The countries of the Letts (Latvia), the Lithuanians, and the Esthonians are three small, new countries. They were under the oppressive rule of Russia until their indepen dence was restored by the conference at the end of the World War.
Poland and the new Baltic States are chiefly agricultural (Sec. 462); but they have not grown such good crops as the Germans have, because their farmers have not had education or government aid, as have the German farmers (Sec. 443).
473. The government of Russia.—The Russian people have had less opportunity than the Poles. For several hundred years Russia has been ruled by emperors, or czars, as they were called, and by a few of the czar's friends. This small group of rulers cared little about the welfare of the people. They stole most of the tax money, and squandered it in Petrograd and in foreign lands. They thought they could have their own way more easily if the people were ignorant. For this reason there were few schools, and about nine-tenths of the Russian people cannot read or write.
During the World War the Russians drove out the Czar, and there was much fighting among the Russians themselves to see who should rule. During this time Russia had little trade and the people suffered much. Many of them starved or died of sickness.
Before the World War many of the peasants rented their farms from rich land lords who took too much rent. One of the results of the Russian revolution was to give land to the peasants who before had worked it, but had not owned it.
If we compare Denmark with Russia, we can see what a good thing it is for a country to have a good government and what a bad thing it is for a country to have a bad govern ment. The Danish village is well governed. It is neat and tidy, with good schools and educated people who live in clean, painted houses. The Russian village is poorly governed and often has no school. Many of the houses have dirt floors and straw roofs; most of them are unpainted, and often they are not clean. The roads are fearful mud holes, and the crops do not yield half as much per acre as crops do in Denmark, because the people have not been taught agriculture as have the Danish people. The contrast between these two countries makes it clear that everyone should do his share to help make the government honest and helpful.
474. The Russian people.—The Russians are much better than their governments have been. They are big, strong people. Ameri cans who have had charge of work in Russia say they are stronger and can do more work than can Americans. The village may have houses with dirt floors and straw roofs, but the people are polite, friendly, and musical. In America we have music as an accomplish ment; but the Russian has music and danc ing as ways of expressing his feelings, just as we smile or frown or laugh or cry. " How can we work if we do not sing?" said the boatmen on the Volga when asked why they sag as they worked. In traveling through Russia you may see the people of a peasant village out at almost any time of day, dancing on the board floor of a bridge or on a smooth place in the road. From the Rus sians we get the dances known as the polka, the mazurka, and the polonaise. Besides folk-dances, many folk-songs have been passed down by the people from one gen eration to the next.
475. Manufacturing in countries east of Germany.—This great flat plain is nearly half of Europe and it has as many people as the United States, but as yet not much fac tory manufacturing has begun. The Russian Gov ernment and the roads have been so bad that Russia is a hundred years or more behind northwest Europe and the United States in many of the ways of doing things, and therefore in ways of thinking about things. The life of the people in many parts of Russia re minds us a little of the life of the Douglas family in the Appalachian Mountains (Sec. 3). During the long winter months when the ground is snow-covered and there is little else to do, the people work in their homes at weaving, and at making baskets, leather goods, brushes, and many other small articles. It is only recently that factories and a few manu facturing cities have grown up in this part of the Great Plain, as they have in our own central farming region. Before the World War most of the Russian factories were owned and managed by foreigners—Ger mans, English, French, Danes, or Americans, who had studied engineering, and knew how to run machinery and factories.