MR. VAN NESS IN RUSSIA. Rev. Thomas Van Ness, minister of the Unitarian church in Denver, spent last summer travelling in Russia. In reply to our request for some of his impressions and experiences for the read ers of the Unitarian, he sends us the following very interesting article, (furnished also to the Denver Republican), which aims to correct certain wrong impressions regarding Russia prevalent in this country. We hope to follow this with other articles from Mr. Van Ness upon his Russian experiences. WRONG IDEAS ABOUT RUSSIA. Before I visited Russia I supposed it a terrible place, the Czar a sort of monster in human shape, and his officers no better. I fancied, too, that one would have to be exceedingly careful as to what he said, that policemen were every where, and that nearly every indiscreet act led to Siberia. Let us confess, is not this the opinion generally held? But what are the facts? No country in Europe is easier to travel in than Russia if you have some acquaintance with the language, or with French and German. People are uniformly polite, the customs examinations are the easiest we passed in Europe. Our passports were scarely looked at, and so far as the description of our personal appearance is concerned, I might have traveled on the passport of an old man, and no officer of the government would have been any wiser. Then, too, I had read and been told that police officers and soldiers were everywhere; while the fact is that not one-half as many can be seen on the streets of St. Petersburg as one can see any day in Berlin or Vienna. It was also said that one must not take notes on the street or be seen writing, as it would at once awaken suspicion and might lead to arrest. Giving my own experience, I must say that I was never molested and I freely took notes in railway stations, in hotels and on the streets. I was seen writing in St. Petersburg, in Moscow, in Tzarscoselo and Tula; yes, even in that hotbed of rebellion, Warsaw, yet noth ing happened to me, not the least experience to break the general tenor of the trip. Again, I had read that in going from one province to another local passports were needed. One evening I started from Moscow to Tula, a distance of about 200 miles, and from there went to Count Tolstoi's summer residence, yet, nowhere was any sort of a government officer met or any questions asked. Speaking to a correspondent of the London Times who travelled with us for a while, I said: "And how have you found it? Do you experience the least difficulty ?" "Not the least," he replied. "To test the truth of these many stories told about Russia I purposely go around alone. I employ no guide. I know not one word of the language, and yet I have succeeded in gaining admission into every public building that I care to visit. Even the Winter Palace and the Museum of Carriages have not been closed against me. I have gone into all these places and the need of giving big fees or else experiencing the greatest difficulty is absurd. Come," he said, Suppose we try it. Let us take in the Museum of Carriages. (Presumably most difficult to gain admission to). I wager that I shall not pay a cent, have no trouble and be treated with the greatest courtesy." Po Anxious to see whether his statement was true, I jumped into a droshky with him, and in a few minutes we were jolting along rapidly over the rough cobble paved streets. Arriving at the building, a soldier stood guard at the door. litely touching our hats, we made signs that we wished to enter. He pointed to the door. We tried it, found that it opened, and went up the grand staircase. The walls of the museum building are hung with priceless tapestries. Upstairs in the second story are placed the carriages of state. When an Emperor is crowned there is made expressly for him and the Empress a coronation carriage. This carriage figures in the procession of state, and it is usually of the most expensive make and ornamented more or less with jewels. After the coronation festivities are over the carriage is placed in this museum, of no use to anyone, simply to be stared at by the curious tourist, or as an illustration of the pomp and vanity of each reign. Many of these carriages are indescribably splendid some are gilt all over, others painted exquisitely. Those of Catherine II. and Elizabeth have the coats of arms and the steps incrusted with real diamonds and emeralds, and the interiors are as luxurious as it is possible to make them. Among other things, the coupe in which Emperor Alexander II. was riding when the bomb was hurled at him by a Nihilist is to be seen, probably the one object of the greatest interest to most visitors. The To return to ourselves, the Times' correspondent seeing an attendant walking up and down, spoke German to him, which language he happened to understand, and told him that we wanted to see the carriage of Alexander II. attendant politely took us to it, and afterward showed us all through the building, among other things pointing out the curiously carved sleigh of Catherine, which she used at carnival seasons. Now, just the day before, our guide had told us that this museum building was most difficult to enter, that it required a special permission and a ruble fee. Those tourists that he succeeded in getting in should feel themselves highly favored, and all that sort of thing. The truth was that the building was as easily entered as any government public building, only such precautions being taken as were deemed necessary in order to insure the safety of the gems and riches contained within. I am more and more inclined to think that the average book about Russia is written after the fashion of Hare's "Russia," a book to be found in all American libraries and one which I considered an authority, before I went over there. In its preface the author admits that he spent but a summer in the empire, and as I now read the book I find that it is superficially written, filled with quotations, and relates certain things which my experience has proven incorrect. The only really good thing out side of the voluminous work of Wallace is a small book just published by a Mr. Curtis, who spent last year in St. Petersburg as the correspondent of one of the Chicago papers and has since published his letters in book form. tion this because the American travel to Russia is becoming greater and greater every year (even Denver having the past summer sent its quota of nine persons), and the need of reliable information is pressing. I repeat, then, if you want to ravel in Russia and have a good supply of money (for travelling is expensive), don't entertain any fears of police or Nihilist, of poor hotels or of a vexatious amount of red tape. If you keep on the main lines travel is as pleasant and convenient as it is in the United States west of the Mississippi. How about the censorship of the press? There is a censor of the press, or rather a good many of him, for the censor is a committee of gentlemen appointed to look over and inspect publications. Here is an extract from the instructions: "It is the censor's duty to prohibit and suppress all works written in a spirit hostile to the orthodox Greek Church, or containing anything that is contrary to the truths of the Christian religion or subversive of good manners or morality; all publications tending to assail the inviolability of autocratical monarchical power and the fundamental laws of the empire, or to diminish the respect due to the imperial family; all or reputation of any one by improper exproductions containing attacks on the honor pressions, by the publication of circumstances relating to domestic life or by calumny of any kind whatever." As In accordance with these instructions the censors inspect all printed matter which comes into the empire. we know, many books are prohibited, and some foolishly, as we think. To the cultured and educated Russians this whole censorship business seems a terrible trial, nevertheless there is a way around it. It is not half so bad as it appears to be. Suppose you want a certain prohibited book. You apply for it at a book store. The dealer, with many bows and apologies, will tell you that he cannot sell the book to Monsieur, but if Monsieur will have the goodness to put his name and address on a certain blank form, with the words "for purposes of study," the book will be procured. Of course you do this and in a short time the book is yours. The blank form which you have made out is sent to police headquarters and put on file. In this way the chief authorities know every copy of, say, Spencer's "Social Statics," or Mill's " Essays," knows where they are and who is reading them. If no bad use is made of them, well and good; if extracts from them are published in pamphlet form and distributed among the common people, it is not difficult to trace things back to the original holder of the book. In America any such slight regulation would be galling, but remember Russia is not America. Half ripened, enthusiastic minds get hold of certain new political doctrines and carry them to an extreme. The Russian mind is inclined to extremes to freaks and united to this mental characteristic is a recklessness as to life which makes men plunge into any danger. Russia is as yet one country only in name; in reality it is made up of parts, of factions, of conquered provinces and warlike tribes. Poland, Circassia, Turkestan, these need to be ruled with a strong hand. Agitations must be kept down; hence iron laws must be made, even if they work injustice and hardship on the few. So reason the Russian statesmen. duced and all public names were written in that language. All the shops had their signs printed in both Russian and Polish and in the schools Russian is the language being taught just as it is the language of law and of the courts. Were it not for this rigorous inspection, trouble would ensue continually. Russia has to act much as Rome did in ancient days with conquered provinces, and Warsaw to Russia is what Jerusalem was to Rome. Never will the independent spirit of the Poles be broken until their capital, like Jerusalem, is laid in ashes and, as a people, they wander over the whole earth. In speaking to Miss Isabella Hapgood, enthusiastic a Boston lady now living in St. Petersburg who is translating Tolstoi's books into English, I put the question directly: "Do you have any trouble with the censor?" "Not a bit," she said. "My last Century came with Kennan's article on Siberia cut out, so yesterday I walked into the Censor's office and said that in future I should like my Centurys complete, and sure enough the one for this month, which I have just obtained, is all right. The Censor was exceeding polite about it too," added Miss Hapgood. This experience is that of others, as I have it from their own lips. They seem to get and read what they want very much like people in other countries. At present the great end of the administrative system is to Russify the empire. The watchword of the new party is "One language, one church." To bring about unification foreign influence must be reduced to the minimum, hence the sort of Russian wall which is being erected about the empire in the shape of passport regulations and customs duties. "If the Germans want to remain in Russia and make money here they must learn our language and put their sons in the army." So said a certain Russian prince to me when talking on this subject. "We have given Poland every opportunity and still she is ungrateful, now we are going to make it thoroughly Russ," said he at another time, and indeed his words are true, for when we were in Warsaw we saw that the Russian alphabet had been intro I visited also the public library of St. Petersburg. As you know, it is one of the richest, if not the richest, library of Europe. It occupies an immense building on the fashionable Nevski Prospect, and is open to the public, like the great libraries of London, Paris and Boston. I was somewhat curious to see what books I could obtain on Russia. Introducing myself to one of the attendants, I said: "I am from America and should be pleased to look through the library, if you will allow me." "Certainly," he said, "if you will wait for a moment. I will send to you a guide, who speaks better English than I do." In about five minutes the gentleman in question arrived. During the course of our stroll through the rooms he told me that every librarian and all the assistants were expected to speak four languages Rus sian, French, English and German. Many of the assistants could speak seven and eight languages. Foreigners were always treated with consideration and given the privileges of the library if they desired it. "Would I have a card?" I told him I should be pleased to have one, whereupon he took me to a certain clerk's desk in the main readingroom, where I gave my name, my fath er's and mother's names, (a custom always required), my occupation, and the hotel at which I was stopping. A card good for six months was then made out with a certain number and handed to me. I was told that with it I could get any book I wished for reading or for purposes of study. Turning to my guide, I said, "Will you let me see what books, written in English, you have on Russia and Russian history?" "With pleasure," he said. "We have in this library every book on Russia that has been published, no matter in what language it has been written. If you will follow me you shall see what we have." We passed into a large room containing book shelves on every side. Books on Russia in all the European languages were around me. Among others in English I saw Stepniak's. I picked one up and saw that it was a volume of his late work on the Russian peasantry. "And do you have Stepniak's books and others of like character?" Certainly," he said, "everything about Russia, good, bad or indifferent, may be found here." "But surely you do not let everybody read such books. Are they not prohibited by the censorship?" 66 "Yes, they are prohibited, and rightly as I think. Stepniak is too what do you call it in English?-pessimistic, that is it; too unfair, yet we must keep all these books; they are here for the purposes of study and under certain restrictions they can be obtained. Do you have no censorship in America?" "No," I replied, "we have nothing of the sort." "And do you let men write what they please against God and your President and against morality?" I had to answer "Yes." "And can everybody read such things, the young as well as the old, women as well as men?" I again had to say "Yes," but I tried to explain that we attempted to place restrictions on immoral and indecent writings, not always with success. "Ah," he sighed, "I fear your plan is not a good one. We are more careful in Russia." You see from this that there are two ways of looking at this censorship business. To return to the library. These books on Russia number about 50,000 and cover all dates from the invention of the art of printing down to the year 1888. There is a manuscript room containing 30,000 manuscripts, some of them very ancient and valuable. The gem of the library is the Sinaitic manuscript of the New Testament, found by Tischendorff in the monastery of Mount Sinai, and acknowledged to be the oldest and best in the world. It is now very seldom shown to visitors, being carefully preserved under a glass case. An exact fac simile can be seen, which it gave me much pleasure to study. The library at present contains over a million volumes and seems to be exceedingly popular. I took out for my own reading a book on Russian novelists, having an excellent life of Count Tolstoi, which I wished to read before I called upon him. As I sat in the big public reading room and looked around, I contrasted it with the same room of the Mercantile Library of Philadelphia, the public reading room of the British Museum and the room of the Boston Library. I have never seen any of those rooms crowded as this was with intelligent, studious readers. The only thing which I can compare to it is the big public room of the Cooper Institute on some winter night when it is crowded with men and boys of the working classes. These Russian faces are open and thoughtful. They give me the impression of strength. I expect something from them in the way of literature before the end of the century which shall do honor to the great country in which they live. If this letter should succeed in doing From St. Louis comes an interesting illustration of the value of a Unitarian Club. A few years ago the benevolent people of that city, of all religious affiliations and of none, united together and established a home for aged and indigent couples. The Home has been doing a very useful work. But last winter the attention of Unitarians was called to the fact that the institution was being conducted in the interests of Evangelicalism; that is to say, that a regulation had been put in force to the effect that persons seeking admission must subscribe to a certain statement of doctrinal belief-such a statement as would keep out not only atheists, but Jews, and even many Unitarians. As the Home was established as distinctly unsectarian the Unitarian Club took the matter up. As the result of the club's investigations and protest the obnoxious condition has been rescinded, and the institution has been made once really unsectarian. more As our readers will see from the announcement on another page, the prospect is at last good for the establish ment of a permanent Unitarian church in Duluth, Minnesota. Through December, November and a part of Octo ber, our Minnesota pastors have been supplying the Duluth pulpit, and for five months after January 1st five of the best known of our younger pastors from the East are to speak a month each there. It is believed that the present importance and future prospects of Duluth fully justify this special effort and concentration of Unitarian forces from the East and West upon it. From a village of thirty-five hundred people in 1880, it has grown to be a city of thirty-five thousand, and the next ten years will doubtless is of the utmost importance to our cause see even greater changes. It be established in what is to be one of that a strong Unitarian church should the great cities of the West. Rev. Thomas Van Ness' very interesting article on Russia in this number of the Unitarian will be followed in our next by one still more interesting, entitled "A Morning with Count Tolstoi." Mr. Van Ness visited the great Russian in September last. In the first annual Year Book of the new Oakland Unitarian church, the minister, Rev. C. W. Wendte, sets forth the meaning and purpose of the organization in the following unmistakable language (italics Mr. Wendte's): "It was determined from the outset to attempt to gather, not a non-descript society but a Church, for worship, for study and practice in the good life, and for helpfulness church, using that word in its largest histo the general community; a Christian torical rather than creedal sense; and a Unitarian Christian church,-- by which we mean the free, progressive, and liberal fellowGod in his simple and divine Unity, accepts ship known by that name, which worships his ever unfolding revelations of truth as the soul's supreme authority, ranks conduct above creed, and strives for the welfare of humanity as the leading interest of life. "The sentiment which animates us is well set forth in the preamble to our Constitution: "In the love of truth, and the spirit of Jesus Christ, we whose names are hereunto appended, unite for the worship of God and the service of man.” We would like to ask our readers if there is anything narrow about this church; if there is anything about it that is "dogmatic" or "creedal" in any |