Of course,
the people here are not educated; they've been intimidated. However,
the times squeeze a man and wide open go his eyes, 'What's the matter?'
And the book answers him in a perfectly simple way: 'That's what's
the matter--Think! Unite! Nothing else is left for you to do!'
There are examples of men who can't read or write and can understand
more than the educated ones--especially if the educated ones have
their stomachs full. I go about here everywhere; I see much. Well?
It's possible to live; but you want brains and a lot of cleverness
in order not to sit down in the cesspool at once. The authorities,
too, smell a rat, as though a cold wind were blowing on them from
the peasants. They see the peasant smiles very little, and altogether
is not very kindly disposed and wants to disaccustom himself to the
authorities. The other day in Smolyakov, a village not far from here,
they came to extort the taxes; and your peasants got stubborn and
flew into a passion. The police commissioner said straight out:
'Oh, you damned scoundrels! why, this is disobedience to the Czar!'
There was one little peasant there, Spivakin, and says he: 'Off
with you to the evil mother with your Czar! What kind of a Czar
is he if he pulls the last shirt off your body?' That's how far
it went, mother.
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