BROOKLYN MEN'S OWN

Evening Post, Volume xciv, Issue 73, 24 September 1917, Page 2

BROOKLYN MEN'S OWN

"Russia in Travail" was th«'.6ubjecß of an interesting address given at the monthly meeting held in the Brooklyn Baptist Church yesterday afternoon. Out of the vast population of 171 millions in Russia, said the speaker, 87: per cent, -were engaged .in the country,while there was only 22 per cent, in the 1 country in England. It was to the peasantry that we had to look far a proper " understanding of the Russian .situation, as the destiny of the nation was in their hands. 'Hie recent newspaper reports gave very little light on the situation, as they threw into prominence the criminal and morbid aspects of the political situation. The Intellectuals and the Social Democracies were a small proportion—about two or three millions— but they were the ruling class, and had abused the liberties granted by Ssar Nicholas the Second after the revolution of 1305. They were mostly atheistic in their views, and modern writers, such as H. G. Wells and Stephen Graham, declared that Russia was the most religious nation in the world. The present revolution arose through the incompetence of the Duma, which was composed of academical politicians, com-' pletely out of touch with the peasantry. The tragedy of to-day was a repetition of the revolution of 1905, and represented democracy in travail, the country's leaders being unable to bring forth to life the people's ideals, to make their vision a rea-lity. Before Russia could become an ordered and progressive country the peasantry must be educated.. At. present 90 per cent-, were illiterate,, but the war and the revolution were malting. i drastic changes for the enlightenment of the people.' Until the democracy were imbued with moral and spiritual ideals they were not, capable of self-govern-ment in Russia any more than in any other country,