Page:Siberia and the Exile System Vol 1.djvu/263

Rh man of singular ability, fairness, and breadth of view. He was thoroughly acquainted with Russian history and jurisprudence, as well as with the history and literature of the west European nations; and, notwithstanding the fact that he had been in prison or in exile most of the time since his graduation from the university, he regarded life and its problems with undiminished cheerfulness and courage. I had a long talk with him about the Russian situation, and was very favorably impressed by his cool, dispassionate review of the revolutionary movement and the measures taken by the Government for its suppression. His statements were entirely free from exaggeration and prejudice, and his opinions seemed to me to be almost judicially fair and impartial. To brand such a man as a nihilist was absurd, and to exile him to Siberia as a dangerous member of society was simply preposterous. In any other civilized country on the face of the globe except Russia he would be regarded as the most moderate of liberals.