Page:Sarolea - Great Russia.djvu/82

66 There is in Russia no caste or class, there is no pride of birth. The mercantile and industrial class is only just emerging, and its place is largely taken by Jews and foreigners. From 85 to 90 per cent. of the people remain peasants. There is no organized nobility, and whatever nobility exists possesses no such feudal basis as in Prussia and even as in England. There is no right of entail; there are no privileges of the elder son. Every child, son or daughter, inherits an equal share of the parental property, and inherits the rank and title of the family. We often hear members of the Russian nobility described in the British Press as Prince Troubetzkoy or Prince Galitzine. The fact is, that there are hundreds of Princes Troubetzkoi [sic] and Princes Galitzine, and the title of prince carries with it neither wealth nor political distinction. A man's position in the State is entirely determined by the "Tchin"—i.e. by the rank he has attained in the civil and military service. It is interesting to note that at the other extremity of Europe the same democratic feature should be the outstanding characteristic of two other Slav and Greek orthodox commonwealths—the Serbians and the Bulgarians. Both