Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-12-16
THE PEOPLE OF RUSSIA.

From a recent lecture on Russia, by
Bayard Taylor, we make the following
extracts -
The serf would sooner die than violate
his religious ob%Servances. Every house
in Moscow has its shrine, with a lamp be
fore it, and every room its devotional pie
ture. The four great fasts are kept with
painful strictness. On Easter day the
five thousand bells Of Moscow ring out in
JOYOUS clangor. All who meet, whether
high born or lowly, noble or serf. salute
each other with a kiss, accompanied by
the words Christ il risen All the
members of the household kiss each other,
even the ladies kiss their porters, their
coachmen. and all the intermediate do
mestics, down to the boot black. The
Emperor kisses the sentinels at his gate.
In the church, there is a perfect demo
cratic equality observed, ladies, officers,
| old women, shopkeepers. crown peasants
and serfs, all kneel before the shrine Of
the Ibernian mother. In the course Of
an hours ramble through Moscow, repre-
sentative specimens Of every nationality
may be met.
There is a broad, good humored face
of the Russian serf. Next comes a lady
with the smallest of bodies, secreted in a
perfect expanse Of crinoliue, and attended
by a man servant, for it is not regarded
as proper or decorous to walk the streets
of Moscow alone. Next a Circassian of
icer, with blue eyes and form as perfect
as that of Apollo. Then follows the
Tartar, with his swarthy face and keen
eyes. To him succeeds the Russian nurse
with her c%uriously expanded crimson
head dress and her two distinct waists,
one just below the arm pits, and the 9th
er q little lower down. Following her,
two priests with flowing hair and boards,
and caps resembling inverted tea kettles.
And passing these, you meet with Cos
sacks of the Ukraine. The difference
observable between the noble and serf,
strikes M at the first glance, as an act
ual difference in race but upon q closer
inspection, their Tartar origin is still Wis
ible, though the type has been improved
and ameliorated, and the harsher lines
softened by the influences Of a higher so
cial condition. The Russian peasant still
preserves the Tartar teatures-the broad
nose, the large mouth, uniform color OF
hair and athletic proportions.
The Russian peasant woAen are the
ugliest on the face Of the earth bat all
the lower classes are admirable specimens
Of great physical vigor. 1t is stated that
the rigor Of the climate kills off all but
those of the hardest constitutions, and
statistics prove That the annual number
OF deaths exceeds that of births, the in
crease of population being derived only
from the acquisition Of new territory
The Russian serf ~eXempiideS the Platonic
mystery OF two bodies and one soul. He
is a perfect machine, and all his faculties
belong to his m~aster-only i'll his religious
convictions does he show himself an in
dependent being. In all else, he does
not reflect the thoughts, wishes, affections
and passions of his master, You must
not gest with him. Though good humor-
ed, he Is grave and earnest, You must
not say to him, even carelessly, " Deme-
trius, | do not like such of such a person.
| wish he was dead" for the probability
is that you would wake the next morning
to find yourself accessory to a murder.
The reforms inaugurated by the En-,
peror Alexander have given very gener-
al satisfaction. If this will only last
was the expression frequently repeated.
The amount of venality among Russian
officials a extraordinarily great. There
were forty officers, including two gener-
ais, imprisoned in Moscow, charged with
appropriating to their own uses eighty
millions Of dollars, during the Crimean
war. They confess to have taken forty
millions. In instituting an examination
into tie monthly accounts Of the expen-
ses incurred at the palace, the Emperor
Alexander was surprised to find a charge
periodically made for thirty-ssven pounds
OF goose grease. His curiosity was ex-
cited. What could the goose-grease be
for
The same item was traced back every
month for ten yearS-for twenty years
for thirty years ; at two years previous
they reached the fountain head Of all the
grease, and it was then discovered that
while the present Emperor was a child,
he took a cold in the head, for which the
physician prescribed the application Of
goose grease to the bridge Of the infantiIe
nose. The steward bought thirty seven
pounds of it, and every month since that
time the charge had been added to the
account Of the household expenses of the
palace,