41G 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



of the revolutionary cause, while ■ the latter aims 

 at exciting an individual or group to direct revo- 

 lutionary activity. In time of peace " pure agi- 

 tation " is to be carried on by means of organized 

 bands, the purpose of which is to frighten the 

 government and the privileged classes ; to draw 

 away the attention of the government from other 

 forms of revolutionary activity ; to raise the spirit 

 of the people, and thereby render it more fit to 

 accept revolutionary ideas ; to obtain pecuniary 

 means for the activity of the society, and to lib- 

 erate those Avho have been imprisoned. The ten- 

 dency of the bands should always be " purely 

 socialistieo-revolutionary " — whatever that may 

 mean. In time of revolution the members should 

 give to all movements every assistance in their 

 power, and impress upon them " a socialistieo- 

 revolutionary character." The central adminis- 

 tration and the local branches should form con- 

 nections with publishers, and take steps to secure 

 a regular supply of prohibited books from abroad. 

 Such are a few characteristic extracts from a 

 document that might fairly be called a treatise on 

 revolutionology. 



As a specimen of the revolutionary pamphlets 

 above mentioned, I may give here a brief account 

 of one which is well known to the political police, 

 and figures largely at all the political trials. It 

 is entitled " Khitraya Mekhanika " (cunning ma- 

 chinery), and gives a graphic picture of the ideas 

 and method of the propaganda. The mhe en 

 scene is extremely simple. Two peasants, Stepan 

 and Andrei, meet in a gin-shop, and begin to 

 drink together. Stepan is described as good 

 and kindly when he has to do with men of his 

 own class, but very sharp-tongued when speaking 

 with a foreman or director. Always ready with 

 an answer, he can on occasion even silence an of- 

 ficial, lie has traveled all over the country, has 

 associated with all manner of people, sees every- 

 thing most clearly, and is, in short, a very re- 

 markable man. One of his best qualities is that 

 he is always ready to enlighten others, and he 

 soon finds an opportunity of displaying his pow- 

 ers. "When Andrei, a peasant of the ordinary 

 type, proposes that they should drink another 

 glass of vodka, he replies that the czar, together 

 with the nobles and traders, bars the way to his 

 throat. As his companion does not comprehend 

 this metaphorical language, he explains that, if 

 there were no czars, nobles, or traders, he could 

 get five glasses of vodka for the sum which he 

 now pays for one glass. This naturally suggests 

 wider topics, and Stepan gives something very 

 like a lecture. The common people, he explains, 



pay by far the greater part of the taxation, and at 

 the same time do all the work : they plough the 

 fields, build the houses and churches, work in 

 the mills and factories, and in return for all this 

 they are systematically robbed and beaten. And 

 what is done with all the money that is taken 

 from them ? First of all, the czar gets nine 

 million rubles — enough to feed half a province — 

 and with that sum he amuses himself, has hunt- 

 ing-parties and feasts, eats, drinks, makes merry, 

 and lives in stone houses. He gave liberty, it is 

 true, to the peasant, but we know what the eman- 

 cipation really was. The best land was taken 

 away and the taxes were increased, lest the muzhik 

 should get fat and lazy. The czar is himself the 

 richest landed proprietor and manufacturer in 

 the country. He not only robs us as much as he 

 pleases, but he has sold into slavery (by forming 

 a national debt) our children and grandchildren. 

 He takes our sons as soldiers, shuts them up in 

 barracks, so that they should not see their broth- 

 er-peasants, and hardens their hearts, so that 

 they become wild beasts ready to tear their own 

 parents. The nobles and traders likewise rob 

 the poor peasant. In short, all the upper classes 

 have invented a cunning bit of machinery by 

 which the peasant is made to pay for all their 

 pleasures and luxuries. But the people will ODe 

 clay arise and break this machinery to pieces. 

 When that day arrives, they must break every 

 part of it, for if one bit escapes destruction all 

 the other parts will immediately grow up again. 

 All the force is on the side of the peasants, if 

 they only knew how to use it. Knowledge they 

 will get in time. They will then destroy the ma- 

 chine, and perceive that the only real remedy for 

 all social evils is fraternity. People should live 

 like brothers, having no mine and thine, but all 

 things in common. When we have created fra- 

 ternity, there will be no riches and no thieves, 

 but right and righteousness without end. In 

 conclusion, Stepan addresses a word to " the 

 torturers : " " When the people shall rise, the 

 czar will send troops against us, and the nobles 

 and capitalists will stake their last ruble on the 

 result. If they do not succeed, let them expect 

 no quarter from us. They may conquer us once 

 or twice, but we shall at last get our own, for 

 there is no power that can withstand the whole 

 people. Then we shall cleanse the country of 

 our persecutors, and establish a brotherhood in 

 which there shall be no mine and thine, but all 

 will work for the common weal. We will con- 

 struct no cunning machinery, but will pluck up 

 evil by the roots and establish eternal justice." 



