The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-03-19

rrivo,tty ana immortality THAT tsis ths
0overnms nt's Policy 70 Encourage.
New York Sun.
st. Petersburg. Tins isa capital OF
the coun try known as tho Holy Russia.
It is in the stage Of lesser siege. It is
ruled by ministry in which Jealous
church members, decidedly preponder-
ate. 1t is believed that under several
of its streets there sre mines charged
With dynamite. Though being o CAPT
tai, it rarely sees its august master.
Now, one hardly would believe that I'M
der such circumstances this town
could be merry one, and yet that's
what it IL, Nay, it is not simply merry;
it is madIy merry, and for that it has
She full sanction and encouragement OF
the government. :.
In the very center of this capital
there are five great institutions
for the public amusement which
cannot be classified either with
theatres, or hotels, or saloons, though
they have some traits of each. Here is,
for iffstance, Che Orpheum, . magnlf-
icent house. Its entrance is brilliantly
lighted. A gorgeous iveried footman
shows the public in. You enter an i'm
mense hall containing a stage Next
room is the buffet, and there are also q
number of private rooms. The entrance
fee is rouble for a man and half
roubie for woman. The assemblage
at the Orpheum is mixed. There are
Russian merchants, foreign clerks, young
military and civil officers and women OF
doubtful reputation. Many OF the men
are jolly, and some are tipsy. Full free
dom reigns. They talk, sing, exchange
amorous compliments, quarrel, and even
fight without any interference from the
police. On the stage they perform
invariably light operettas. consist
ing of immoral songs and cannon dane
ing. Between the acss audience and per-
formers rush to the buffet. and vodka,
beer, wine and sandwiches are attended
20 with perhaps livlier interest than Is
evinced towards the play itself. The
ballet dancers in their scantv dress par
ticularly command the attention OF the
cavaliers. What conversations are con-
Quoted there, and what scenes take
place! About two o'clock In the morn
ing the amusement turns into mad Bac-
chanals. The proprietor of the Orphe-
UNI spends 100, 900 roubles year. Each
month brings new ballet dancers, pay
ing each from 100 to 600 roubles
month, and yet he makes money.
Here is another institution Of the kind,
the Golden Palace. occupying an old
princely mansion. Its former aristo-
cratic occupants never dreamed that
servants, shop girls, and clerks would
ever assemble there for Undesirable
orgies, wasting their hard earned mon
ey and lives. On the stage of the pal
ace they give pieces in which mockery
is made of the purest and most sacred
things
Here is also the Palace of Pleas
ure frequepted by unmarried peo-
pie OF the pleasure offered,
and INDUCED in here it is better
not to say a word. Then there
is the dancing room of Alexandrof. On
the stage the ballet dancers perform
such pieces as ga Wife to Hire" and
on the floor the public, sometimes as
many as hundred pairs at time, en-
gage in the most outrageous dances.
When between the acts the performers
and the public mix up. one hardly can
tell who belongs to the stage and who
to the audience, to such an extent do
the ballet costumes and manners pre-
dominate Here, too, vodka, beer,
wine, and obscene conversation freely
flows.
Thus tens of thousands of the poorer
people of the cars capital pass all their
evenings and nights. Besides the places
I have mentioned, there are scores of
others which infect the outskirts of this
city. In all of them the public are al
lowed to stay through the night. 1t IS
known here that the government favors
this kind of institutions. It is the men
and women of the type Brutus that
the imperial ministers fear, hate and
per secute; they fear nothing of the iol-
" men and frivolous women who fire.
ouent Orpheums, Golden Palaces, Pal
aces of Pleasure, dancing rooms and 9TH
er places of the kind. And this state of
things exist throughout Russia in all
towns and villages. 1t is a kind of in
ternal policy of the present ministry.
What a delusion As if ever a govern
ment could be strengthened by syste-
matte Immortality.
If we look up from below we find
things only apparently cleaner. On the
stage of imperial thatres great dramas
and noble operas are replaced by oper-
etts and light pieces of French make.
In the fashionable clubs and hotels the
aristocratic and rich public pass their
evenings in dancing, drinking wine, and
card playing. Well, by using up the
cards they increase the funds of CHAIR
table and educational institutions un-
der her Majesty's protection. 1t is an
imperial privilege to make and sell cards
1 boro