Russia

CHAPTER VI

A PEASANT FAMILY OF THE OLD TYPE

Ivan Petroff—His Past Life—Co-operative Associations—Constitution of

a Peasant's Household—Predominance of Economic Conceptions over those

of Blood-relationship—Peasant Marriages—Advantages of Living in Large

Families—Its Defects—Family Disruptions and their Consequences.

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VII

THE PEASANTRY OF THE NORTH

Communal Land—System of Agriculture—Parish Fetes—Fasting—Winter

Occupations—Yearly Migrations—Domestic Industries—Influence

of Capital and Wholesale Enterprise—The State

Peasants—Serf-dues—Buckle's "History of Civilisation"—A precocious

Yamstchik—"People Who Play Pranks"—A Midnight Alarm—The Far North.

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER VIII

THE MIR, OR VILLAGE COMMUNITY

Social and Political Importance of the Mir—The Mir and the Family

Compared—Theory of the Communal System—Practical Deviations from the

Theory—The Mir a Good Specimen of Constitutional Government of the

Extreme Democratic Type—The Village Assembly—Female Members—The

Elections—Distribution of the Communal Land.

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER IX

HOW THE COMMUNE HAS BEEN PRESERVED, AND WHAT IT IS TO EFFECT IN THE

FUTURE

Sweeping Reforms after the Crimean War—Protest Against the Laissez

Faire Principle—Fear of the Proletariat—English and Russian Methods of

Legislation Contrasted—Sanguine Expectations—Evil Consequences of

the Communal System—The Commune of the Future—Proletariat of the

Towns—The Present State of Things Merely Temporary.

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER X

FINNISH AND TARTAR VILLAGES

A Finnish Tribe—Finnish Villages—Various Stages of

Russification—Finnish Women—Finnish Religions—Method of "Laying"

Ghosts—Curious Mixture of Christianity and Paganism—Conversion of

the Finns—A Tartar Village—A Russian Peasant's Conception of

Mahometanism—A Mahometan's View of Christianity—Propaganda—The

Russian Colonist—Migrations of Peoples During the Dark Ages.

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XI

LORD NOVGOROD THE GREAT

Departure from Ivanofka and Arrival at Novgorod—The Eastern Half of

the Town—The Kremlin—An Old Legend—The Armed Men of Rus—The

Northmen—Popular Liberty in Novgorod—The Prince and the Popular

Assembly—Civil Dissensions and Faction-fights—The Commercial Republic

Conquered by the Muscovite Tsars—Ivan the Terrible—Present Condition

of the Town—Provincial Society—Card-playing—Periodicals—"Eternal

Stillness."

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XII

THE TOWNS AND THE MERCANTILE CLASSES

General Character of Russian Towns—Scarcity of Towns in Russia—Why

the Urban Element in the Population is so Small—History of