SCENES ON THE ROAD. 14 1 



the long bitter winter by an over-zealous uriadnik, in 

 this case over-zealous for reasons that would not be 

 very difficult to guess. 



One hardly knows what quarter to turn to for the 

 responsibility of the uriadnik. Considered apart from 

 the motive that prompted his creation and distribution 

 among the peasantry, the Russian government cer- 

 tainly committed no heinous crime in organizing a 

 rural constablery, a privilege well within the rights 

 of the most liberal of governments. Considering also 

 the criminal indifference of the moujiks in sanitary 

 matters, one can hardly blame the authorities for 

 ordering summary lessons to be given them in ele- 

 mentary sanitation and the like. Here, however, the 

 tolerable ends ; and despotism begins with the right 

 of domiciliary visit, without warrant or responsibility. 



But the chief responsibility for the evil reputation 

 that attaches itself to their office, rests on the uriadniks 

 themselves. And the underlying explanation is to be 

 found in the lamentable fact that it is quite out of the 

 question to find in Russia a body of men equal to the 

 moral obligations of an honest performance of the 

 uriadnik's duties. Were the entire tribe in possession 

 of the field to be suddenly seized and hanged, and a 

 fresh batch of average subjects of the Czar told off to 

 fill their places, in six months the new gang would be 

 as ripe for the hangman's noose as their predecessors. 



As a general thing, the uriadniks content themselves 

 with accepting small bribes, which are given to them 

 by people by way of propitiation, in order to be 

 allowed to live in peace, and to blackmailing such 

 persons as seem to be reluctant and unmanageable in 



