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Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White  Volume II







by Andrew Dickson White











VOLUME II

















 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ANDREW DICKSON WHITE







Volume II











CHAPTER XXXIII







AS MINISTER TO RUSSIA1892…1894







During four years after my return from service as minister to



Germany I devoted myself to the duties of the presidency at



Cornell; and on resigning that position gave all time possible to



study and travel; with reference to the book on which I was then



engaged: 〃A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology。〃







But in 1892 came a surprise。 In the reminiscences of my political



life I have given an account of a visit; with Theodore Roosevelt;



Cabot Lodge; Sherman Rogers; and others; to President Harrison at



the White House; and of some very plain talk; on both sides;



relating to what we thought shortcomings of the administration in



regard to reform in the civil service。 Although President



Harrison greatly impressed me at the time by the clearness and



strength of his utterances; my last expectation in the world



would have been of anything in the nature of an appointment from



him。 High officials do not generally think very well of people



who comment unfavorably on their doings or give them unpleasant



advice; this I had done; to the best of my ability; in addressing



the President; and great; therefore; was my astonishment when; in



1892; he tendered me the post of minister plenipotentiary at St。



Petersburg。







On my way I stopped in London; and saw various interesting



people; but especially remember a luncheon with Lord Rothschild;



with whom I had a very interesting talk about the treatment of



the Jews in Russia。 He seemed to feel deeply the persecution to



which they were subjected;speaking with much force regarding



it; and insisting that their main crime was that they were sober;



thoughtful; and thrifty; that as to the charge that they were



preying upon the agricultural population; they preyed upon it as



do the Quakers in Englandby owning agricultural machines and



letting them out; that as to the charge of usury; they were much



less exacting than many Christians; and that the main effort upon



public opinion there; such as it is; should be in the direction



of preventing the making of more severe laws。 He incidentally



referred to the money power of Europe as against Russia; speaking



of Alexander II as kind and just; but of Alexander III as really



unacquainted with the great questions concerned; and under



control of the church。







I confess that I am amazed; as I revise this chapter; to learn



from apparently trustworthy sources that his bank is now making a



vast loan to Russiato enable her to renew her old treatment of



Japan; China; Armenia; Finland; Poland; the Baltic Provinces; and



her Jewish residents。 I can think of nothing so sure to



strengthen the anti…Semites throughout the world。







A few days later Sir Julian Goldschmidt came to me on the same



subject; and he impressed me much more deeply than the head of



the house of Rothschild had done。 There was nothing of the



ennobled millionaire about him; he seemed to me a gentleman from



the heart outward。 Presenting with much feeling the disabilities



and hardships of the Jews in Russia; he dwelt upon the



discriminations against them; especially in the matter of



military fines; their gradual and final exclusion from



professions; and the confiscation of their property at Moscow;



where they had been forced to leave the city and therefore to



realize on their whole estates at a few days' notice。







At Paris I also had some interesting conversations; regarding my



new post; with the Vicomte de Vogue; the eminent academician; who



has written so much that is interesting on Russia。 Both he and



Struve; the Russian minister at Washington; who had given me a



letter to him; had married into the Annenkoff family; and I found



his knowledge of Russia; owing to this fact as well as to his



former diplomatic residence there; very suggestive。 Another



interesting episode was the funeral of Renan at the College de



France; to which our minister; Mr。 Coolidge; took me。 Eloquent



tributes were paid; and the whole ceremony was impressive after



the French manner。







Dining with Mr。 Coolidge; I found myself seated near the Duchesse



de la Rochefoucauld;a charming American; the daughter of Mr。



Mitchell; former senator from Oregon。 The duke seemed to be a



quiet; manly young officer; devoted to his duties in the army;



but it was hard to realize in him the successor of the great



duke; the friend of Washington and of Louis XVI; who showed



himself so broad…minded during our War of Independence and the



French Revolution。







At Berlin I met several of my old friends at the table of our



minister; my friend of Yale days; William Walter Phelpsamong



these Virchow; Professor von Leyden; Paul Meyerheim; Carl Becker;



and Theodor Barth; and at the Russian Embassy had an interesting



talk with Count Shuvaloff; more especially on the Behring Sea



question。 We agreed that the interests of the United States and



Russia in the matter were identical。







On the 4th of November I arrived in St。 Petersburg after an



absence of thirty…seven years。 Even in that country; where



everything moves so slowly; there had clearly been changes; the



most evident of these being the railway from the frontier。 At my



former visit the journey from Berlin had required nine days and



nine nights of steady travel; mainly in a narrow post…coach; now



it was easily done in one day and two nights in very comfortable



cars。 At that first visit the entire railway system of Russia;



with the exception of the road from the capital to Gatshina only



a few miles long; consisted of the line to Moscow; at this second



visit the system had spread very largely over the empire; and was



rapidly extending through Siberia and Northern China to the



Pacific。







But the deadening influence of the whole Russian system was



evident。 Persons who clamor for governmental control of American



railways should visit Germany; and above all Russia; to see how



such control results。 In Germany its defects are evident enough;



people are made to travel in carriages which our main lines would



not think of using; and with a lack of conveniences which with us



would provoke a revolt; but the most amazing thing about this



administration in Russia is to see how; after all this vast



expenditure; the whole atmosphere of the country seems to



paralyze energy。 During my stay at St。 Petersburg I traveled over



the line between that city and Berlin six or eight times; and



though there was usually but one express…train a day; I never saw



more than twenty or thirty through passengers。 When one bears in



mind the fact that this road is the main artery connecting one



hundred and twenty millions of people at one end with over two



hundred millions at the other; this seems amazing; but still more



so when one considers that in。 the United States; with a



population of; say; eighty millions in all; we have five great



trunk…lines across the continent; each running large



express…trains several times a day。







There was apparently little change as regards enterprise in



Russia; whatever there might be as regarded facilities for



travel。 St。 Petersburg had grown; of course。 There were new



streets in the suburbs; and where the old admiralty wharves had



stood;for the space of perhaps an eighth of a mile along the



Neva;fine buildings had been erected。 But these were the only



evident changes; the renowned Nevskii Prospekt remaining as



formerlya long line of stuccoed houses on either side; almost



all poor in architecture; and the street itself the same unkempt;



shabby; commonplace thoroughfare as of old。 No new bridge had



been built across the Neva for forty years。 There was still but



one permanent structure spanning the river; and the great stream



of travel and traffic between the two parts of the city was



dependent mainly on the bridges of boats; which; at the breaking



of the ice in the spring; had sometimes to be withdrawn during



many days。







A change had indeed been brought by the emancipation of the



serfs; but there was little outward sign of it。 The muzhik



remained; to all appearance; what he was before: in fact; as our



train drew into St。 Pet
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