96 THE SOVIET BLXTE-PRINTS THE NEW SOCIETY

have been counted up in our town, and who at times
lost whole estates at cards, drank the polluted water
too, and talked all their lives with great excitement of a
loan for the water-supply—and I did not understand
that; it seemed to me it would have been simplex to
take the two hundred thousand oul of their own pockets
and lay it out on that object.

" J did not know one honest man in the town. My
father took bnbes, and imagined that they were given
him out of respect for his moral qualities; at the high
school, in order to be moved up lapidly fmni dass to
class, the boys went to boatd with then teacheis, who
chained them exorbitant sums; the wife of I he military
commander took bnbes from the recruits \\hcu they
were called up before the boaid and even deigned to
accept lefrcshnieiUs from them, mid on one occasion
could DO I get up fiom her knerj in church because she
was drunk; the doctors look bribes, too, \vhcu (he
recruits came up lor examination, and the town doctor
and the veteiinary surgeon levied a rcguLir Hx on the
butchers' shops and the restaurants; ;il the district school
they did a trade in certificates, qualifying lor pai'tial
exemption fiom military service, the higher clergy took
bribes fiom the humbler priests and fiorn the church
elders; at tho Municipal, (he Artisans1, and all the
other Boards cveiy petitioner was pursued by a shout1
' Don3! lorget youi thanks!' ;uid the petitioner would
tmn back to give sixpence; 01 a shilling And I hose who
did not take bribes, such as the, higher oifieitils of the
Department ol Justice, weie haughty, offered two
fmgcis instead of shaking hand,',, were distinguished by
the fngidity and narrowness of their judgments, spent
a great deal of time over cards, drank to excess, married
heiresses, and undoubtedly had a pernicious coirupting
influence; on those aiound chem, It was only ihe giils
who had still the fresh fragrance of moial purity, most
of them had higher impulses, pure and bonrst hcails;
but they had no underst.mdiug of life, and believed that
bribes were given out of respect for jnor.il qualities, and
after they were married grew old ciuieklv. let themselves