The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-06-07


/ and shares all the Russian virtues and vices lie
mas no inspiring reeoectlOns Of the past--no ma
" tional pfcIGdces and songs--nnd Is the most
y Fro-aic man upon Gods earth. He Is even infc-
\ rior IN these RESPECTS to the Tartars, whose de-
scendans are scattered about among the Russians
IKE Islands Among these men fingers yet some
\, shadow, as 1t were, Of their former dignity and
p, dominion.
at Although to-day slaves, from whose hearts all
u hope Of freedom has died away and who have no
10 longer even the idea Of atherland yet in their
20 songs sounds still vague ycarnng toward the
~ great days departed, and their smplo artlcssne,s
V touches the heart like beautiful dream It mat.
ter7 not that you do nQt understand tho words OF
a the song. IT, senye Is evident enough IL Is the
hcii OF an inylucbo race, saying, upon the grave
"i Ia, i.thcrs, prayer which lac does not under
"A stand
q The Siberian ltu-sian has M thought fpr the
i past Ihore Is no yesterday 10 him--uOhug but
OF the present moment, and that moment conbn.
, ed enjoyment Of brandy, bathing and ten Vain.
~, " do you speak to han Of heaven for his heaven
= "a where he finds schnapps tea and nyapor bath
t"d nc KNOWS only as an image, or more proper
n ~, as carlcatufe before which u lamp burns
= and by which ho bends and crosses himself when
5 he enters the room This ceremony Is the whole
;, rlual Of the Siberian, and quite suillces for lis
d spiritual need A. long as / have lived in Sibe-
" Ut-and God knows it, no short tme-l have
never hcmd - mother teach her child to pray
1 The merchant differs from the peasant only in
appearance. But h. is quito rs false, end, as he
is OF more consideration in the world he goes
more -M'iulIy 10 work If he does not srirpass
the jew IN cunning, he does not Weld to him --
This Il shovnlu the provcrb, "'ihat where Rus.
sian trader settles, jew has no chance
h Among tho trader smust 10 rcckonc.i she Rus
r sian pr'aats-ior they nro merchants, too, and
nj trade in objects Of religions devotion The priest
u advises the SICK Siberian peasant to have the
O. Virgin Mary and clailers wiIh him about the
\ price OF tho visit. 1t depends upon the amount
whether lie 'hail have a large or small image,
and whether it shlli come to the patient, house
+, on foot or in u carIsse-lli- last style Of Wit
1 ~ 1o.tug much more, /, held tu bee more eflica
clons IN its results 10 the invalid The priest ac
! companies the image to the house attended by a
retlnue of people, apparetd according to the cx
trayagance Of th" expense. Not only does th-
profanity obtain il, Siberia but also throughout
all Russia.
When u Siberian dies, the priest issue, Ger.
tiiicae for him, which, of course, must be paid
The certificate tho corpse bcnrs in his hand to
open the gates of heaven; and the heavenly pO
lice, who, 1t seems, severely disciplined as
those ON earth, permit him to pass. The Empe
ror, as head OF the church. is obliged TO sanction
such bias -phsmy, and the government takes no
care TO stop these practices, or raise the people
out Of such darkness.
The faults which characerze the peasant and
trader belong also To the ofiicial-unly he mus,
be yet more by and sklful, for be wears the i'm
psrlal uniform and the token ot imperial grace III
the button hole. But Just there Is the ground of
his brutality, that the government know constant.
ly hI, conduct, and thy seyerer lie is the higher
n and faster he rses.
Liquor and cards swceten the fatisues of labor;
1 lie CANDLES, however, not for amusement, but for
gam. Ihs official invites solcCt party Of bis
4 prisoners To a game Of Boston. knowing perfectly
I well that hc Is to be the winner, for wo 10 the
thoughless man who does not dextrolsly lose
. his money, He learns soon enough that the
\ game IN Siberia is played after quite other rules
r than elsewhere, add that if an imperial Russian
a official hOnors u bInished man by sitting with
G Inn at table &c should be oager 10 pay roundly
!. for that honor
Among the Siberian curiosties however.
Il must not fail to mention the bell of Uglitsch,
which wa, baniShed by Boris Godunow, the mis-.
cradle hrothern.aw Of the weak and inefficient
feoIor st. because It opened It's iron mouth and
wildly changed She news Of the murder of the
Prince Demetrius. 1t hangs in Tubolsk, in the
upper church, but near the ground that the
passenger can easily read the reason and date of
It's baniShment engraved upon it,
Ine image of Jehovah in the same church is
striking the face of which, several ellis long seems
intended to impress tho spectator with sense
of th. size of God
But the most remarkable Of all, in my iud-.
ment, is tho Brodajaga or Vagabond-a genuine
national Productlon-of which must say some.
, thing.
q He is either native or n condemned Of one
Of the two uwr grades who has somewhere com.
mitted an awful murder and has then escaped
. with the booty hundreds of Russian miles, in or.
. der to consume it At leisure. As the winter NJ
proaches, and his gold gives out, he betakes him.
n self stenlthy TO u city in which he has hever
n been, and where hu Is sure no one knows him.
n There hc announces himself to the local au,hori.
n ties, but III u very peculiar manner. He says.
i, with seeming simplicity, that he is Brodaiaga
r. that he does not know where he was born, or
. what hi. name Is, or where he has hitherto lived
or been dujny.
/. Such confession in political cases would be
/, quite sufficient to insure n vigorous application
Of the nuout to refresh hi. memory But the
n question now is something less than politlcs-at
r. most nothing more than u murder-so Justice
NUT have it, way. What, then, does the Judge
h doi-lle sends the delinquent to jail, and endea.
\ vurs to discover, rather allows chance to dis.
y cover If there be any witnesses against the prs
iCuer.
- The Broiajaga who knows well enough how
4 little danger To hun there is in this proceeding
throws himself confidently into the arms uf Jus.
trc and has thereby ubtGlucdall that for the mo.
/, mcut ho WauDs--a warm room, food without
work and company which he Immediately sharp.
o " scans, and selects for associates those who be.
4, long to him by mutual -ympaIhics,
y AZ the winter ends the way Of escape il smoo.
thcd by diplomatic arrangements with the over.
seer, OF at htting opportunity the watch is
NYp tlt, Il L.,