social inequality, plutocracy, and pauperism, is the
favourite bugbear of Russian theorists; and who is not a
theorist in Russia? The fact indicates the prevalence of
Socialist ideas in the educated classes.

Happily there is, according to these theorists, a more excellent way,
and Russia can adopt it if she only remains true to certain mysterious
principles of her past historic development. Without attempting to
expound those mysterious principles, to which I have repeatedly referred
in previous chapters, I may mention briefly that the traditional
patriarchal institutions on which the theorists found their hopes of a
happy social future for their country are the rural Commune, the native
home-industries, and the peculiar co-operative institutions called
Artels. How these remnants of a semi-patriarchal state of society are to
be practically developed in such a way as to withstand the competition
of manufacturing industry organised on modern "capitalist" lines, no
one has hitherto been able to explain satisfactorily, but many people
indulge in ingenious speculations on the subject, like children planning
the means of diverting with their little toy spades a formidable
inundation. In my humble opinion, the whole theory is a delusion; but
it is held firmly--I might almost say fanatically--by those who, in
opposition to the indiscriminate admirers of West-European and American
civilisation, consider themselves genuine Russians and exceptionally
good patriots. M. Witte has never belonged to that class. He believes
that there is only one road to national prosperity--the road by which
Western Europe has travelled--and along this road he tried to drive his
country as rapidly as possible. He threw himself, therefore, heart and
soul into what his opponents call "Capitalism," by raising State loans,
organising banks and other credit institutions, encouraging the creation
and extension of big factories, which must inevitably destroy the home
industry, and even--horribile dictu!--undermining the rural Commune,
and thereby adding to the ranks of the landless proletariat, in order to
increase the amount of cheap labour for the benefit of the capitalists.

With the arguments thus supplied by Agrarians and doctrinaires, quite
honest and well-meaning, according to their lights, it was easy to sap
M. Witte's position. Among his opponents, the most formidable was the
late M. Plehve, Minister of Interior--a man of a totally