THROUGH RUSSIA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 199, 11 January 1913, Page 1 (Supplement)

THROUGH RUSSIA

PEOPLES. CITIES. CCSTO.MS. SIGHTS OK EASTERN Et KOPE. According to Mr. A. A. Ilislop. of Wcl lington. who recently returned trout .111 night months' trip through Europe, iln Russians arc ;i hospitable people, whose land is (lc.~crvin.ir of far more allcntioii from tin- tourist than it now receives. "It is ii wonderful conuin. of enormous possibilities." lie remarked to a member of the New Zealand Time- Mali'. "though the Orthodox (.'reek Church is its curse. \Vere the people educated- - 7." per cent, of Ihem are Uliierale -the Russian people would he anions Ihe greatest in the world. I'.ul. the priests of tho Creek Chun h personify the I'orees of stagnation in Itussia. Educated, lili-eral-mindcd Kiis>ian.s fear these pric.-t-The feeling is horn in them. because loyalty to the (.'reel; Church is only a form of Kussian patriotism, and it, is this feeling wliich stilles freedom and gives one the impression of tyranny all through the country. .Mr. Ilislop approaehed \\\\><\n from Stockholm, travelling through the wonderful archipelago that frinncs the Swedish shore, and proceeding to llelsingfors. the capital of Finland. IJefore reaching the latter city, the steamer passes through another lovelv cluster of islands that stud the Oulf of J-'irihiiifl. The kindness and hospitality of the Finns impressed him greatly, and he found that the .smouldering hatred towards the fins shins is still alive in this people. Loyg denial of national autonomy and auto era tie oppression from their coiit|iierors have induced feelings of hitter resentment, and the Finns would never lie satisfied until ji measure of independence is granted them. The country--which i> known as -The Land of a Thousand Lakes 7 ' —abounds in magnificent scenery, and the climate at the time of his visit. in August, was delightful.

CORCF.OUS ST. PFTKUSIHRC. From Finland Mr. Hislop proceeded to St. Petersburg, which lie staler is a quite modern city. European in characteristics, and the people afe very hospitable. During his .sojourn 1 lie* tentli birthday of the heir-apparent was celebrated, and the city was in gala at I ire. brilliantly illuminated by night. Tb: ! great cathedral—St. Isaac's, the Kazan and the Alexandei' If. Memorial l arc gorgeously dccoralcil with gold and precious jewels. Kikoiis of canonised saints are made of beaten "old. studded with pearls, rubies and diamonds. Fortunes are lavished on these places of worship. and shrines, with candle-selling booths. are to be observed all round the city. Since almost every day is ». .-.aim's day. the demand for kopecks is inccs-anl. and the effect is to keep thousands of people ir. constant poverty. The Czar was in residence at Peterhof. but the traveller went through the enormous Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva, who-e grandeur is unexcelled by any royal residence in the world. Of Moscow—the city of bulbous domes. gilded spires and pealing bells—the traveller had much to say. He was the "rest of his friend. Mr. Keddaway. who has a big leather manufactory on an estate of 3(100 acres. This is the spot where Napoleon commenced his retreat a century ago. and the house in which he slept, while Moscow was in llamcs. stands on the estate. Xapoleon. said Mr. Hislop. has been canonised as a saint by the Greek Church, and the bazaars and shops are filled with images and souvenirs of him. The grounds of Hit Kremlin contain a va~l quantity of guns, cannon and munitions of war left by the French, and these give one an idea of what a colossal undertaking it was fo transport such mountains of material aerns, Europe. The Chuivh of St. Saviour, in .Moscow, is a gorgeous -frttcturc. with a great gill. dome, and is ,aid to have cost a million -terling. The central praying place in Mo w lakes ■CiOO.lWfl annually in fees for holy oil. candles, small eikons. etc. Owing to the presence of a large number of strangers ir. Moscow, the chief of police furnished Mr. Hislop'-. party with a Cos-ack escort for the nine miles to the eslate. These Cossacks are fine, sturdy men, who after three years' service are discharged with the whole of their equipment. ;i fresh horse, and ;i grant of land from the Crown. Then they start as military farmers.

"MAX SPRICHT DrTTSCU." Gorman, said Mr. Ilislop, was tlio great, commercial language throughout Russia. "Von go into an ollico and hoar two business 111011 win-akin^: it is always German. Very rarely is the Russian tongue hoard in business. The Germans have' spread themselves all over Europe, and their language has a wide sway. Native Russians are nol entrusted as cashiers: curiously enough, most of them are Englishmen." From Moscow, Mr. Ilislop went, on to Xijni Novgorod, an ancient city on the Volga. The world-famous fair was in progress. "You can .buy anything yon like, from a pin to jewel-; worth a prince's ransom. All nationalities jostle ill the old town during the fair, people coming from the remotest parts of Asia and Europe. The town is filthy and noisome, and the most, enduring impression is that derived through vour nostrils." "The fair, which last two months, is held in a cluster of ramshackle buildings, but the wealth is simply fabulous. Tor the other ten -months nobody i allowed to trallic in the bazaar portion. During these two months the turnover is .C3oo,nO(U)()<>. as verilied by statistics of the (governor of the city. The chief articles of trallic are iron, grain. fondstull's, clothing, timber wurk. woodware and immense quantities of jewellery. Eur., are sold by pedlars about the streets, and you can buy cheaply, if you are in the know. The furs- sables, ermine. Siberian squirrel and bear- are not made up. but sold in the skin. Owing to the litter of merchandise and (he miserable set of hovels, smoking is prohibited in (lie street-: so garden squareare set apart for the purpose, and (liesare fairly built, up with cigarel le-liold-ers. The Russia 11 cigarette is several inches long, and half is simply a. slid' paper-holder. Vim never see pipes s-m-ok-od: cigarettes are universal on the Con tmenf. 1 hough pipe, are smoked a good I'ial indoors, by Russian-, especially. The new town of Xijni. on Ibo oilier side of the Volga, is 'far l.ei 1.',-b»iking than the old. There is no sanitation. however, and much tilih lies about the I streets."

••TAT" IsvnsTi'illKS. 'Mr. Hi-lop ivii* impressed with tin 1 fast tlrivin" of the dro-ky. and tin' curious custom of the isvoslehik to wrap himself round in hie; folds of cloth even on the hottest, day. The i'ii.nity of Russians is fluttered in proportion lo tile of tiieir dm-ky-driver, who stuffs riifrs and paper round his seat to ilnluee the appearance of wellfed and pro-pcrou~. ''('lire four people are killed daily in Mo-row; hut there is never an impie-l. 'There lire plenty more people,' is I lie l!ti--ian aliituile. Milt if yon kill a horse or a cow

there wonid lie a hi;: row about it. Norses ure alwjiys well treated: never overloaded, and the use of the whip is prohibit ed. "Another cliaraclerUlic of the Russians is their enormous capacity for eating. They are great gourmets, and in Moscow there is oao restaurant—tha

Erimilage-- which seats .111(10 people at one lime. You can pick a live fish mil of -Minks, and hare it cooked while you wail. |i. is served at a guinea. The stui'lit —like our gurnet- is it favorite, and raw variare, which is the roe of the ibaluga. caught in tin; Volga, is de\oiircd in immense quantities. In Russian restaurants Ihe practice is to have ■y.akuski' as a preliminary. This comprises caviare, two glasses of vodka, which is like schnapps, llavored with carraway scc<ls. and other delicacies. When you have eaten as much as though you had been, pumped up. the wailer announces that dinner is ready!" SPEAK INt; Itt' COLORS. Russian trains are comfortable and loomy. though slow. There are lour cla-srs. distinguished by as many colors, owing to the illiteracy of the" people. Railway tickets arc- also colored to correspond. The engines burn tircwood, coal being rarely seen in Russia. Travelling in tire trains of the international Sleeping Car Company, which works, through Russia, is very luxurious, though expensive. Though Uie Russian j pmple «re princes at hospitality, their] frontier ollicials. who inspect passports and examine for (he Customs, are roarsa and brutal. The (!cfmails, on till' contrary, are courtesy personified, a.'nd apologise for disturbing the traveller. In Oerniany Mr. Ilislop was impressed wilh the great pride taken in their work by the military men, and the uniform is everywhere honored. But Oermati soldiers on parade are slovenly dressed, compared with the English. They always wear uniform on duty, and* the general physique, both of soldiers and people, is line. lie tried to liml slums in Merlin, but failed. The clealiness of the cities is astonishing. Poland, too. is clean, and the Roman Catholic priests are .much belter fellows than those of the Creek Church. "The poles hate lb'- Russians, and many won't allow their children to learn Russian. Warsaw i- a big Jewish city, with large numbers ot Ccrmans. In spite of tlie drunkenness, liltli- vice ami poverty of the■ Riisjsians. [ was astounded at their physique, which is remarkably fine."

Some wonderful operations, such as plate rolling. and iorgiit'j were witnessed by the traveller'""'at Knipp.'s works at *F,ssen, a huge industrial city chiefly maintained by this gigantic arsenal. From' Cologne he reLiirued via (Istend to London.