Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XI. A plea for Russo-British intellectual coalescence
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
CHAPTER XI
A PLEA FOR RUSSO-BRITISH INTELLECTUAL
COALESCENCE
The plea for Russo-British intellectual coalescence aims,
not at the passing events of the moment, but is founded on
the lasting character of the two great nations.
Up to the beginning of the twentieth century Great
Britain intellectually did not pay much attention to Russia,
and an intellectual Entente between the two countries could
not be achieved. This was chiefly due to a general lack of
interest in foreign mentality, preconceived ideas about
Russian backwardness, and a superstitious fear of the alleged
insurmountable difficulties of the language. British
ex-clusiveness began to relent with the adoption of Continental
collectivist ideas regarding enactments about old-age
pensions, compulsory life insurance, and matters concerning
education. It vanished when the unity of purpose in the
present great struggle against a common enemy brought
Great Britain into close contact with her Allies, and with
them Russia. Even before the war, nearer acquaintance
with Russia, promoted by many eminent British statesmen,
social workers, and writers, had already revealed to the
nation that the previously anticipated backwardness of
Russia to a great extent did not exist, or was but a semblance
of it, being actually a mere variety of British ideals due to
differences in climate and surroundings.
A new and more correct idea of Russia has arisen as a
result of the study of that country’s art, literature, and
science. English people engaging in those studies discovered
that Russian art, literature, and science could no longer be
overlooked as being of small importance. The love which
145 K
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
