The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-03-01
RUSSIAN CRUELTIES.
4 Contradiction Of the Reports of the
Anti-Russian PreSs-A People
Genial and HOspitable.

l lived in ST. Petersburg near
nine years,sand made Russian life a
study, miugllng with all classes for
that purpose dined with The EN-
peror and imperial family, and took
cabbage soup and black bread with
the woodmen who came from the
the interior On boats and RATS.
Perhaps there is no American, liv-
| ing or dead, who can speak with
more authority than [ can on the
real character of Russia. | believe
there is no more charitable and hui
name nation on earth than Russia. |
give the proofs. There are no
deaths by absolute poverty in Rus,
STA, as ia the great cities OF Paris,
London, New York, and other Ed
ropean cities. Besides the chairs
table associations established by
law, the first mobiles in Russia, men
and women, yearly by organized
societies collect funds by gifts,
peedlework, and other methods, for
clothes, souD houses, and breaJ,
which are distributed ali winter in
st. Petersburg; and such methods
are pursued in other cities.
The infants that afe drowned and
| thrown into sewers in Europe and
America are taken at day old, if
need be, and brought up az the
public expense in st. Petersburg,
Moscow, and other cities. These
children when they grow up
to suitable age are put to
service and may make generous
living. Russia liberated hers aves,
not by war, and gave them lands
America did neither. Idined with
the nephew of Prince DolgOrouky,
governor general of Moscow (yice.
roy and liberated ssrf or slave
was at the table as a guest, and
made the best 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 s'rabbls," as
lin England and America. In
summer the yards are open and the
windows without blinds, that the
lhumblest peasant may see and hear
the music. On all great occasions
of 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
family demonstrated on my return
because said good morning, as was
my habit in Russia, to them. The
Russisn noblemen spesk kindly al
ways to their interiors; the English
men and Americans out OF the
south rarely ever. The Russian
empire is large and sparsely popu-
lated, so that the means OF suoslst-
ence do not at all press upon the In,
crease OF population. In the lsrge
cities, as | said, no absolute suffer-
ing for the necesSaries OF life is pos
sible.
Now as to prisons. There was at
no time while 1 was in Russia, 30
far as l know and believe, one equal
In its infamy to the Kentucky peni-
tertiary. And Governor Blackburn
observes not denunciation, but
eternal honor for his manhood and
philanthropy, against the barbarian
lclsmors of the press, for his reform.
When I was in st. Petersburg the
lcholera was several times in that
city of 100000, and there was nc
more sensation than if the measles
or whooping-cough prevailed. Every
lsubject of the disease was taken a.
once to Wholesome hospitals, vel
ATTENDED, and then, when con-
valescent, returned without charge
to their homes. The streets OF st
Petersburg were hundred times
cleaner than the streets, alleys ana
back ysrds Of Richmond. They
never burnt down the pest>houses
in Russia, as they did the other DAY
in Madison couniy when smallpox
prevailed.
AS to prisons in Siberia, / am glae
to have an opportunity to refute
isome OF the worldwide calumnles
of the anti Russian press. Slberls
is not so vile a country as TIT
French penal colony Of Cayenne, no
the original Australia OF England
! Three Siberian born ladies married
mobiles in st. Petersburg; one tn
Prince Sawarrow, the grandson o.
the Prince Suwarrow of Napoleon,
time; the other sisters married
we'll, one an officer in the stat
OF the Emperor. l have heard then
speak of the "Fatherland" as woult
a German. And these were tn!
descendants of Siberian exiles:
do no. hesitate to say that Of all TIT
people I ever knew, the Russlan
are the most genial and hospltaoie
It ia true the ranks in Russia ar
very distinct and marked, but tn.
humane spirit of Russia thaws al
GOODNESS, breaks all conventional
barriers, and fuses the whole int
one national feeling az in no othe
land. That is the reason thar bus
isiaEs never emigrate. That is IN
reason OF the inyincible courage o
the Russian army. What calumnl
ators call .sstolidity" IS unshake'
and heroic patriotism. l couid MI
Il sQQGlU4 Nj