. All the Russias; travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. is the only way to impart a class-room at another barrackswas a schoolmaster teaching the lettersof the alphabet on a blackboard to alarge number of men. This is theclass for me to join, I remarked, tothe great glee of these good-temperedgrown-up children. The Russian people, then, is illite-rate, in the strict sense of the millions upon millions of peoplewho read no books and no newspapers,write and receive no letters, must in-evitably be the helpless
. All the Russias; travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. is the only way to impart a class-room at another barrackswas a schoolmaster teaching the lettersof the alphabet on a blackboard to alarge number of men. This is theclass for me to join, I remarked, tothe great glee of these good-temperedgrown-up children. The Russian people, then, is illite-rate, in the strict sense of the millions upon millions of peoplewho read no books and no newspapers,write and receive no letters, must in-evitably be the helpless victims of RUSSIAN PEASANT superstition and preju-dice. This is, of course,the fact. Russia is thehome of more religiousmanias and crazynotions than could beenumerated. Not amonth passes withoutsome almost incredibleinstance of religion-fanaticism. Theendolthe world is a constantlyrecurring belief. Thehorrible skoptsi, whosepractices one cannoimore nearly describe. RUSSIAN PEASANT THE TWO MOSCOWS 41 than by saying that they carry out literally the exhortation, If thineeye offend thee, pluck it out, are represented all over Russia,and in spite of the severest measures the police cannot stop theirabominable propaganda. It is natural to the Russian peasantto take the scripture literally. In May of this year a man namedIvan Plotnikof of Bielovodsk, in the government of Kharkov,begged a book to teach him to live in truth. He was givena Gospel, read Mark v. 29, and was admitted to the hospital,having chopped his hand off with an axe, after failing to gougeout his eye. The Dukhobortsi, too, the superior peasants wholeft Russia, largely with Tolstoys help, rather than performmilitary service, found the laws of Canada as contrary to theirpeculiar tenets as those of Russia. The Government allotment ofland, a correspondent wrote, was opposed to their convictionthat all land should belong to the community. They refuse toaccept the marriage law, claiming tha
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