The Northern Pacific farmer., 1885-03-19

are Jolly, ana some are tlpSy.
dom reigns. They talk, sing, exchal
amorous compliments, quarrel, and eve1
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 acts audience and per-
formers rush to the buffet, and vodka
beer, wine and sandwiches are attende
to with perhaps Hvlier interest th--
evinced towards the play itself.
ballet dancers in their scantv dress par
ticularly command the attention of the
cavaliers. What conversations are CO.
Quoted there, and what scene
place! About two o'clock in the
ing the amusement turns into ma,
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 aris.
cratic occupants never dreamed ill.,.
servants, shop girls, and clerks would
ever assemble there for indies cribable
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 pso-
pie. Of the pleasure offered,
and indVlged in here it is better
not to SAY word Then there
is the dancing room of Alexandroff On
the stage the ballet dancers perform
such pieces as "a Wife to Hire" and
on the floor the public, sometimes as
many as a hundred pairs at q 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 czar's 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. It 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
persecute; they fear nothing of the jol-
ly men and frivolous women who fire.
quent Orpheums, Golden Palaces, Pal
aces of Pleasure, dancing rooms and 9TH
er places of the kind. And this state Of
things exist throughout Russia ID all
towns and villages. It is kind of in
ternal policy of the present ministry.
What 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 chari-
table and educa tional institutions ua-
der her Majestys protection. It is an
imperial privilege to make and sell cards
here