The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-07

so immense that 1t is hard to see how they
can succeed. Nearly the whole Asiatic
trade OF tile empire is dependent upon it,
and its thousands Of boats move no and
down 1t In a vast amending caravan of ships
aud barges. A few miles above here at
kaZan all of the Siberian trade enters the
VOiga, ard this river may be called the
great trade artery of European and Asiatic
Russia, which sends out its branches TO
every part OF this vast empire.
At this writing In July the people are
fearful as TO the present crop. GraSshOp-
peTs have begun TO make their appearance
and there IS danger OF drought. A few days
of good rains may turn the scale and bring
everything out all right, but continuance
OF the present weather viii ruin the pros
poets of good harvest. | saw to-day a vast
ssemblage OF peasants going out with the
priests into the country to pray for rain.
They were bareheaded and barefOoted and
they carried the sacred banners OF their
churches, on which wers painted pictures
of the Savior aud the saints, and they
marched with their heads down, crossing
themselves IS they went. 1t was at
he biggest Russian church OF Sa-
nara that this procession was formed
and / happened to be there at the time it
came together. / saw perhaps 100 men,
women and children standing about the
door and stopped to photograph them, when
the bells rang out, and from all quarters the
people began TO assemble. There cams
hundreds OF women in short red dresses and
long red aprons, wearing handkerchiefs
about their heads, AID these handkrrchiefs
we're Of all the coloTs IF the rainbow. There
came hundreds of bareheaded boys and
nareheaded girls. and half Of the harefooted.
sarelegged women had batebeaded babies
ia their arms. There came hundreds of
SarefoOted men with THAR hats in their
aands or with 10 hats at all, and through
this motley mass marched nun Der OF bare
headed priests In black gowns with
long black hair hanging down their
backs. These entered the church and
presently came out with holy banners.
As they did so many of the people fell pros-
trate on the ground and some bumped their
heads against the cObbestones in adOra-
tisn. Every man and woman, boy aud girl
made the sign OF the cross many times
ever. and as the priests moved onward the
thousands of bareheaded, barefooted
people went with them, crossing themselves
and praying as they did so. 10 this way
they marched throughout the town, and
they will now go 10 some shrine ia the
country and there repeat IN cir prayers for
rain. / saw similar procession at VOlsk
the other day, and / understand that the
people are praying for rain all along the
V0lga. They are as class very deyout and
they offer more prayers in proportion to
their population than any other people in
the world.
Much of the American corn and -four
cams to Samara. and / have had talks with
the men who had charge of it and who
aided in iis distribution. | am now travel
ing with DR.. j. b. Hubbell of the American
Red Cross Society, and we have visited
many OF the districts TO which our supplies
were sent AS far as ] can find every bit Of
the American gifts have been wisely and
con scientiously distributed, and here at
SamaTa the authorities would not give even
samples of the corn to people who wanted
them for planting, but who were not in