SPRING THAW DIFFICULTIES 246 



The Government instructor is unable to visit the 

 individual creameries very frequently, so that a given 

 establishment may work for months producing bad 

 butter, where a little intelligence brought to bear 

 upon the matter would have remedied the defects 

 on the spot and prevented serious loss.' Russian 

 theorists of the Tolstoy type would do well to con- 

 sider these matters and turn their talents to better 

 effect by helping to train the people to utilise the 

 wealth at their doors, instead of dreaming their lives 

 away in a fairy -land of impossible Utopias. The 

 Government has done much and will do more, but 

 it needs the practical assistance of the people them- 

 selves, and particularly of those who have had the 

 privilege of attending the magnificent universities 

 and colleges, and who repay that privilege by defying 

 the Government that grants it. 



Our horses being now ready we mounted, and were 

 soon on our way to Lejanova, a distance of 1 3 miles . 

 We were obliged to ride, as the road was hilly and 

 difficult, and our progress, even thus, was slow. We 

 had to wait for horses at the post station and, when 

 at last they were supplied, they were young and 

 frisky, and from Lejanova to Solonofka, a stretch of 

 17 miles, we had a lively and exciting time. The 

 road was swampy, owing to the thaw, and the horse 

 I was riding regularly refused to pass a pool of water, 

 and would rear and dance sideways imtil I dis- 

 mounted and led him roujid it. 



iWe met a number of peasants leaving Solonofka 

 on horseback and, as it was quite an unusual thing 

 to pass any one on the way, we inquired the meaning 

 of the cavalcade. We were informed, that as there 

 is no church at Solonofka, the peasants were going 

 to a neighbouring village to church for the Easter 



' This refers to creameries 400 to 500 miles from the Siberian 

 line. 



