The Delta independent., 1889-11-26
ARELIolous SPREE.
An Entire Russian Town On
Regular Bender.

George Kennan in his Adventures II
Eastern Siberia" in the Century. says,
1--WE had no difficulty in getting pos
horses until just before dark Monday
evening, when We reached the station
Of Turinopovorotnaya (Too-rin-o-po
vo-rote-nah-yah), about fifty miles from
Chita, and found the whole village il
n state of hilarious intoxication
Sleighs filled with young men and boy:
were careering hither and thither with
wild whoops and halloos; long lines O
peasant girls in bright-colored calico
dresses were unsteadily promenadins
back and forth in the streets with their
arms around one another and singing
MorOUod songs; the station-house was
filled with flushed and excited people
from neighboring settlements, who
had evidently been participating in Il
celebration of some kind and were
about starting for their homes; the
station-master. who perhaps had no,
to be found; there was not drive,
about the stables; and the .starosta'
(stahro-stah), short; fat old man
who looked like burgher from Am
sterdam, was so drunk that even with
the aid of q cane he could hardly
stand on his feet. In vain we tried tc
ascertain the reasons for this surpris
ing epidemic of inebriation. Nobody
was sober enough to explain to III
what had happened. From the excit
ed and more or less incoherent conver'
sation OF the intoxicated travellers in
the station-house, l learned that ever
the village priest was so drunk that he
had to be taken home in a sleigh by
the soberest OF his parishioners. II
the station-master, 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 no,
find anybody who seemed sober
enough to know the difference between
n horse and his harness. We there
fore brought our baggage into the
an unoccupied corner to study intoxi-
Gated 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, and shouting in the village
streets began TO subside; the station.
master, whose intoxication had taken
the form OF severe official dignity. sud-
denly appeared. and in tone OF stern
menace wanted to know where tho
post drivers were and what all this
disorder meant Finally, when we
had almost abandoned the hope of eve,
getting away, a really sober man in /,
ragged sheep-skin coat emerged from
the darkness and reported in busi-
ness-like manner to the station mas ter
that the horses were ready for us.
The drunken and irate official, who
seemed desirous of vindicating his
dignity and authority in some way,
overwhelmed the unfortunate driver
with abuse, and ended by fining him
fifty kopecks-whether for being sober
or for having the horses ready, l do
not know. We piled our baggage
into the sleigh, climbed in upon it. and
rode out of the intoxicated settlement
with thankful hearts. AS the last
faint sounds OF revelry died away in
the distance behind us, l said to the
driver: Whats the matter with every
body in this village? The whole popu-
lation seems to be drunk
"'They've been consecrating a new
church, said the driver. soberly.
'Consecrating a church, 1 ex-
claimed in amazement. is that the
way you consecrate churches?'
"'I don't know he replied. Some
times they drink. After the services
they had a gulainia Ia sort of holiday
promenade with music and spirituous
refreshments, and some of them
crooked their elbows too often
",Some OF them!' repeated. All
of them, you mean. You're the only
sober man I've seen in the place.
How does it happen that you're no.
drunkp'
".rm not a Christian he replied,
with quiet simplicity. I'm Buriat.
LAS a Christian-if not Il member
of the Holy Orthodox Church, was
silenced by the unconscious irony OF
the reply. The only sober man in .
village of three or four hundred in
habitants proved to be pagan. and
he had just been fined fifty kopecks by
u Christian official for not getting
drunk with other good citizens and
thus showing his respect for the newly
consecrated edifice and his apprecia-
tion Of the benign influence OF the
Holy Orthodox Faith!'