Misconceptions of Russia.

Manawatu Herald, 17 January 1903, Page 2

Misconceptions of Russia.

A writer in the London Daily Mail undertakes to correct a number of erroneous impressions vary generally held with regard ta Russia. He complains that British travellers seldom take the trouble to see more than one side of Russian life. Either they mix with the upper classes, and come back charmed with the hospitality of the Russian people, or else they see only the lower middle class, and consequently “ they merely know the misery, the subjection of the peasants and working people, and henceforth they become embittered against the tyranny which produces all this." Contrary to what one generally hears, the Daily Mail writer did not find the Russian woman strikingly beautiful. “The woman of the. aristocracy,” he says, “are fascinating, extremely elegant, and very chic, careful copyists of the French in matters of dress. The women of the masses have muddy complexions dull eyes, and astrocious taste.” Russian society men are' pronounced to be the beat the world, but “ not adapted to the role of the good husband.” As for the Russians’ reputation lor extraordinary facility in acquiring foreign languages, he attributes this* to the care with which Russian children of the upper classes are taught, rather than to any abnormal uptitude fer languages. "English children,” he observes, “ who have the same education with foreign governesses speak the languages as correctly and as fluently.” The* reputation for diplomacy which Russian statesmen enjoy he is inclined to discount largely because the Russian diplomat unlike the English “ has no Opposition to demand information in Parliament/ no strenuoue press to call • for investigations, no general elections to make him tremble in his might.” In other words he never has to show his hand before hia curds are played-*

Russian women,,again, are generally supposed to-be far behind English women in economic independence, yet the medical colleges for women in St. Petersburg are among the finest in the world, and there are

quite aa many women doctors there as in London. His own impressions of Eliasian politics the writer sums lip thus : “ You are surprised to find that the people have as political rights aa they have, but if you go deeper down you marn' that they have no human rights i n rea lity, because the Tsar at any moment deny all the : ; c rights. There is trial by jury, but the Tsar can always interfere. Over the deliberation of the village ‘mir’ (council) there hangs always the contradiction of the Tsar’s prerogative,”