RmvUvi of Reviews, l/lHIOe. 



Character Sketch, 



56s 



It is necessary that some vigorous action should be 

 taken, and taken at once. I regard the establish- 

 ment of universal compulsory free elementary edu- 

 cation as one of the first duties that must be under- 

 taken by the Government. Every child born in 

 Russia ought to be secured a right to a free elemen- 

 tary education.' 



" Splendid !" I exclaimed. " But where is the 

 money to come from ? Think of the millions that 

 will be wanted to build schools all over the Empire ! 

 May I make a suggestion ? Why not suspend the 

 building of a new fleet for ten years, and devote the 

 whole sum at present spent on the Navy to the 

 building of new schools throughout Russia?" 



General Trepoff listened as this was being trans- 

 lated to him, and then replied curtly : '■ Russia is 

 rich enough to rebuild her navy and build all the 

 schools she requires." 



" I am glad to hear it, " I replied : " but I think, 

 however rich Russia mav be, it will be difficult to do 

 both." 



" With regard to secondary education,'' said Gene- 

 ral Trepoff, ■■ I regard that as a matter with which 

 the Government need not concern itself. Those who 

 wish for it are rich enough to pay for it. As they 

 pay for it they may fairly be allowed to arrange it 

 according to their own ideas. We cannot, unfortu- 

 nately, take a similar course with regard to the Uni- 

 versities. They are for the most part State institu- 

 tions, and the State must control what the State 

 supports. There is, however, one change which I 

 think might be made with advantage. At present 

 every candidate for the service of the State must 

 have a diploma showing that he has graduated in 

 one of our Universities. I would abolish that. I 

 would throw the public career open to all capable 

 persons, no matter where they were educated. The 

 State, of course, would fix its own tests of capacity, 

 which every candidate must pass. But it need onlv 

 concern itself with results. It has no need to pre- 

 scribe the methods necessary to secure these results. 

 If a candidate passed his examination I would not 

 ask where he studied. He might have taught him- 

 self, have had a private tutor, or have taken his 

 courses at a foreign University. What we want is 

 all the talents we can command. I am against the 

 present monopoly. I would encourage free trade in 

 brains." 



WHAT ABOfT MILYUKOFF? 



By this time, what with the time required for 

 translation back and forth, and with extraneous di- 

 gressions, an hour had nearly passed. I ventured to 

 ask about Professor Milyukoff, about whom I had 

 made urgent representations in other quarters. Gene- 

 ral Trepoff said that he had a-sked for a report as 

 to how the preliminary inquiries had proceeded, and 

 whether or not it was possible to deal with the case 

 at once. He hoped to have the report to-morrow. 



" We have not yet touched upon the political side 

 of the crisis, which is of very great importance. If 

 I have not wearied you, perhaps you could come to- 

 morrow, when I will give you my views on that side 

 of the question also." 



Of course I was only too delighted to have an- 

 other interview, and we parted. Next day we were 

 back again punctual to time, and General Trepoff 

 resumed his discourse as to the remedies required 

 for the body politic. 



'■ Pray assure General Trepoff," I said to my inter- 

 preter, " with what delight and surprise I heard what 

 he had to say yesterday. I had been told that I 

 would (find a mere police master, and, lo ! I came 

 upon a broad-minded statesman." 



General Trepoff bowed, and we at once plunged 

 into the political question by a question as to whe- 

 ther he had decided to permit or to prohibit the ap- 

 proaching Congress of the Zemstvoists which was 

 to meet at Moscow the following Monday. It will 

 appear almost incredible to those who do not know 

 the happy-go-lucky methods of Russian administra- 

 tion that General Trepoff said he had not made up 

 his mind on the subject. He was waiting for a re- 

 port from Moscow. Yet at that time delegates were 

 already starting for the Congress. 



(4) THE DUMA AND THE AUTOOEACT. 



I asked him his opinion about the Duma. " I am 

 in favour of the Duma," he replied. 



•• Mav I ask," I said, " whether it is true tliat when 

 the subject was being discussed before the Emperor 

 in the Council of the Empire, you said that the 

 Duma would undoubtedly limit the autocracy of the 

 Tsar, but that it was .necessary to do it?" 



'■ That is not exactly how it occurred," he replied. 

 " The Emperor, who presided over the sittings of 

 the Council of the Empire, asked each of us in turn, 

 ' Will the establishment of the Duma limit my 

 autocratic power ?' It was a searching question, and 

 many of the Councillors evaded it more or less 

 adroitlv or absented themselves. I am a plain, 

 blunt man, who speaks what he thinks. So, when 

 I was asked, I replied : ' It seems to me indisputable 

 that the institution of the Duma will, to a certain 

 extent, curtail the autocratic power of your Majesty, 

 but I think it will be easier to govern Russia if that 

 is done.' " 



We then discussed the famous four legs upon 

 which the Duma was to stand: — (i) Liberty of As- 

 sociation, (2) Liberty of Meeting, {■^) Liberty of 

 the Press, and (4) Habeas Corpus. General Tre- 

 poff expressed himself in favour of the first three 

 legs, but he boggled over the fourth. 



" During the electoral period," he said, " the lar- 

 gest possible liberty will be allowed for association 

 and public meetings. The law guaranteeing the 

 libertv of the Press has been prepared, and will short- 

 ly be issued." 



