Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - I. The evolution of the state and social organisations of Russia
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE STATE ii
ii
instructors after having been qualified as agricultural
experts. Under the Zemstvos and municipal councils they
excel in important administrative work and in the supervision
of hospitals. In family and society they exercise an influence
and occupy a position which is often equal, if not superior,
to that of the men. This is not so much due to feminine
social prerogatives as to their character, will-power, perfect
temperance, and understanding of the practical requirements
of life, in which they often surpass the men.
In the whole Russian literature the steadfast character
of the women forms a predominant feature. Whether it
be Pushkin, Ostrovski, Turgenieff, Tolstoy, Dostoievsky, or
Tchehoff, their women characters, taken from life, are
always prominent. Remember the proud Lisa in comparison
with the characterless Evgeni Onegin, Anna Karenina, and
the heroines of Turgenieff’s novels—they all tell the tale of
the superiority of Russian women’s character.
Broadly speaking, the foundation of contemporary Russia
is the work of Peter the Great, but even his genius must
have failed to create a social structure so lasting and so
capable of further development had not the material at
his command been equal to his great task. Let us
characterise the founder and his material, the Russian nation,
in a few words.
Peter the Great has often been accused of not being
sufficiently national in his reforms. Of course he believed
in Western European methods. He travelled widely, for
the purpose of self-instruction, and also spent some time
in England in order to acquaint himself with English
life and methods. But none the less his personality and
his whole life bear the characteristic features of Russian
individuality. His aims were broad in the extreme, one
might almost say immeasurable ; his principles of action
radical in the highest possible degree. He devoted himself
to the task set before him with passionate self-renunciation,
unreservedly serving his country with all the power at his
command, even to the extent of passing a death sentence
on his only son, who had dared to endanger hi-, life-work
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
