. They are Poles. But
through the gateway come incessantly, all day and all night, Russian
troops going to the front. And every soldier or officer as he comes
lifts his hat and passes through the praying throng uncovered. This is
beautiful. Let Russia always be so in the presence of the Mother of
Poland."

It is impossible to read of that scene also, and recall at the same time
past relations of the two Churches here mentioned, without dreaming
dreams and seeing visions of social unity such as has never yet been
known, both for Russia and all other countries to which she has so nobly
and unselfishly given a social lead and invitation to follow on.

Note from p. 27, "M. Bourtzeff."--There was a notice in the
_Times_ of February 4th last as follows: "A Reuter telegram
from Petrograd of yesterday's date states that M. Bourtzeff has
been sentenced to deportation to Siberia." I have never been
able, however, to obtain any confirmation of this from Russian
officials in this country, nor do the Russian Embassy know
anything about it. I hope it will prove that a sentence was
passed _pro forma_, and that the Emperor, as in Miss Malecska's
case, at once remitted the sentence, or that M. Bourtzeff was
merely requested to live in Siberia for the present rather than
in Russia, and I personally should think that no great
hardship. I feel that we must await further particulars before
being able to form correct impressions of this important case.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See end of this chapter, p. 45.

CHAPTER III

THE PEASANTRY

It would be much more satisfactory to one's self to try and write a
_book_ about the peasantry of Russia, rather than attempt to say all
that one wants to say in a single chapter, for there could hardly be any
more interesting and promising people in the world than the peasant folk
of Russia. The future of the empire depends upon the development and
improvement of its agricultural population, as they form three-fourths,
according to the last census of three years ago, of its grand total of
over 171,000,000 souls. Russia thus leads in the white races in the
matter of population, and possesses that splendid asset, which Goldsmith
feels to be vital to a nation's advance and with which nothing else can
compare when lost:--

"Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade;
A breath can make them as a breath has made;
But a bold p