40 



The Review of Reviews. 



July 1, 190S. 



be desired. While a strong patriot, there is nothing 

 provincial about him. and he represents the man 

 who. realising: the necessity for a common bond be- 



tween all people, would be willing to break down 

 all barriers, and pave the way for the day of uni- 

 versal peace. 



LXXXVL- PROFESSOR VASILYEV, DELEGATE FROM DORPAT UNIVERSITY, 

 RUSSIA, TO THE MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS. 



is regarded as a. matter of the greatest importance, 

 and in course of time this difficulty will be overcome. 

 Another great difficulty is that they are ground down 

 by taxation, they have no secure land tenure, and it 

 is' very hard to get them to realise their needs, and 

 to understand what Constitutional Government really 

 means. Nevertheless, of course, we work away, and 

 hope for better things very soon.'' 



" Do you hope to get ihuch from the Duma ?" 



" Yes,'' he said, with a significant shrug, " we hope- 



for verv much, but whether we will get it, well . 



However, it is a first step, at any rate, and it may 

 mean better things for us by-and-bye." 



"Of course," I said, "educated men like yourself 



Professor Vasilyev. 



Professor 'Vasil- 

 vev, of the Dorpat 

 University, Russia, 

 had, after the Mel- 

 bourne University 

 Jubilee, to which he 

 was a delegate, 

 gone over to Tasma- 

 nia for a trip, and 

 when he returned he 

 called at " The Re- 

 view of Reviews " 

 office to see me. 

 Professor Vasilyev 

 is a true Russian 

 type of the intellec- 

 tual order, and it 

 was as if a new 

 breath from another 

 land filled the room 

 when he came in. 

 Bluff and aggres- 

 sive, but refined, he 

 represented a very 

 different type to the 

 quiet refinement of 

 Professor Ishikaua : but each man is delightful. 



" Of course I must ask you what you think of 

 Australia? That is the Australian's usual first 

 question to a visitor." I said. 



" Well," he said. " I am delighted. It has been 

 the dream of my life to visit these shores, and the 

 physical conditions of your country delight me. Of 

 cour.se the social conditions interest me greatly. 

 Your Governmental institutions are to be envied. 

 They are magnificent." 



" Our system of education, I suppose, appeals to 

 you ?" 



" Yes ; it is what it should be — free and compul- 

 sory. If we had that in Russia to-day, we should be 

 very much better off." 

 " What is your system ?" 



"Well, until recently, education in the country 

 parts has been \ety largely in the hands of the 

 priests, who are often uneducated men, but during 

 the past few years municipal schools have been es- 

 tablished under the guidance of educated teachers, 

 but what education there is is neither free nor com- 

 pulsory." 



" That explains. I suppose, to a verN- great extent 

 vour difficulties in the wav of reform?" 



"Yes."' he said, "the ignorance of the peasants is 

 an almost insuperable difficulty, but now education 



appreciate to the full the ideals of internationalisni 

 and fraternity ?" 



"Yes," he said, and here his voice took on the 

 tone of an enthusiast, " I am thoroughly with you 

 with regard to these things. The barriers nations 

 raise between themselves are unnecessary, and there- 

 is no reason whv we should not all live at peace with 

 one another. It grie\^es me very much to see the- 

 way in which British people, for instance, insist that 

 we' have designs on India. We have not. What 

 could we do with India ? We have more land on our 

 hands than we can people, and look after properly, 

 and the idea is a ridiculous one. I will be glad' 

 when ideas like these pass away." 



"Are Australia and New Zealand regarded with 

 much interest in Russia ?" 



"Yes." he said, "and you would be surprised to 

 know how keenly reformers watch the progress of 

 events out here. ' We regard your form of govern- 

 ment and the freedom of your institutions with very 

 great interest, but the conditions of Russia are very 

 different from those of Australia, and what is suiteif, 

 to your needs may not be so suitable for us, at all 

 events, under our present conditions. There are seve- 

 ral excellent works on Australia printed in Russia, 

 familiar text books to students. Needless to say, T 

 shall have an almost unlimited field to work upon 

 with regard to the matter which I have collected, 

 and am collecting, and I shall make good use of it 

 when I arrive in Russia." 



"You are going to New Zealand? You ought to 

 go there, as the most advanced of the Australasian 

 colonies with regard to social and political reform." 



"Yes." he replied. "I am going there, and hope 

 to add very largely to my stock of notes." 



This is only a frapmentan,- idea of an exceedingly 

 interesting hour. One could not help feeling that 

 the spirit which Professor 'Vasilyev brought was one 

 that might be present in every human breast, if only 



