Page:The National Geographic Magazine Vol 16 1905.djvu/626

Rh tries, which, in order of importance, are textile fabrics, articles of nutrition, and ores or metals. In total production Russia ranked fifth among the nations. This tremendous growth has been through M. Witte, who declares agri- cultural countries economically and in- tellectually inferior to nations manu- facturing commodities. Competition and' overproduction led to failures and a commercial crisis, from which Russia was slowly recovering at the commence- ment of its war with Japan.

With manufacturing industries the urban populations increased, notably of L,odz and Moscow, the latter reaching a million. Big factories with cheaper methods of manufacture are killing rapidly home industries. Whole groups of 1 ' industrial villages have fallen under the power of middlemen, who advance money to the working households and fix the price of the products." There are brief allusions to the in- dustrial workers, especially in connec- tion with their unfortunate material conditions. While the workmen com- plain of long hours, low wages, arbitrary fines, and brutal severity, yet there are other important evils emphasized — those associated with the barrack sys- tem, the company store, and unsanitary surroundings.

As a contrast and supplement to the English view of Russia represented in MacKenzie's volume, is that of ' ' Russia under the Great Shadow, " by an Italian, Luigi Villari. His services as corre- spondent of the Iyondon Times afforded unusual opportunities for acquiring an excellent knowledge of European Rus- sia. This exceedingly well-illustrated volume, with interesting and often bril- liant descriptions, covers the salient points of modern Russia and supple- ments them by broad generalizations of evident value. Of Russia he says : ' 'An immense country, rich in natural resources, inhabited by a people who, if primitive and ignorant, have many very fine qualities, strong, capable of the hardest toil, inured to the struggle with nature, brave, intelligent, and religious, has been kept out of the march of pro- gress in a condition of semi- Asiatic bar- barism for the sake of impossible schemes of universal dominion."

Of especial interest for the light reader are the chapters on St Petersburg, Mos- cow, Nijni Novgorod, and the Crimea. To the student or more serious reader may be commended provincial Russia, the industrial development, the work- ing classes, Poland, and the economic situation.

He characterizes St Petersburg as representing 1 1 the foreign element of Russian civilization. ' ' Its picturesque Alexander's market, or Thieves' bazar, is happily described.

Moscow, he says, sums up the essence of many distinct civilizations. It still remains a living force, while presenting every aspect of Russian life, every phase of Russian history. As a holy city sec- ond only to Kiev, it has innumerable miracle-working images, which are re- garded with the deepest veneration. The Iberian Virgin, where the Czar in- variably pays his devotions, is noted for its great popularity, which is utilized as a valued source of income to the church. Per contra is the Moscow University a plague spot of liberalism, vexatious to the government and not favorable to advanced instruction, owing to censor- ship and frequent closing by the gov- ernment. On this point Villari says Russia is especially cursed with an intellectual proletariat, with indigent students, insufficiently clothed and de- pending on benevolent societies and scholarships. He adds :

"These students and graduates overflow the offices and liberal professions and become the most active agents of revolutionary propaganda. One finds, indeed, glaring contrasts among the Russian educated classes between ad- vanced and daring ideas and complete