the moscow census-第15节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


beholds　the　care…free；　luxurious　life；　approved　and　protected　by
everybody；　he　himself　becomes　desirous　of　regulating　his　life　in　such
a　way　as　to　work　as　little　as　possible；　and　to　make　as　much　use　as
possible　of　the　labors　of　others。

And　so　he　betakes　himself　to　the　city；　and　finds　employment　about　the
wealthy；　endeavoring；　by　every　means　in　his　power；　to　entice　from
them　that　which　he　is　in　need　of；　and　conforming　to　all　those
conditions　which　the　wealthy　impose　upon　him；　he　assists　in　the
gratification　of　all　their　whims；　he　serves　the　rich　man　in　the　bath
and　in　the　inn；　and　as　cab…driver　and　prostitute；　and　he　makes　for
him　equipages；　toys；　and　fashions；　and　he　gradually　learns　from　the
rich　man　to　live　in　the　same　manner　as　the　latter；　not　by　labor；　but
by　divers　tricks；　getting　away　from　others　the　wealth　which　they　have
heaped　together；　and　he　becomes　corrupt；　and　goes　to　destruction。
And　this　colony；　demoralized　by　city　wealth；　constitutes　that　city
pauperism　which　I　desired　to　aid　and　could　not。

All　that　is　necessary；　in　fact；　is　for　us　to　reflect　on　the　condition
of　these　inhabitants　of　the　country；　who　have　removed　to　the　city　in
order　to　earn　their　bread　or　their　taxes；when　they　behold；
everywhere　around　them；　thousands　squandered　madly；　and　hundreds　won
by　the　easiest　possible　means；　when　they　themselves　are　forced　by
heavy　toil　to　earn　kopeks；and　we　shall　be　amazed　that　all　these
people　should　remain　working　people；　and　that　they　do　not　all　of　them
take　to　an　easier　method　of　getting　gain；by　trading；　peddling；
acting　as　middlemen；　begging；　vice；　rascality；　and　even　robbery。
Why；　we；　the　participants　in　that　never…ceasing　orgy　which　goes　on　in
town；　can　become　so　accustomed　to　our　life；　that　it　seems　to　us
perfectly　natural　to　dwell　alone　in　five　huge　apartments；　heated　by　a
quantity　of　beech　logs　sufficient　to　cook　the　food　for　and　to　warm
twenty　families；　to　drive　half　a　verst　with　two　trotters　and　two　men…
servants；　to　cover　the　polished　wood　floor　with　rugs；　and　to　spend；　I
will　not　say；　on　a　ball；　five　or　ten　thousand　rubles；　and　twenty…five
thousand　on　a　Christmas…tree。　　But　a　man　who　is　in　need　of　ten　rubles
to　buy　bread　for　his　family；　or　whose　last　sheep　has　been　seized　for
a　tax…debt　of　seven　rubles；　and　who　cannot　raise　those　rubles　by　hard
labor；　cannot　grow　accustomed　to　this。　　We　think　that　all　this
appears　natural　to　poor　people　there　are　even　some　ingenuous　persons
who　say　in　all　seriousness；　that　the　poor　are　very　grateful　to　us　for
supporting　them　by　this　luxury。＇　｛12｝

But　poor　people　are　not　devoid　of　human　understanding　simply　because
they　are　poor；　and　they　judge　precisely　as　we　do。　　As　the　first
thought　that　occurs　to　us　on　hearing　that　such　and　such　a　man　has
gambled　away　or　squandered　ten　or　twenty　thousand　rubles；　is：　　〃What
a　foolish　and　worthless　fellow　he　is　to　uselessly　squander　so　much
money！　and　what　a　good　use　I　could　have　made　of　that　money　in　a
building　which　I　have　long　been　in　need　of；　for　the　improvement　of　my
estate；　and　so　forth！〃just　so　do　the　poor　judge　when　they　behold
the　wealth　which　they　need；　not　for　caprices；　but　for　the
satisfaction　of　their　actual　necessities；　of　which　they　are
frequently　deprived；　flung　madly　away　before　their　eyes。　　We　make　a
very　great　mistake　when　we　think　that　the　poor　can　judge　thus；　reason
thus；　and　look　on　indifferently　at　the　luxury　which　surrounds　them。

They　never　have　acknowledged；　and　they　never　will　acknowledge；　that
it　can　be　just　for　some　people　to　live　always　in　idleness；　and　for
other　people　to　fast　and　toil　incessantly；　but　at　first　they　are
amazed　and　insulted　by　this；　then　they　scrutinize　it　more
attentively；　and；　seeing　that　these　arrangements　are　recognized　as
legitimate；　they　endeavor　to　free　themselves　from　toil；　and　to　take
part　in　the　idleness。　　Some　succeed　in　this；　and　they　become　just
such　carousers　themselves；　others　gradually　prepare　themselves　for
this　state；　others　still　fail；　and　do　not　attain　their　goal；　and；
having　lost　the　habit　of　work；　they　fill　up　the　disorderly　houses　and
the　night…lodging　houses。

Two　years　ago；　we　took　from　the　country　a　peasant　boy　to　wait　on
table。　　For　some　reason；　he　did　not　get　on　well　with　the　footman；　and
he　was　sent　away：　　he　entered　the　service　of　a　merchant；　won　the
favor　of　his　master；　and　now　he　goes　about　with　a　vest　and　a　watch…
chain；　and　dandified　boots。　　In　his　place；　we　took　another　peasant；　a
married　man：　　he　became　a　drunkard；　and　lost　money。　　We　took　a　third：
he　took　to　drunk；　and；　having　drank　up　every　thing　he　had；　he
suffered　for　a　long　while　from　poverty　in　the　night…lodging　house。
An　old　man；　the　cook；　took　to　drink　and　fell　sick。　　Last　year　a
footman　who　had　formerly　been　a　hard　drinker；　but　who　had　refrained
from　liquor　for　five　years　in　the　country；　while　living　in　Moscow
without　his　wife　who　encouraged　him；　took　to　drink　again；　and　ruined
his　whole　life。　　A　young　lad　from　our　village　lives　with　my　brother
as　a　table…servant。　　His　grandfather；　a　blind　old　man；　came　to　me
during　my　sojourn　in　the　country；　and　asked　me　to　remind　this
grandson　that　he　was　to　send　ten　rubies　for　the　taxes；　otherwise　it
would　be　necessary　for　him　to　sell　his　cow。　　〃He　keeps　saying；　I　must
dress　decently；〃　said　the　old　man：　　〃well；　he　has　had　some　shoes
made；　and　that's　all　right；　but　what　does　he　want　to　set　up　a　watch
for？〃　said　the　grandfather；　expressing　in　these　words　the　most
senseless　supposition　that　it　was　possible　to　originate。　　The
supposition　really　was　senseless；　if　we　take　into　consideration　that
the　old　man　throughout　Lent　had　eaten　no　butter；　and　that　he　had　no
split　wood　because　he　could　not　possibly　pay　one　ruble　and　twenty
kopeks　for　it；　but　it　turned　out　that　the　old　man's　senseless　jest
was　an　actual　fact。　　The　young　fellow　came　to　see　me　in　a　fine　black
coat；　and　shoes　for　which　he　had　paid　eight　rubles。　　He　had　recently
borrowed　ten　rubles　from　my　brother；　and　had　spent　them　on　these
shoes。　　And　my　children；　who　have　known　the　lad　from　childhood；　told
me　that　he　really　considers　it　indispensable　to　fit　himself　out　with
a　watch。　　He　is　a　very　good　boy；　but　he　thinks　that　people　will　laugh
at　him　so　long　as　he　has　no　watch；　and　a　watch　is　necessary。　　During
the　present　year；　a　chambermaid；　a　girl　of　eighteen；　entered　into　a
connection　with　the　coachman　in　our　house。　　She　was　discharged。　　An
old　woman；　the　nurse；　with　whom　I　spoke　in　regard　to　the　unfortunate
girl；　reminded　me　of　a　girl　whom　I　had　forgotten。　　She　too；　ten　yeans
ago；　during　a　brief　stay　of　ours　in　Moscow；　had　become　connected　with
a　footman。　　She　too　had　been　discharged；　and　she　had　ended　in　a
disorderly　house；　and　had　died　in　the　hospital　before　reaching　the
age　of　twenty。　　It　is　only　necessary　to　glance　about　one；　to　be
struck　with　terror　at　the　pest　which　we　disseminate　directly　by　our
luxurious　life　among　the　people　whom　we　afterwards　wish　to　help；　not
to　mention　the　factories　and　establishments　which　serve　our　luxurious
tastes。

＇And　thus；　having　penetrated　into　the　peculiar　character　of　city
poverty；　which　I　was　unable　to　remedy；　I　perceived　that　its　prime
cause　is　this；　that　I　take　absolute　necessaries　from　the　dwellers　in
the　country；　and　carry　them　all　to　the　city。　　The　second　cause　is
this；　that　by　making　use　here；　in　the　city；　of　what　I　have　collected
in　the　country；　I　tempt　and　lead　astray；　by　my　senseless　luxury；
those　country　people　who　come　hither　because　of　me；　in　order　in　some
way　to　get　back　what　they　have　been　deprived　of　in　the　country。＇　｛13｝



CHAPTER　XIV。



I　reached　the　same　conclusion　from　a　totally　different　point。　　On
recalling　all　my　relations　with　the　city　poor　during　that　time；　I　saw
that　one　of　the　reasons　why　I　could　not　help　the　city　poor　was；　that
the　poor　were　disingenuous　and　untruthful　with　me。　　They　all　looked
upon　me；　not　as　a　man；　but　as　means。　　I　could　not　get　near　them；　and
I　thought　that　perhaps　I　did　not　understand　how　to　do　it；　but　without
uprightness；　no　help　was　possible。　　How　can　one　help　a　man　who　does
not　disclose　his　whole　condition？　　At　first　I　blamed　them　for　this
（it　is　so　natural　to　blame　some　one　else）；　but　a　remark　from　an
observing　man　named　Siutaeff；　who　was　visiting　me　at　the　time；
explained　this　matter　to　me；　and　showed　me　where　the　cause　of　my　want
of　success　lay。　　I　remember　that　Siutaeff's　remark　struck　me　very
forcibly　at　the　time；　but　I　only　understood　its　full　significance
later　on。　　It　was　at　the　height　of　my　self…delusion。　　I　was　sitting
with　my　sister；　and　Siutaeff　was　there　also　at　her　house；　and　my
sister　was　questioning　me　about　my　undertaking。　　I　told　her　about　it；
and；　as　always　happens　when　you　have　no　faith　in　your　course；　I
talked　to　her　with　great　enthusiasm　and　warmth；　and　at　great　length；
of　what　I　had　done；　and　of　what　might　possibly　come　of　it。　　I　told
her　every　thing；how　we　were　going　to　keep　track　of　pauperism　in
Moscow；　how　we　were　going　to　keep　an　eye　on　the　orphans　and　old
people；　how　we　were　going　to　send　away　all　country　people　who　had
grown　poor　here；　how　we　were　going　to　smooth　the　pathway　to　reform
for　the　depraved；　how；　if　only　the　matter　could　be　managed；　there