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Show -r THE EVOLUTION OF RUSSIA. Though halt' a million armed men at this moment mo-ment arc engaged in a desperate encounter at Liao Yang, the result. .will not be decisive through defeat, or victory of cither side. On Wedncscday the Russians Rus-sians stood off the 'assaults of the enemy and in-j in-j flictcd great loss; At this 'writing (Thursday) the I tide of buttle- "seems to favor the Japanese. But suppose that ultimately Russia is beaten and driven out of Manchuria, and peace is declared with Japan in possession of the territory she won' from the Chinese. Even that unlikely result of the war would not place Russia iii the catalogue of second sec-ond class powers. Like Spain bereft of her colonies, Russia may gather interior strength through adversity, ad-versity, should the empire take on the courage now-going now-going to renew . prosperity in the kingdom south of the Pyrenees. One thing is certain Russia has enough to make her groat without Mnnehurin. Japan needs more, and thus the present war for. its national existence. The reverses of Russia have been wrought for Russians ultimate good. Adversity is tho best of teachers, always. It points' out that no country is strong without the love and loyalty of its people. Mighty as may be the power of the czar, numbering his Cossacks from the Baltic to the Black Sea and over the steppes of Siberia, such fact counts for naugght when a call for volunteers is made. The national virtue which speaks loudest is the reverence rever-ence which the Russian has for his czar, for his 'little father," and for "Holy Russia.'? It is this veneration for the head of the Greek church as much as the hatred of Russia's foe which has united, unit-ed, the empire. Really it would seem that the Nihilist Ni-hilist lias boon eaai oiite.tUrough the exorcisi$ of the ikon. Noiic of 'ihe predicted uprisings nnjiev- olutious have taken place. Instead, joy on every hand over every Russian victory. Te Deuras over the birth of a male Romanoff. Yictorious or beaten, one can almost see Russia Rus-sia entering upon a period of introspection and evolution. Its first act, to purge itself of the corrupt cor-rupt nobility about St. Petersburg, even though their portion be exile. Clear itself of the grand dukes responsible for the shoddy equipment of it3 army and navy the sams bad advisers who- hastened hast-ened war, and opposed every reactionary measure which favored the peasant. Then the putting into effect of the czar's manifesto, or royal thank offering offer-ing because of the birth of a son will do wonders for Russia. The advent of on heir gave Nicholas an opportunity to proclaim reforms he long had in mind, but which were most distasteful to the bureauocracy and probably to some members of the imperial family. Summarized, they arc: The remission of the arrears due to- the state by the emancipated serfs on account of the lands allotted al-lotted to them. This will emancipate the peasants economically, as they were emancipated physically by Alexander II. A crushing burden of debt will be taken off their shoulders. It is a politic as well as a merciful act. It will confirm the loyalty of the peasants to the czar. The setting apart of $1,500,000 as a fund for the benefit of landless Finns, the grant of amnesty to those who have emigrated without leave, and the remission of fines levied on Finnish communities. This shows the czar does cot believe the assassination assassina-tion of General Bobrikoff should put Finland outside out-side the pale of mercy. The remission of the fines imposed .upon Jewish Jew-ish communes as a punishment for the evasion of military service by Jews. This is an indication that there is to be a departure from that stern anti-Semitic anti-Semitic policy which has seemed to other nations so cruel and unwise. The abolition of flogging in the rural communes, and in the army and navy for first offenses. TfTT may shock the Russian conservatives, who believe that discipline cannot be maintained in civil life or out of it without tho knout. But the abolition of floggigng is a forward step in civilization. Whatever the result of the fermentation now-agitating now-agitating Russia, it must be in the line of progress and improvement. It will be not only right, but also good policy on the part of America to refrain from embittering Russian sentiment against this country. The Russians are bound to play a great part in the world's history, and narrow-minded hostility hos-tility to a 'people, however much we may criticise the acts and policies of their rulers, should find no place among those enjoying the human rights denied de-nied to others. |
