Still Alexander breasted this storm; found time to plan for his serfs,
and in 1803 put his hand to the work of helping them toward freedom. His
first edict was for the creation of the class of "free laborers." By
this, masters and serfs were encouraged to enter into an arrangement
which was to put the serf into immediate possession of himself, of a
homestead and of a few acres, giving him time to indemnify his master by
a series of payments. Alexander threw his heart into this scheme; and in
his kindliness he supposed that the pretended willingness of the nobles
meant something; but the serf-owning caste, without openly opposing,
twisted up bad consequences with good, braided impossibilities into
possibilities; the whole plan became a tangle, and was thrown aside.
The Czar now sought to foster other good efforts, especially those made
by some earnest nobles to free their serfs by will. But this plan also
the serf-owning caste entangled and thwarted. At last the storm of war
set in with such fury that all internal reforms must be lost sight of.
Pages:
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782