The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-12-12
A RELIGIOUS SPREE.

In Eastern siberia IN the CeytlnTy we
quote the following: I'VE had no diff
ticulty in getting post horses until just
before dark Monday evening. when we
reached the station of Turinopovorot-
naya Too-rin-o-po-vo-rote nah-yah),
about fifty miles from Cita, and found
the whole village in state of hilarious
iltoxication. Sleighs filled with young
men and boys were careering hither
and thither with wild whoops and hal
loos; long lines of peasant girls in
bright-colored calico dresses were uu-
steadily promenading back and forth
in the streets with their arms around
one another and singing khoroved
songs; the stationhouse was filled with
flushed and excited people from neigh
boring settlements, who had evidently
been participating in a celebration OF
some kind and were about starting for
their homes; the station-master, who
perhaps had not finished his celebra-
ton, was nowhere to be found; there
was rot a driver about the stables; and
the 'starosta' (stah ro-stah), a short,
fat old man, who looked like a burgheT
from Amsterdam, was SO drunk that
even with the aid of a cane he could
hardly stand on his feet In vain we
tried to ascertain the reasons for his
surprising epidemic of inebriation.
Nobody was sober enough to explain
to us what had happened. From the
excited and more or less incoherent
conversation of the intoxicated travel
ers in the station-hOuse. | learned that
even the village priest was so drunk
that he had to be taken home in a
sleigh by the soberest of his parishion-
ers. II the station-master,t the starosta,
the village priest, the drivers, and all
of the inhabitants were drunk, there
was evidently no prospect of our being
able to get horses. In fact we could
not find anybody who seemed sober
enough to know the difference between
horse and his harness. We therefore
brought our baggage into the crowded
station-hOuse and sat down in an I'M
| occupied corner to study intoxicated
humanity and await further develop
ments. Every person in the house was
drunk, except ourselves and one small
baby. -.
About nine o'clock the noise, tumult,
and shouting in the village streets be-
gan to subside; the station-master,
whose intoXication had taken the form
| OF severe official dignity, suddenly APP
peared, and in tone of stern menace
wanted to know where the post drivers
We're and what all this disorder meant
i. =. finally, when we had almost
abandoned the hope of ever getting
away, a really sober man in a ragged
| sheepskin coat emerged from the dark
ness and reported in a business-like
manner to the station-master that the
| horses were ready for us. The drunken
and irate official, who seemed DESTROYS
of indicating his dignity and authori-
| ty in some way, overwhelmed the un-
| fortunate driver with abuse, and ended
| by tining him fifty kopecks whether
for being sober or for having the
horses ready, | do not know We
piled our baggage into the sleigh
climbed in upon il, and rode out of the
! intoxicated settlement with thankful
hearts. As the last faint sounds Of
revelry died away in the distance be-
| hind us, | said to the driver: What :
the matter with everybody in this Will
age, The whole population seems to
be drunk"
| iS y VIC Dtth toIStII itlIl01 hCN
church, said the driver soberly.
"'Consecrating a church. | exclaim.
ed in amazement. Is that the way you
consecrate churches?'
Il don't know he replied. Some
times they drink. After the service!
they had gulainia Ia sort of holiday
promenade with music and spirituou.
refreshments and some of then
| crooked their elbows too often
'"Some of themr repeated. All o
them, you mean. You re the onl,
sober man I've seen in the place. How
does it happen that you re not drunk?
Il IN not a christian he replied
with quiet simplicity, i m Buriat.
LAS a ChriStian-if not member o
the Holy Orthodox Church, was sill
enced by the unconscious irony of thu
reply. The only sober man in villag,
of three or four hundred inhabitant
proved to be pagan and he had jus
been fined fifty kopecks by Christian
official for not getting drunk with othe
good citizens and thus showing his re
spect for the newly consecrated edifc,
and his appreciation of the benign in
fluence of the Holy Orthodox Faith!"