The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-31
Russian Crueltics.


following readable letter from General
G. NJ. Clay, in defense of Russia and the
Russians:
"In your journal of December - is
paper which is type of the malignant
calumnies of the anti Russian press for
century or more. l lived in St. Peters
burg for nearly nine years, aud made
Russian life study, mingling with all
classes for that purpose. l dined with
the Emperor and Imperial family, and
took cabbage, soup and black bread with
the woodmen who came from the interior
on RATS. Perhaps there is no American
living or dead who can speak with more
authority than I can on the real charac.
ter of Russia. believe there is no more
charitable and humane nation on earth
than Russia. I give the proofs. There
are no deaths by absolute poverty in
Russia, as in the great cities Of Paris, Lon.
don, New York, and other European
cities. Besides the charitable associa.
tions established by law, the first mobiles
in Russia, men and women, yearly, by
organized societies, collect funds by gifts,
needlework, and other methods, for
clothes, soup houses and bread, which
are distributed all winter in St. Peters
burg; and such methods are pursued in
other cities. The infants that are
drowned and thrown into sewers in Eu-
rope and America are taken at day old,
if need be, and brought up at the public
expense in St. Petersburg, Moscow and
other cities These children when grown
up to a suitable age are put to service
and may make generous living. Rus.
sia liberated her slaves not by war and
gave them lands. America did neither.
I dined with the nephew of Prince Dol
gorouEy, Governor. General of Moscow,
(Viceroy,) and liberated serf or slave
WAS at the table as guest, and made the
best after dinner speech on the occasion.
The Russians open all their pleasure
grounds beside the public parks to the
whole people. They never bar the gates
and close the doors against the "rabble"
as in England and America. In summer
the yards are open and the windows
without blinds, that the humblest peas.
ant may see and hear the music. On all
great occasions of a private nature all the
poor are feasted or otherwise entertained
by suitable means In England and
America even house servants are
treated with contempt, and my own fami.
ly demonstrated on my return because |
said good morning, as was my habit in
Russia, to them. The Russian noblemen
speak kindly always to their interiors
the Englishmen and Americans out of
the South rarely ever. The Russian EN-
pire is large and sparsely populated, so
that the means Of subsistence do not at
all press upon the increase of population.
In the large cities, as / said, no absolute
suffering for the necessaries of life pos
sible.
Now as to prisons. There was at no
time while l was in Russia, so far as
know and believe, one equal in its infamy
to the Kentucky penitentiary. And
Governor Blackburn deserves not denun
citation but eternal honor for his man.
hood and philanthropy, against the bar.
barian clamors of the press, for his re.
form. When I was in St. Petersburg the
cholera was several times in that city Of
900, 900, and there was no more sensation
than if the measles or whooping cough
prevailed. Every subject of the disease
was taken at once to wholesome hospit-
als, we'll attended, and then, when conva.
lescent, returned without charge to their
homes. The streets of St. Petersburg
were hundred times cleaner than the
streets, alleys, and back yards Of Rich
mond. They never burned down the
pest houses in Russia, as they did the
other day in Madison county when small.
pox prevailed. As to prisons, and Sibe-
ria, l am glad to have an opportunity to
refute some of the world wide calumnies
of the anti.Russian press. Siberia is not
80 vile country Us the French penal
colony of Cayenne, nor the original Aus
tralia of England. Three Siberian born
ladies married mobiles in St. Petersburg
one the Prince Suwarrow, the grandson
of Prince Suwarrow of Napoleon's times /;
the other sister married we'll, one an Off
Ger in the staff of the Emperor. have
heard them speak of the 'Fatherland'
as would German. And they were the
descendants of Siberian exiles. [ do not
hesitate to say that of all the people L
ever knew the Russians are the most &c.
nial and hospitable. 1t is true the ranks
in Russia are very distinct and marked,
but che humane spirit of Russia thaws
all GOODNESS, breaks all conventional bar
riers, and fuses the whole into one national
feeling as in no other land. That is the
reason of the invincible courage OF the
Russian army. What calumniators call
''stolidity" is unshaken and heroic patri-
otism. I could fill book of similar
proof
= Two gentlemen were walking along
the street. Meeting q colored woman,
e IL Il :sxal 1,at nx,d