APPENDIX 149 



man, Khevilenko of Poltava. He took my hand in 

 both his big paws and held it firmly during our 

 entire conversation a friendly, reasonable old man 

 And when I asked him what he wanted he said: "I 

 want the land for my people I've been sent here to 

 get it, and I sha'n't go back until I do. ' I found out 

 his trouble. It was simple. Every man, woman, 

 child, and babe in his commune had ten acres of land ; 

 but near by lay a well-watered meadow, which at the 

 time the landowners were dispossessed had been left in 

 possession of the owner. Khevilenko's village wanted 

 it; and I am tolerably sure they got it. For that year 

 over a quarter of the land remaining in the hands of 

 the "nobles'" was turned over to the peasants. To- 

 day a peasant can own his land individually or leave it 

 in the self-governing community, as he pleases. 



The village commune has home rule. A group of 

 these Communes forms a canton, as in Switzerland. It 

 also is self-governing. It has an assembly made 

 up of one man, chosen by the peasants, out of every 

 ten families. In the cantonal court the peasant first 

 comes into touch with the law of the land and in 

 that court sit five peasant judges selected by the 

 peasants themselves. Above that is the district 

 assembly, which is another elective body. Bluntly 

 stated this is democracy of no bad sort. 



No Aristocracy in Russia 



"But the aristocracy/ 1 said the big doctor, whom 

 you met in the beginning of this article, "that ruthless 

 Russian aristocracy!" 



