Page:Michael Farbman - The Russian Revolution & The War (1917).djvu/29

 selves. They know very well that they have insufficient culture, that they are in the main a nation of illiterates, that in general they are behind Europe. But in Russia there is a deep faith in ideals. It is genuinely believed that life is not worth living save for an ideal. You must have something high to live for. So of Russia herself it is genuinely believed that she too must have something high in the world to live and work for. This element of faith gives a specific and passionate seriousness to every manifestation of public spirit. It is what most European students of Russia have regarded as its specific religiosity. Yet it is not ecclesiastical or theological; this spirit of religiosity or faith permeates all Russian life. For centuries Russia has been seeking the truth, believing that a time would come when the conscience would be delivered. The Revolution was the deliverance of the Russian conscience. It is now free to work for its ideals.

A vast transformation took place. The mutual hostility of which I spoke as the