Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-08-18
THE DOOR OF RUSSIA.
~. Petersburg and Its People Described
Size, Population, Social aud Religious
Cust0ms-A Dear Cup Of Water.


. st. Petersburg may be called a beau
full city, but 1t is a city Of yesterla
without antiquities, traditions or hi
tory. 1t wears rich dress, but witho
grace and without poetry. st. Peter
. burg is tho door of Russia, but N
Russia itself. The stranger, who visi
it for the first time, is astonished at IL
: immense squares, the regularity OF Il
streets and the beautiful houses TN
line them. Although st. Petersbul
covers an area almost as large as Londo
or Paris, its population does not excee
GOO, 900 souls, including $4,000 foreign
ers. One of the curious features is til,
the male population of the capital
Russia is twice as large as that of til
female portion. This is explained b
the fact that the census OF the city il
cludes the army, which is stationed ther,
and that most of the officers who wor
in the different departments are bach
elors. The scattering Of this half.millio
of people over such an immense spac
makes the streets look lonesome an,
monotonous in the extreme, except durin,
the public fairs, which give them an I'M
usual animation and movement.
The most important of these fairs il
held at the large square, called Chen
maya, where vegetables and other arti
cles of food are usually sold. The edi
bles arrive here from immense distances
On the same stand you can see fish from
the Volga, veal from Archangel, lamt
from Astrakan, and pheasants from
Bohemia. During the Christmas holi-
days the Chennaya presents sight
which is not to be found in Europe or
elsewhere. The square is filed with
sledges, which have come from the re.
hottest corners of the empire, loaded
with an immense variety of eatables.
Pigs, sheep, calves, there they are,
clean, ready for sale, their flesh frozen
and as hard as stone, raised to their full
height to invite customers. This gives
rise to some ludicrous scenes. There
goes a gentleman who bought pig, and
not knowing how to take it home, he
puts it on his sledge and holds it upright
with his hands. Another, in carriage
with his wife, bought large calf, and
attaches it on the seat usually occupied
by the footman. And tho bystanders
laugh, and the street urehins follow the
carriage with remarks of their own ver-
nacular.
During carnival the large square of
st. Isaac is covered with wooden minia-
ture theaters and little barracks of all
sizes and colors, in which all sorts of
wild animals are on exhibition, and pop
niar games are played, like the Elysian
fields of Paris. The whole city, and even
the court, participates in these public
The sledges move fast on
the smooth snow, the bearded merchants
wear their richest frrs, and the mouiiks
Russian peasants) and the people have
out on their holiday attire.
The first sign of the breaking of the
ce on the Neva has established curious
custom. During six months of the year
he Neva is solidly frozen, and only dur
ng the middle of April its waters get
warmer and burst their icy barrier.
This event is watched for with the great
st anxiety, and as soon as the ice begins
break and small boat can float, the
looming of the cannon from the fortress
nnounces the happy event to the in
abitants of the metropolis. No matter
what hour of the day or of the night
his happens, the commander of the
ortress,i in full uniform and accompanied
y a brilliant staff, proceeds in a large
oat to the palace, and announcing to the
mperor the happy event and the advent
spring, presents to him crystal
lass, full of water from the Neva. The .
nperor receives it from his hands and
rinks its contents to the health and I
rosperity of his metropolis. This tum-
lerful of water is the most precious 6
quid on earth. According to an old l
lstom, the emperors must return the
mbler filed with gold. But that was c
custom existing many years ago. The +
asses grew larger and larger every a
'ar, and the emperor being obliged to
7allow larger quantity of cold water, t.
ID pay a larger amount of gold, the Il
stom has been modified, by presenting "
the commander two hundred roubles,
nch is dear enough for a glass of water, 81
en- for an emperor. S,
The Russian ladies are infinitely supe- Il
'r to the men. As general thing,
ey are well instructed and their con- n
rsation is full of Attic salt. There is N
greater pleasure than that of listen
to Russian princess relating her al
vels abroad, or details of the court W
lis or adventures of her life. One is
onished at the choice selection of the e,
rds which they use, their witty re-
rks and their happy drawing of COM P
'isons. And all this is said with such cl
'rming gsyety and graceful simplicity
there are any minds in Russia who
1erstand the true spirit of civiliza.
n, those minds are, most assuredly, to TO
found among the women. he
t has often been said that the people pc
Russia have an unlimited amount of Sc
pect and devotion for their religion sn
their sovereign, but few people have 1t
idea of the extent of this devotion. on
yer moujik RUSSIAN peasant) passes =
ore church or the picture of saint en-
hout crossing himself. Inside the Tea
rches, both men and women are in sto
ably on their knees. So a Russian we
yer has really a meaning; it is fer tnt
t, devout, enthusiastic. Gentlemen. VII
'ers, mechanics, soldiers and common alo
pie all kneel down together, without
inction, praying for the car and their 1
ntry. hef
turns out that the "B. L, U, E."
ers signed Blood" which so terri ga,
the Boston authorities during the
-