Meditating in emigration, Russians themselves do not always agree in their definitions of the most characteristic traits of the Russian type. G. Fedotov is probably right when he avers that when a Russian draws a "portrait of a Russian," that portrait is coloured according to the political sympathies of its creator. From the point of view of a Russian liberal, for instance, a Russian is an eternal seeker, an enthusiast giving himself up to everything with bursts of zeal, but often changing his gods*and idols, He is a man completely devoted to his people, his art, his ideas, first and foremost in quest of something for which he can suffer, something for which he can give his life. He is an implac: able enemy of all compromise, al! falsehood—an extremist ili the service of an idea, He is only hazily conscious of the earth and never gets down to earth—a sort of holy visionary splendidly disinterested in all money matters. Of the four elements, the closest to him is fire, the furthest, earth. Yet he would serve earth; visualizing his service, however, in terms of blazes and devouring flames. More distasteful to him tha anything @se is moderation and neatness, the Phari a self-satisfied culture. To creativeness is more important than creation, the quest for truth more important than truth itself, heroic death more important than trious life, Amazed at Interest It is not hard to see, however, that this Is but the self-portrait of the Russian intelligentsia—and only as it was before the Revolution.
Anyone not counting himself part of the intelligent not, at any rate, as of some special order—will be quick to disagree with this portrait and eyen to ridicule it. It must be remembered that long before the Revolution, the epithet "a rootless intelligent" or, only, "an intelligent" was often taken for an insult. In short, it is difficult even for Russians to delineate the Russian type, especially in a few words. Only he who has long lived in Russia, knows Russians, has studied their history, religion, folklore and literature—only he can ' understand them as they would like to be understood. They are very fond of Dostoevsky's exclamation concerning the Russian: "The man's too big! I'd reduce him a bit." They, like probably mary other nationalities, think that they are often misunderstood; but they certainly cannot complain that people the world over, and in S} hai especially, are not interested in them. On the contrary, Russians are amazed at the interest everyone at present seems to be evincing in them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.