Page:Brandes - Poland, a Study of the Land, People, and Literature.djvu/131

Rh Of late years the severity concerning prohibited books has been considerably augmented. It has become impossible to procure any of these; no bookseller dares now to order one of them. For instance, none of the books I have published in foreign languages since I was last here have crossed the frontier.

The amiability and good breeding of the Russian officers are in curious contrast to this severity. It must be admitted that in the Russian officer of the Guards (and only the Guards are stationed in Warsaw) we never notice the conceit and arrogance which characterise the Prussian officer. Courtesy, almost modesty, the bearing of the polished man of the world, are the peculiar stamp of the Russian officer. And this humanity is not merely superficial. The two Russian officers, whose position would enable them to do more evil than any one, the commander of the gendarmerie, General Brock, and the chief of the police, General Kreigels, are actually beloved by the Polish population. They always deliver the mildest possible reports. Every harshness displayed is against their wishes. But they are obliged to obey the orders they get.

In the officers' staff itself there is no inclination to treat the Poles as a vanquished people. They rather insist upon a gentlemanly behaviour towards them. Recently we had a striking instance of this. A son of the Governor-General saw at the house of a comrade here a forbidden book and asked him how he had got it; the officer told him the name of the bookseller. The young Lieutenant Gurko went to the latter and asked for the book.—No, it was not to be had, it was forbidden.—If he could procure it for him?—Under common circumstances it would be impossible, but as to the son of the Governor-General, he supposed that the prohibition might be waived.—Some weeks later the lieutenant got his book, and denounced the bookseller, who was arrested. Immediately thereafter the officers of the regiment, each and all of them, sent in a petition that Lieutenant Gurko might be struck off the list of officers; failing this, they all requested their own dismissal. They got no answer, but they insisted. The consequence was, in fact, that Lieutenant Gurko was