A Herzen Reader

Herzen: "Valuev had already revealed himself in other ways. Maltsov (a plantation owner) put eight peasants in shackles and sent them to Kaluga as insurgents. Gover­nor Artsimovich released them and wanted to conduct an investigation. The plantation owner [. . .] brought this matter all the way to Petersburg, and the new minister took the side of the serf-owner. Јelapromet! (That's very promising!)."

Anton Petrov was executed a week after the events at Bezdna.

Herzen refers to the Cheti Minei, a book of readings including lives of the saints arranged by month and day, information about holy days, and teachings for Orthodox believers.

Iskander is Herzen's most frequent pseudonym.

Herzen: "He received an amazing reward for his services. He was a retired staff- captain, and was awarded the rank of retired captain. For Russian tsars time does not ex­ist—the past is not the past, and it would be wonderful if for them there were no future."

Herzen: "The Kazan students behaved differently; they held a funeral service for their dead brothers and the executed Anton Petrov. Professor Shchapov spoke, a gen­darme denounced him (to each his own), the ministry dismissed him and the police arrested him. As least some of the clean-shaven Russian people will not be considered Germans and serf owners."

♦ 38 +

The Bell, No. i09, October i5, i86i. This issue opens with a message to the Russian ambassador in London, revealing that Herzen and Ogaryov have received anonymous letters which suggest that the Third Department would try to either kidnap or kill them. Herzen warns the ambassador that if any harm comes to them, the Russian government

will be blamed. As regards the closing of the university, Herzen wrote to Turgenev that this was a sign that Alexander II was "going to the devil."

Petersburg University Is Shut Down!

[1861]

.The new administration has taken a sharp turn: students will be admitted to lectures by ticket, and non-students are forbidden to attend lectures, student assemblies are forbidden, they wanted to eliminate the library, and so on. Students gathered in the auditorium despite the fact that the doors were locked, invited the vice-rector Sreznevsky, and expressed their dissatisfaction.¹ On September 24 (October 6) it was announced that the university would be closed until further notice. The next day all the students (up to i,500 people) gathered on Vladimirskaya street in front of Filipson's apartment and demanded that he appear, but suddenly Ignatev showed up with a platoon of guards.² Filipson emerged in full uniform and suggested to the students that they set off for the university, with him following on foot. A large crowd attached itself to them. Filipson, having got­ten tired, rode ahead. When they arrived at the university, mounted gendarmes appeared, along with a fire brigade carrying axes, and the police. The students behaved with complete calm. An officer of the gendarmerie unsheathed his saber, and two gendarmes prepared to plunge into the crowd. Shuvalov and the brotherhood stopped them.³ Student deputies approached them. At this moment Ignatiev showed up, saying: "Everything is ready, the operation may begin." Filipson answered that he knew from the Caucasus how with such means you can cause misfortune but you will not stop the young people. One of the students said: "There is no need for troops, I will be respon­sible for keeping order." Ignatiev insisted that Filipson had no right to negotiate with the students, but the latter took the responsibility on himself and promised that the library would open immediately, and that lectures would begin on October 2/L4, and by that time new rules would be announced. The students promised to remain calm. The orderliness on the part of the students was remarkable, and the crowd showed them sympathy. There were a great number of officers and there was one person they wanted to arrest but they held back. One soldier in the guards unit shoved a student, who said: "Aren't you ashamed—you're armed and you shove someone who is unarmed?".

the soldier blushed. One field officer violently shook a policeman's arm: "Hey you, did you come to do battle?"—"What can I do, your honor, they gave an order!" answered the policeman. One peasant said to another: "The blue caps are rebelling!" and heard in answer: "What should they do when their institution is shut down?" There were al­most no military forces in the capital, and the soldiers were dispersed to their regular duties; they had been summoned by telegraph.

Thus, the university is closed! The government opposes enlightenment and freedom and doesn't know enough to yield in good time. We prophesied its downfall during the second part of this transitional era; it seems we were mistaken—it will happen much earlier.

Notes

Source: "Peterburgskii universitet zakryt!" Kolokol, l. Ю9, October i5, i86i; i5:i64-65,