In the embassy office, Arthur was crossing his legs, warming himself by the fire while sipping tea and browsing through the freshly published "Moscow Telegraph," "Russian Paper," and other mainstream Russian newspapers.
Perhaps because Russians are inherently more temperantal than the British, even the newspaper content reflects significant differences.
There’s not much of the subtle irony like in "The Tis," instead, the pages are filled with direct, aggressive attacks.
"The Defense of a Madman? A Traitor to the Nation! A Follower of Western Pathology!"
—— Recently, the Russian literary world welcod both good and bad news. The good news is that Pushkin’s new work "The Bronze Horseman" maintains its usual high standard. The bad news is that the cultural traitor and parasite, Peter Yakovlevich Chadayev, a loyal lackey of the French, published a defamatory work titled "The Defense of a Madman."
—— His remarks are filled with extre contempt for the holand and national culture, completely lacking the dignity and responsibility that a Russian should have. Not only does he baselessly belittle our great history, he also attempts to impose the corrupt values of the West upon us, tearing the connection between Russia and its rich cultural traditions. Chadayev is precisely the venomous snake lurking in the bloodstream of our nation, intending to erode our souls and destroy our great cultural foundation.
—— This person even shalessly claims in his work: I love my country more than any of them (the Slavists), I hope it gains glory, and I understand how to appreciate the noble qualities of our people, how to highlight and preserve our uniqueness. But I have not learned to love my country with my eyes closed, head bowed, and mouth shut. I believe that only by looking at one’s country with clear eyes can one contribute to it. I think the era of blind adoration is over, and now our foremost task is to bring truth to the holand; I will love my country as Peter the Great taught .
—— Certainly, Peter the Great once carried out Western reforms. However, Peter the Great’s reforms were not a blind emulation of the West but were based on Russia’s actual needs, selectively absorbing Western technology and ideas. The reforms were not a simple transplantation of Western civilization, but a strategic choice to ensure the survival and strength of the country. While drawing on Western experience, Peter the Great always maintained the cultural and traditional roots of Russia, rather than completely abandoning the country’s unique characteristics.
—— However, Chadayev distorts the truth and uses flowery rhetoric, claiming that Russia’s history is a "hopeless path" and paints a picture of despair. But who can believe that a truly rational philosopher would depict their country as so weak and decaying? His mindset is extrely pathological, filled with an extre denial of Russia. He denies our history, our culture, and even the future of our nation. This ignorance and despair precisely exposes the pathological nature of his thinking.
—— If there’s anything comndable about his article, it’s that he got the title right, "The Defense of a Madman," which is a perfect description of himself. Chadayev, a clown without national sentint! A British and French hybrid in Russian clothing! Soone who can’t even see the true value of their own country dares to criticize our great empire!
Arthur read this newspaper carefully, occasionally taking out a pen to circle so profanities, and then copied them into a notebook he carried.
After finishing a page, Arthur would put down his pen, stand up, and recite from his notebook several tis in the office to enhance his mory.
Although he learned a few curse words from the country folks and garrison while in Druiysk, the vocabulary of farrs and soldiers ultimately didn’t support them swearing as eloquently as the literati of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The secretary, Blackwell, rushed in with a stack of docunts, only to find Arthur in the midst of practicing to disguise himself as a Russian cultural hooligan.
Anyone would be stunned being faced with a barrage of curses from their superior.
Blackwell hurriedly apologized, "Sorry, Sir, I forgot to knock."
Arthur wiped his mouth with a handkerchief after so much tongue-clicking splattered saliva, and calmly reassured him, "Don’t worry, Henry, it’s not directed at you, I’m learning Russian."
The secretary finally relaxed, placing the docunts on the desk, "Starting with curse words to learn Russian? That’s indeed a good thod. I don’t often give complints, but, Sir, today you did curse quite exquisitely."
Arthur pulled out a brand-new nose snuff bottle from his pocket and casually tossed it to the secretary, signaling him to take a few sniffs.
This was a social interaction skill he learned after arriving in Russia.
In Russia, if you encountered a distinguished guest, to show enthusiasm, the host would usually share a nose snuff bottle.
Unfortunately, cigarettes had not yet been invented at this ti, otherwise sharing cigarettes would be more convenient and hygienic than sharing a nose snuff bottle.
Arthur casually picked up a docunt, flipping through it as he asked, "What’s this?"
Blackwell took a sniff of the snuff, "A report from the Foreign Office, forwarded from the Lisbon embassy."
"Lisbon?" At this ntion, Arthur imdiately thought of General Charles Napier, whom he’d once t in passing in Liverpool: "Is the Portuguese civil war over?"
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