A Herzen Reader

But, on the other hand, we know that the path Russia is traveling can be twisted, covered with dirt, and sprinkled with broken glass; from a radiant, regular procession it can become a wearying march and continuous fight, in which the government—materially much stronger—would destroy a lot of people and create a lot of unhappiness without any need and without any purpose. That is why these reactionary moves, this return to a time which we need to forget, these shifts in the direction of the past do not plunge us into despair, but they do make us tremble with anger and vexation. That is why we are entering the new decade in a thoughtful mood and, as we cross the final boundary with the past, we are stopping once more to say to the sovereign:

Sovereign, awaken, the new year has rung in a new decade, which, per­haps, will carry your name. However, you really cannot use one and the same hand to brightly and joyously sign your name into history as the emancipator of the serfs and, at the same time, sign absurd injunctions against free speech and against young people. You are being deceived and you are deceiving yourself—it is Yuletide and everyone is in costume. Or­der them to take their masks off and take a good look at the ones who are friends of Russia and those who love only their own private advantage. It is doubly important for you that the friends of Russia can still be yours. Order them to take their masks off quickly. You will be surprised—this masquer­ade that surrounds you is not like the one that was organized two years ago for the grand dukes in the military academy. There, children pretended to be wolves and wild boars, while here, wild boars and wolves pretend to be senior officials and fathers of the fatherland!

Notes

Source: "i860 god," Kolokol, l. 60, January 1, i860; 14:214-25, 526-30.

Along with his service on the Editorial Commission, Nikolay A Milyutin (1818­1872) was minister of the interior from 1859 to 1861 and state secretary for Polish Af­fairs from 1863 to 1866.

After the death of Nicholas I in 1855.

The Nazimov Rescript was issued in August 1857 and published in November of that year.

The dying words of Emperor Julian the Apostate, who had fought the rise of Chris­tianity. Herzen had used this phrase at the beginning and end of his article "After Three Years," which appeared in the ninth issue of The Bell on Feb. i5, i858.

From "A Letter to Emperor Alexander the Second," which appeared in The Polestar in i855 (Doc. 5).

On September 4, 1859, in a speech to deputies from the provincial committees, the tsar stated that he had always and would always proudly consider himself the country's "first nobleman" (pervyi dvorianin).

Prince Mikhail D. Gorchakov (1793-1861) was governor-general of the Kingdom of Poland from 1856 to 1861, not to be confused with the better-known Prince Alexander M. Gorchakov, minister of foreign affairs.

Zakrevsky was relieved of his duties April 15, 1859, after granting written permis­sion for his daughter, Countess Nesselrode, to enter into a second marriage without having ended the first one, and having threatened a priest with exile to Siberia if he did not perform the ceremony as ordered. Pavel A. Tuchkov (1803-1864) succeeded him as governor-general of Moscow from 1859 to 1864.

Prince Vasily A. Dolgorukov (1804-1868) was chief of gendarmes and head of the Third Department from 1856 to 1866.

The Baltic German Ernst Biron (1690-1772) was a favorite of the Empress Anna Ioannovna and regent in 1740; Count Andrey Osterman (1686-1747), born in Westpha­lia, entered Russian service in 1704 and occupied senior government posts until 1741; Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765), of humble birth, was a gifted scientist, writer, and the founder of Moscow University.

Poet Alexey V. Koltsov (see Doc. 1).

Faustin Soulouque (c. 1782-1876) fought in Haiti's war for independence and served as the country's president and emperor. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky are charac­ters in Gogol's play The Inspector General.

Ivan S. Barkov (1731-1768) was a poet, translator, and author of pornographic verse.

Under Paul I, a Wachtparade took place daily in the tsar's presence; under Alexan­der II, it was staged every Sunday.

Not of gentry birth.

♦ 26 +

The Bell, Nos. 68-69, April i5, i860. This is one of the periodic attacks on Panin in Herzen's satirical style.

Count Viktor Panin's Speech to the Deputies [i860]

Gentlemen,