part05+-第8章

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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　the　brute　force　of　the　one　hundred　and　twenty　millions　of



the　Russian　Empire。　The　struggle　in　South　Africa　meant；　after



all；　that　if　worst　came　to　worst；　the　Boers　would；　within　a



generation　or　two；　enjoy　a　higher　type　of　constitutional　liberty



than　they　ever　could　have　developed　under　any　republic　they　could



have　established；　but　Finland　is　now　forced　to　give　up　her



constitutional　government　and　to　come　under　the　rule　of　brutal



Russian　satraps。　These　have　already　begun　their　work。　All　is　to



be　〃Russified〃：　the　constitutional　bodies　are　to　be　virtually



abolished；　the　university　is　to　be　brought　down　to　the　level　of



Dorpatonce　so　noted　as　a　German　university；　now　so　worthless　as



a　Russian　university；　for　the　simple　Protestantism　of　the　people



is　to　be　substituted　the　fetishism　of　the　Russo…Greek　Church。　It



is　the　saddest　spectacle　of　our　time。　Previous　emperors；　however



much　they　wished　to　do　so；　did　not　dare　break　their　oaths　to



Finland；　but　the　present　weakling　sovereign；　in　his　indifference；



carelessness；　and　absolute　unfitness　to　rule；　has　allowed　the



dominant　reactionary　clique　about　him　to　accomplish　its　own　good



pleasure。　I　put　on　record　here　the　prophecy　that　his　dynasty；　if



not　himself；　will　be　punished　for　it。　All　history　shows　that　no



such　crime　has　gone　unpunished。　It　is　a　far　greater　crime　than



the　partition　of　Poland；　for　Poland　had　brought　her　fate　on



herself；　while　Finland　has　been　the　most　loyal　part　of　the



empire。　Not　even　Moscow　herself　has　been　more　thoroughly　devoted



to　Russia　and　the　reigning　dynasty。　The　young　monarch　whose



weakness　has　led　to　this　fearful　result　will　bring　retribution



upon　himself　and　those　who　follow　him。　The　Romanoffs　will　yet



find　that　〃there　is　a　Power　in　the　universe；　not　ourselves；　which



makes　for　righteousness。〃　The　house　of　Hapsburg　and　its



satellites　found　this　in　the　humiliating　end　of　their　reign　in



Italy；　the　house　of　Valois　found　it；　after　the　massacre　of　St。



Bartholomew；　in　their　own　destruction；　the　Bourbons　found　it；



after　the　driving　out　of　the　Huguenots　and　the　useless　wars　of



Louis　XIV　and　XV；　in　the　French　Revolution　which　ended　their



dynasty。　Both　the　Napoleons　met　their　punishment　after　violating



the　rights　of　human　nature。　The　people　of　the　United　States；



after　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law；　found　their　punishment　in　the　Civil



War；　which　cost　nearly　a　million　of　lives　and；　when　all　is



reckoned；　ten　thousand　millions　of　treasure。







When　I　talked　with　this　youth　before　he　came　to　the　throne；　and



saw　how　little　he　knew　of　his　own　empire；how　absolutely　unaware



he　was　that　the　famine　was　continuing　for　a　second　year　in



various　important　districts；　there　resounded　in　my　ears；　as　so



often　at　other　times；　the　famous　words　of　Oxenstiern　to　his　son；



〃Go　forth；　my　son；　and　see　with　how　little　wisdom　the　world　is



governed。〃







Pity　to　say　it；　the　European　sovereign　to　whom　Nicholas　II　can　be



most　fully　compared　is　Charles　IX　of　France；　under　the　influence



of　his　family　and　men　and　women　courtiers　and　priests；



authorizing　the　massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew。　The　punishment　to　be



meted　out　to　him　and　his　house　is　sure。＇4＇











＇4＇　The　above　was　written　before　the　Russian　war　with　Japan　and



the　assassinations　of　Bobrikoff；　Plehve；　and　others　were　dreamed



of。　My　prophecy　seems　likely　to　be　realized　far　earlier　than　I



had　thought　possible。















As　I　revise　these　lines；　we　see　another　exhibition　of　the　same



weakness　and　folly。　The　question　between　Russia　and　Japan　could



have　been　easily　and　satisfactorily　settled　in　a　morning　talk　by



any　two　business　men　of　average　ability；　but　the　dominant　clique



has　forced　on　one　of　the　most　terrible　wars　in　history；　whic