While doing so he did not lose the opportunity of expounding how he would change everything! after his own fashion, if the power were in his hands.

"Russia," he said, "has fallen behind Europe; we must catch her up.

It is maintained that we are young--that's nonsense.

Moreover we have no inventiveness: Homakov himself admits that we have not even invented mouse-traps.
Consequently, whether we will or no, we must borrow from others.

We are sick, Lermontov says--I agree with him.