stay；　was　not　in　favor。　It　was　said　that　he



had　been　intrusted　with　large　irrigation…works　in　order　to　give



employment　to　peasants　during　the　famine；　and　that　he　had　not



managed　them　well；　but　it　was　clear　that　this　was　not　the　main



difficulty：　he　was　evidently　thought　too　progressive　and　liberal；



and　in　that　seething　caldron　of　intrigue　which　centers　at　the



Winter　Palace　his　ambitions　had　come　to　grief。







Another　Russian　who　interested　me　was　Glalkin　Wraskoy。　He　was



devoted；　night　and　day；　to　improving　the　Russian　prison　system。



That　there　was　much　need　of　such　work　was　certain；　but　the　fact



that　this　personage　in　government　employ　was　so　devoted　to



improvements；　and　had　called　together　in　Russia　a　convention　of



men　interested　in　the　amelioration　of　prison　systems；　led　me　to



think　that　the　Russian　Government　is　not　so　utterly　and　wilfully



cruel　in　its　prison　arrangements　as　the　Western　world　has　been



led　to　think。







Another　interesting　Russian　was　Count　Orloff　Davidoff；　and　on　my



meeting　him；　just　after　his　return　from　the　Chicago　Exposition；



at　General　Annenkoff's　table；　he　entertained　me　with　his



experiences。　On　my　asking　him　what　was　the　most　amusing　thing　he



had　seen　in　America；　he　answered　that　it　was　a　〃sacred　concert；〃



on　Sunday；　at　a　church　in　Colorado　Springs；　in　which　the　music　of



Strauss's　waltzes　and　Offenbach's　comic　songs　were　leading



features；　the　audience　taking　them　all　very　solemnly。







In　the　literary　direction　I　found　Prince　John　Galitzin's　readings



from　French　dramas　delightful。　As　to　historical　studies；　the　most



interesting　man　I　found