Orlov-Davydov spoke at the January 9, Й65, meeting of the Moscow Assembly of the Nobility.
♦ 86 ♦
The Bell, No. 222, June i5, i866. Herzen predicted that this article would delight everyone, and Ogaryov judged it one of the best that had appeared in The Bell. In a June i3, i866, letter to Natalya Tuchkova-Ogaryova, Herzen said that he himself sensed "two flames coursing through it: irony and faith together." (Gertsen, Sobranie sochinenii, i9:397). In contrast to this juxtaposition, Andrey Sinyavsky (writing as Abram Tertz) observed almost a century later that such "flames" were incompatible: "Irony is the faithful companion of unbelief and doubt; it vanishes as soon as there appears a faith that does not tolerate sacrilege" (Tertz, On Socialist Realism, i99). Herzen reproduces here, with slight changes, the rescript issued after Karakozov's attempt that was published in The Northern Post for April i4, i866; he follows this with his own comments. As expected, not everyone was delighted, and the editor of The News, while crediting Herzen with a "brilliantly witty pen," declared that comparing the persecution of early Christians and present-day socialists was a sign of mental derangement. Herzen was well advised, the editor continued, to rethink his position and turn away from socialism before it destroyed more young people (Let 4:280).
From the Sovereign to P. P. Gagarin [1866]
Prince Pavel Pavlovich,
The unanimous expression of loyal devotion by the people whose rule was entrusted to me by divine plan is a pledge of the sentiments in which I find the greatest reward for my efforts toward the good of Russia.
The more comforting is this realization for me, the more I fulfill my obligation to preserve the Russian people from those kernels of false teaching, which in time could shake the smooth functioning of society, if no obstacle was made to their development.
The event that summoned from all corners of Russia declarations of loyalty also served as an occasion for a more precise examination of those paths by which these pernicious false teachings were promoted and spread. The investigation being carried out by the special commission I have ordered is already pointing to the root of the evil. In that way Providence was pleased to open the eyes of Russia to the consequences that one can expect from the aspirations and philosophizing of those who would brazenly encroach on all that has been sacred to it from time immemorial, on religious beliefs, on the principles of family life, on property rights, on obedience to the law, and on respect for the powers that be.
My attention is already directed to the upbringing of young people. I have given instructions to the effect that it be organized in the spirit of religious truths, respect for property rights, and observance of the fundamental principles of the social order, and that in educational institutions of all types no overt or clandestine preaching will be allowed of those destructive concepts which are equally harmful to all aspects of the moral and material well-being of the people. But instruction which meets the true needs of youth would not bring the benefit expected from it if in private family life there was teaching not in accord with the rules of Christian piety and the obligations of loyalty. For this reason I have the firm hope that my views on this subject will be fervently acted upon in the sphere of domestic education.
No less important for the true benefit of the state in its totality and for every one of my subjects is the complete inviolability of the right to property in all its aspects, as determined by the general laws and by the Statutes of February 19, 1861. Independent of the legality of this right, one of the most fundamental principles of well-functioning civil societies, it is indissolubly tied to the development of private and
national wealth, which are tightly linked to one another. Any doubts about these relationships could only be raised by enemies of the social order.
The affirmation and preservation of these principles should be the aspiration of all those invested with the rights and responsibilities of government service. In a proper state system the first duty of all those called to serve me and the fatherland consists of precise and active fulfillment of their responsibilities without any deviation in any branch of government. The authorities' excessive behavior and their lack of action are equally harmful. Only with the steadfast fulfillment of these responsibilities can the unity of government actions, which is necessary for the realization of its views and the achievement of its goals, be guaranteed.
I am aware that some people in government service have participated in the disclosure of harmful rumors or judgments about the actions or intentions of the state and even in the dissemination of those teachings, contrary to social order, whose development should not be permitted. The very rank of civil servant renders, in such cases, greater weight to their words and in the same way facilitates the distortion of the state's views. This type of confusion cannot be tolerated. All those in management positions must keep track of the actions of their subordinates and require of them the direct, exact, and unswerving fulfillment of their assigned responsibilities, without which harmonious governance is impossible, and by which they themselves must set an example of respect for authority.
Finally, for the decisive success of the measures being taken against the ruinous teachings which have developed in the social sphere and which seek to shake the most fundamental bases of faith, morality, and social order, all heads of the separate branches of government are required to keep in mind those other healthy, conservative, and reliable forces with which Russia has always been richly endowed, and which, to this day, thanks be to God, it has in abundance. These forces consist of all the classes in which property rights are valued, the right to landownership, guaranteed and defended in law, social rights founded in and determined by law, principles of social order and social security, principles of state unity and sound organization, the principles of morality and the sacred truths of our faith. In view of their important properties these strengths must be utilized and preserved when officials are appointed in all branches of government. In that way we will be saved from ill-intentioned reprimands in all levels of society concerning their confidence in the governing
authorities. Toward this goal, in accordance with my customary wishes and my frequently expressed desire, it behooves all branches of government to pay complete attention to the preservation of the rights of property and entreaty, in relation to its use and need (the right of petition!) by various districts and various sections of the population. It is important to curtail the repeated attempts to stir up enmity between various classes and particularly the stirring up of enmity against the nobility and against landowners in general, in which enemies of social order naturally see their immediate opponents. A firm and unswerving observance of these general principles will place a limit on those criminal aspirations, which have now been uncovered with sufficient clarity and must be subject to the just retribution of the law. I direct you to announce my rescript to the appropriate leadership, to all ministers and all heads of all the divisions.
I remain, etc.
Alexander
In Tsarskoe Selo, May 13/25, 1866
.There we have it, the final echo of the shot!
Fear in the face of something indeterminate, pious—but hardly new— thoughts, a poor style, nameless hints, a lesson learned by heart and a moral coup d'etat.