The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-24

Emperor palaologus, are passed; the towers and
minarets O. the Eastern capital become DINNER
and DINNER in the distance, and at last the
steamer energies in the open sea. Two days and
two nights pass and them on Inc morning of the
third day, the traveller awakes and knows
he is in Russia by the strange faceE
and uniforms around him. They fare there to
see that none leave the vessel without authority.
And no one is given authority to leave until he
has submitted to the doctors inspection and
produced his passport 1t was motley creW
the doctor had to examine that morning-Euro-
peans Turks, Tartars, Arabs and specimens Of
dozen other people passed before him in singia
file while he looked at their tongues or punched
them in the ribs to ascertain their physical con-
dition. Fortunately all were in good health, and
as soon as the officers had examined the pass
ports were permitted to land.
~ entering Russia it Is necessary to be cir
regard to the literature you take
with yon Pool, vamined at all seaports
v. $3.50; DooAs arc -. advocating free
dom or denounclng tyranny are confscalo~.
for newspapers, those that do not fill all the re-
quirements of the Russian censorship are run
through an mixing machine and then ironically
returned to the owner. A disagreeable thing
about this business is that often the official does
not understand the book or paper he is examin-
ing and, to be on the sure side, condemns it to
the daubing press. In this way it not infre-
quently happens that the most innocent poems
fairy tales returned to their owner after
being daubed with ink anu rendered wholly
illegible. Lord Byrons works. by the way. are
not permitted in Turkey His poems are con-
sidered too democratic, and calculated to arouse
the Greek and reawaken his dreams of liberty.
Odessa presents a very handsome appearance
from the sea- The buildings are modern and
imposing. there is a magnificent fight of marble
stairs hundred feet wide, leading from the sea
to the summit of the bluff Oh which the city
stands. while the streets seem to one Just from
the labyrinth of winding filthy alleys in Siam
ooul. collection of the finest and handsomest
avenues In Europe. They ara broad and well
paved, and on each side, fanking the wide side
walks, Is double row of shade trees. This
is not the case on or two streets oaly,
but the great majority are so shaded, adding
no little to the general elegance and beauty q
the city.
One of the first things that strikes the stran-
gers attention in Russian town is the peculiar
appearance of the cabmen, or of the ''iswosch-
tschlk, as they are called in Russian. They
wear long, clumsy looking dress that touches
the ground. In the middle. for foot above an5
below the waist, it is plated and thickly padded
with cotton or wool, a very good sort of cushion,
but when 'cabby" iswoschtschik) stands up his
great gown protrudes in the middle in way most
suggestive and ridiculous. His bushy head
is generally surmounted by the tiniest sort
of queer style Derby hat. The cab he
drives is almost as absurd The dashboard
and, indeed whole front part is made of sheet
iron, the seat is very small and uncomfortable
and as there is no cover or back it is often not
an easy matter to keep seated when driving over
rough ground or turning sharp corner. Over
the horses neck is an arch or hoop sticking up
two feet more and hung with bells.
The overcoat of fashionable Circassian con-
tains on the breast row of cartridge-po pockets,
and at his side he carries a sword or hanger
These gentlemen wear their trousers stuffed Id
very high topped boots, and present quite
AZ
ter through the streets, occasionally toying
with the gun sword at their side saw
several of them in Odessa. and as l gazed upon
them from a respectful distance they brought up
thoughts of the festive cowboy in the far West
The far West and far East agree in this respect.
If in no other--both can show some rather wild
and weird looking specimens of humanity. OF
course. l would not assert that Russian ladies
partake in this regularity of character but GER
tainly if some things which occur in Odessa may
be taken criterion they, too, have little OF
the Western 'chic' about them. It is not at all
unusual to see the incest dressed ladies spring
on or off a street-car while in notion and the
sight of lady smoking excites in Russia no
more remark than does O mans drinking glass
of beer in Germany.
Russia is like vast prison. The prisoner in
q dungeon can walk within certain confines free
ly rs the freest. 1t is only when he would GO
further that he encounters the walls and is
stopped. So in Russia. as long you remain
within a narrow limit you may possibly forget
that you are in prison. It is difficult to forget
it. though, when you would stir. The walls. the
officers. meet you at every turn. On arriving ak
a hotel, the first thing demanded is your
which you must carry to tbs
police and have registered and stamped, you,
by the way having to foot the bill for the regis
tration and stamp. When you leave city the
police must again be notified, and from begin
ming to end it seems as if every conner is sus-
pected of being Nihil;st or dynamiter 1t is
dangerous to converse on social or political
topics. Each suspects the other of spying. Ii
is easy to be denounced and so easy to be
waltzed off to Siberia. that the truth of the
proverb, ''Silence is golden" is appreciated in no
other part of the earth as it is in Russia.