ement; but terrorism must have a contrary effect by
suggesting that political freedom is to be attained, not by the steady
pressure and persevering cooperation of the people, but by startling,
sensational acts of individual heroism.

The efforts of these two revolutionary parties, as well as of minor
groups, to get hold of the industrial proletariat did not escape the
notice of the authorities; and during the labour troubles of 1896, on
the suggestion of M. Witte, the Government had considered the question
as to what should be done to counteract the influence of the agitators.
On that question it had no difficulty in coming to a decision; the
condition of the working classes must be improved. An expert official
was accordingly instructed to write a report on what had already been
done in that direction. In his report it was shown that the Government
had long been thinking about the subject. Not to speak of a still-born
law about a ten-hour day for artisans, dating from the time of Catherine
II., an Imperial commission had been appointed as early as 1859, but
nothing practical came of its deliberations until 1882, when legislative
measures were taken for the protection of women and children in
factories. A little later (1886) other grievances were dealt with and
partly removed by regulating contracts of hire, providing that the money
derived from deductions and fines should not be appropriated by the
employers, and creating a staff of factory inspectors who should take
care that the benevolent intentions of the Government were duly carried
out. Having reviewed all these official efforts in 1896, the Government
passed in the following year a law prohibiting night work and limiting
the working day to eleven and a half hours.

This did not satisfy the workmen. Their wages were still low, and it
was difficult to get them increased because strikes and all forms of
association were still, as they had always been, criminal offences. On
this point the Government remained firm so far as the law was concerned,
but it gradually made practical concessions by allowing the workmen
to combine for certain purposes. In 1898, for example, in Kharkof, the
Engineers' Mutual Aid Society was sanctioned, and gradually it became
customary to allow the workmen to elect delegates for the discussion of
their grievances with the employers and inspectors.

Finding that these concessions did not check the growing influence of
the Social Democratic