Connecticut western news., 1892-10-20
If God spares my life I will yet show

If God spares my life I will yet show by facts beyond dispute that the most slandered and systematically lied about nation on earth is Russia, and that no ruler ever lived more for the elevation of his people in education, morals and religion than Alexander III. So put all the three prayers together-God save the president of the United Statesi God save the queen of Englandl God save the emperor and empress of Russial will, whether in sermons or lectures, I have not yet decided, show that nine teen-twentieths of all the things written and published against Russia are fur nished by men who have been hired by other countries to ''write up" or rather write down Russia, so as to divert com merce from that empire, or because of international jealousies. Russia being larger than all the rest of Europe put to- be the jealousies. know of two prom inent European newspapers that keep men on salaries to catch up everything unfavorable to Russia and magnify the incident. And the stereotyped stories of Siberian cruelty in one case out of a hundred is true, but in ninety-nine out of hundred cases they are fabrication. And in the one case, as soon as it is re- ported, the official is discharged. Those who have been sent ito write up" Rus sia and Siberia have done as that man would do who, sent to "write up'' New York, should write up the slums as a specimen of what New York is, or, sent to write up the American congress, should write up some depraved politi- clans as a specimen of American states manship, or, sent to write up the sani- tary condition of this country, should send kodak picture of all the warts and carbuncles he could find as specimen of American health. I believe I can re- verse the opinion of any man antagonis- tic to Russia who will give me an honest hearing, as my own opinions have been reversed by what I recently saw and heard.
 A SLANDERED NATION.
 Before passing to the other field of my summer observation give you one little specimen of the falsehoods about Russia. I stood in London with my tickets for St. Petersburg, Russia, in my pocket. 1t was two o'clock in the after noon, and at three o'clock I was to take the train. An American physician came in and said, ''You certainly are not going to Russia" said, "Why not?" Then a morning paper was shown me, saying that in St. Petersburg there were 2,000 cases of virulent cholera the city had ,x{1 1a1 intO ifol ofr of the doctors were at their wits end what to do with the number of patients; the population was flying in terror. 1t was almost as bad in Moscow. While re- flecting on these accounts two messages arrived from other friends protesting against the foolhardiness of my rushing into the presence of 2,000 cases of chol- era in one city. Of course I halted. l halted for four days. Meanwhile a tele- gram from St. Petersburg encouraged me to go. went. There was not 8 single case of cholera either in St. Pez tersburg or Moscow, and there was not a single case in either city until four weeks after I left those cities. But the continental falsehood had done its con- mercial errand. Tens of thousands of Americans and Engishmen who pro- posed to summer in Russia turned in other directions.
 At the large hotel in St. Petersburg at which I stopped, though capable of holding 800 guests, and months before every room and every hallway and every mattress and every pillow had been en- gagged by telegraph by sightseers, all the orders were cancelled. and instead of 800 guests should think about thirty, and that including our party. And so it was in all the hotels in northern Russia, and the subtraction of that amount of com mercial profit from those cities you may imagine. But that whole subject of systematic fabrication I adjourn to some other hour. Yet must tell you of pie ture of pathos and moral power i'm pressed upon my mind so that neither time nor eternity can efface it. The ship Leo swung to the docks few miles be- low St. Petersburg loaded with four from America. The sailors on, board huzzaed as they came to the wharf. From yacht on which we had descend ed the river to the sea the prominent E The bank was crowded by prosperous citizens who stood on the wharf, and back of them by poor laborers who had come down to offer their services free of all charge for the removal of the bread stuffs from the ship to the imperial freight train that took the flour to the interior free of charge. While we stood there the long freight train rumbled down to the docks, the locomotive and each car decorated with fag-the American flag and the Russian flag al- ternating. Though flag to some eyes is only floating rag, you ought to see how the American flag looks 5000 miles from home. It looked that day like a section of heaven let down to cheer mortal vision. Addresses of welcome and responses were made, and then the
 work began, the only contest being who should lift the hardest and be most ex-
 peditious. From ship to rail train. From rail train to kneading board. From kneading board to oven. From oven to the white and quivering lips of the dying. Upon all who, whether by contribution small or large, helped make that scene possible, may there come the Benediction of him who declared, "I was hungry and ye fed me-"
 THE GOSPEL IN GREAT BRITAIN.
 But I must also give word of report concerning my other errand-the preach ing of the Gospel in Great Britain last summer. It was tour | had for many years anticipated. With the themes of the Gospel I confronted more people than ever before in the same length of ti1ne-multitudes after multitudes, and
 beyond anything I can describe. The
 throngs in all the cities were so great
 that they could be controlled only by
 platoons of police, SO that none should
 be hurt by the pressure, each service in doors followed by A service for the wait