Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-12
ALL WERE DRUNK.
Queer Method of Consecrating 6
Church in Russia.

quote Ine lOllONluS w Istd ~ lin
Guilty in getting post-horses until Just
before dark ON Monday evening, when
we reached the station of Tuinopoyo
rotnaya (Too-rin-o-po-vo-rotenah-yah YAH,
about fifty miles from Chita, and found
the whole village in a state of hilarious
intoxic alton. Sleighs filed with young
men aud BOYS we've careerlng hlther and
thitber with wild whoops and halloos /;
long lines of peasant girls in bright
colored calico dresses were unsteadlly
promenading back and forth in the
streets with their arms around one an
other and singing Hioroc0d songs the
stetiou-house was filed with flushed
aud excited people from neighboling
settlements, who had evidently heen
participating in celebration OF some
kind. and were about stan ting for Their
homes the station -mlste-, who perhaps
had not finished his celebration, was no
where to lie found there was not
driver about the stables and the 'ssa-
rosta' (stah-ro-stah), a short, fat old man.
who looked like burgher from Amster-
dam. was so drunk that e~e" With the
aid Of a cane he could hardly sta d ON
his feet. In vain We tried -. ertain
the reasons for this uprising epidemic of
TO explain TO rs what had happened.
from the excited and more or less inco-
herent conversa ion Of the intoxicated
travellers in the station-house, | learned
that even the village priest was so drank
that he had to b. taken home IN sleigh
by the sobsrest OF his FAR shioners. Ii
tho statiCn-master, the starosta, the vi
lage priest, the drivers, and all OF the IN
habitaats We're drunk, there WAS evidently
no prospect OF oT being able to get
horses In fact, we could not find any
| body who seemed sober enough to know
the difference between a horse and his
I harness. We therefore brought our bag
gage into the crowded station-house and
| sat down in an unOccupied corner TO
study intoxicated humanity and await
further developments. Every person IN
the house was drunk, except ourselves
and one small baby.
about nine o'clock the noise, tumult
end shouting in the village streets began
10 suhs:de the station master, whose
intoxication had taken the form of severe
official dignity, suddenly appeared, and
| ia tone of stern menace wanted to know
where the post drivers were and what all
| this disorder meant. Finally, when we
had almost abandoned the hope Of ever
getting away, a really sober man III a
Jagged sheepskin coat emerged f'om the
darkness and reported in a business-like
manner to the station-niaster that the
horses were ready for US. The drunken
and irate official, who seemed DESTROYS
Of indicating his dignity and authority
In some way, overwhelmed the unfortu-
nate driver with abuse, and ended by
fning him fifty kopecks neither for
icing sober or for having our horses
ready, / do not know. We piled our
baggage into the sleigh, climbed IN upon
IL, and rode out of the intoxicated set
Element with thankful hearts. As the
last faint sounds of Ieyelly died away III
the distance behind us, ! aid to the
drive whats the matter With every
body in this yillagel The whole popu-
lation seems to be drunk.
"sTheyve been consecrating a new
church, said the driver, soherly.
sConsecratng church = | ex-
claimed in amazemant. is that the way
You consee rats churchesT
81 don't know he replied. Some
times they drink. After the seryic they
had gulainia "a SORT OF holiday promen-
ade with music and spirituous refresh
ments), and some of them crooked then
elbows too often.
Z" Some of them repeated. 'AH OF
them. you mean. You're the only sober
man I've seen in the place. How does
it happen that you're not drunk
"'I'm not a Christian, he replied,
with quiet simplicity. I'm a Buriat.
GAS Christian not a member Of
the Holy Orthodox Church, was 81
fenced by the unconscious irony OF .,, th .'
reply. The only sober man in , ylii1ft.
of three or four hundred inh md Jl..ss.
P Peep fined So # fifty pEopeolss. *
Official oaSi ], for not gssit,jsass. t.
s sasn zee -. oE
IsNg =