mperance, which in this case signified prohibition, since the Count in
his preface to Dr. Alexyeeff's book (dated July 10-22, 1890,) treated
liquor on the same basis as tobacco, which he had totally abjured at
least two years previously. With Tolstoy, to become convinced that a
reform was desirable was, as all the world knows, to become an ardent
propagandist of that reform. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Alexyeeff,
seconded by those of Tolstoy, temperance began to attract attention in
Russia, temperance societies were formed, and have been steadily
increasing ever since in numbers and activity.

Eventually Mr. Tchelisheff arrived on the scene with his splendid vital
force and practical solutions of the financial and other problems (or
suggestions for them) that arise from prohibition, (especially when a
Government monopoly and revenue are concerned,) which he most
strenuously advocated when Mayor of Samara, as representative in the
Duma--everywhere, in fact, where he could obtain a hearing, willing or
unwilling, up to the Emperor Nicholas himself. And the Emperor showed
that he was equal to the magnificent opportunity, and joined hands with
the former peasant in aiding his country.

In an interview published by THE TIMES a while ago Mr. Tchelisheff
mentions that his attention was first drawn to the subject of the evils
of drunkenness by a book which he saw a muzhik reading. Judging from the
point at which he inserts that mention into his outline sketch of his
career (previous to the great famine which he--erroneously--assigns to
the "end of the '80s," but which came in 1891) his interest was aroused
precisely at the time when Dr. Alexyeeff's first utterances may be
assumed to have seen the light of print. At any rate, it is an admitted
fact that Dr. Alexyeeff carried to Russia and to Tolstoy from the United
States the idea and inspiration which has borne such wonderful fruit in
the abolition of the liquor traffic "forever," as the Imperial ukase
runs.

Mr. Tchelisheff is a noteworthy figure in history accordingly, but Dr.
Alexyeeff should not be forgotten. When I made his acquaintance at Count
Tolstoy's, in Moscow, he had just requested (and obtained) a detail of
service in Tchita, Trans-Baikal Province, Siberia, as physician to the
political exiles there, thinking the region would repay study from many
points of view, in his leisure hours. The preface to the first edition
of his book "Concerning Drunkenness" is dated