472 



EUSSIA IN EUROPE. 



science is also shown by tlie fact that serious historical, ethnological, and other 

 scientific works are comparatively more read than light literature. The number 

 of newspapers is still inferior to that of the Western states, and none of them enjoy 

 the enormous circulation of, certain popular papers in England, France, and 

 America ; but the solid reviews containing original articles of real value are eagerly 

 read by thousands of subscribers. And while making comparatively little use of 

 her po'stal and telegraphic systems, Eussia actually publishes more works than 

 either Great Britain or Austria-Hungary.* Except in Eoman Cathclic Warsaw 

 few of these works are devoted to theology. 



Government and Administration. 



Russia is the only European state in which the sovereign is absolute master. 

 In the legal formula the " Emperor of all the Russias" is an autocratic ruler, to 



Fi"-. 2Ô4. — House of the Eomaxovs near Kostkoma. 



whom, according to the divine ordinance itself, all owe fealty, " not through fear 

 alone, but also for conscience' sake." This theory of absolute autocratic power has 

 been gradually developed. As in France the royal authority ended by prevailing 

 over that of the vassal states and the great nobles, so in Muscovy autocracy 

 replaced the old institutions of the communes and " free orders," and assumed a 



Telegrams. 

 * United Kingdom (1876) . 21,820,023 

 Germany „ 13,456,728 



France " „ 11,412,161 



Russia ., 4,275,000 



Publications :— France (1875), 14,195; Germany (1878), 13,912; Russia (1877), 7,500; England, 

 (1877), 5,095; Austria (1876), 1,902. 



