The Academy Volume 30 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 Excerpt: ...have appeared in English, the present work, though highly interesting, is more speculative in its character, and must be read with considerable caution. For instance, the contention that the tendency of modern civili-sation is towards socialism, and that all legis-lation of the present day is calculated to destroy individualism, may be true, but savours rather of a German philosopher's smoke-laden study than of the practical common-sense for which we had previously given Stepniak credit. Nor can we agree with Stepniak when he eays that the Nihilists are not anarchists and atheists. Of course it is per-fectly true that there are members of the revolutionary party in Russia who are neither the one nor the other, and it is also perfectly right to state that the avowed aims of this party, as expressed recently, could be con-scientiously subscribed to by the staunchest English Conservative; but this is not sufficient. The history of Nihilism must be born in mind, nor should it be forgotten that the acknow-ledged objects of the Russian revolutionary party at present are, like those of the Irish party, but the thin end of the wedge. They have moderated their demands so as to obtain the sympathies of the Liberals, but they have not really changed their philosophical attitude. That attitude is too well known to necessitate a description here. "We have all heard of Tchcrnishevsky, and we all know the peculiar views.which the average Russian Nihilist holds with regard to family life, the eman-cipation of woman, and the abolition of private property. That he is any the less worthy of our respect and sympathy is quite another question. In existing circumstances we could scarcely expect him to be other than what he is. He has been educated and brought up under artif...