The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-07-21
LETTER FROM RUSSIA

L. ANDREWS, ~ Bowdoin St., Boston.
LETTER FROM RUSSIA.
The New England Journal of Educa-
ton has letter, written by E. Hopkins,
from Moscow, which has great interest
for other readers than those for whom it
was, primarily, written. We copy as
follows: The editor of Moscow news
paper told me that Naples, CONSTANT
nOple, and Moscow are the only cities
where the city people proper are never
found on the streets. They never prom
enade or drive Inside except they are
imperatively obliged to. The streets are
thronged entirely with country people
and peasants of the lowest classes, and
selling the cheapest sorts of wares.
This is entirely true of Moscow, and the
Russians take particular pride in the
fact. They call st. Petersburg a fash
| ionable European town, not representa-
tive of Russia or the Russians; but Mos
COW is their ideal.
Tolstoi is making a visit here from his
country home in lula. The peasants,
| for whom he has sacrificed himself, re-
gard him as an anti Christ They tell
me that he would be banished if he were
not regarded insane. These opinions of
himself have caused him to wish to be
reinstated in his countrymen's favor as
great novelist but no philosopher. By
their descriptions of him we conclude he
has re3anted all his heterodoxies.
We visited the wonderful church
where the Cars and Czarinas are crown.
ed, and stood on the very spot where
they have all stood for many SUGGESTIONS.
The natives resent to this day that Ma
poleon stabbed his horses in this church.
The walls are mostly plated with gold.
The ikons are richly studded with won
derful jewels. One poor man is wearing
out in the copper mines of Siberia for
biting a jewel from an ikOn frame while
he was kissing it, as the good people al.
ways kiss ikon frames. 1t is not diff
cult to get sent TO Siberia or banished
from the country if one is a Russian.
The widow of a nobleman married the
man who had served her husband as a
barber. For this the Gar forbade her
to visit Russia any more.
There are some. most splendid visions
to greet the eyes in Moscow. From the
Kremlin yard in front of the imperial
home we overlook green-roofed build
ings shining in the May sun under the
shadows of six hundred gilded minarets
of our Saviour; the quaintest and grand
est is st. Basil. At the top of the main
dome in the Church of our Saviour is a
magnificent picture of God, which i'm
pressed me deeply. The guide could
not tell the name of the artist, neither
could the alert, intelligent, and interest
ing editor; nor indeed could the young
Russian doctor who had seemed to be
so accurate in everything and so well
posted.
The height of the dome of this church
is so great that in order for the picture
to be strong the circumference of one
eye measures nine feet; the dove de-
scending from the Fathers bosom to the
head of the head of the child measures
twenty-one feet, and everything else in
like magnitude. There are pictures by
Semiradski and Repine on the lofty walls
which makes me feel as if the human
mind must sometimes breathe divine
ideas The young editor informed us
that none of Verestchagin's pictures
were permitted in the church, but the
guide and the quiet doctor said that
some of the stupendous conceptions of
Bible scenes are Verestchagin's. We en-
counter these contradictions of state
ments everywhere, and it is on this ac-
count the writers about Russia differ so
much. They see things which interest
them, and take the word of their new
Russian acquaintance and the informa-
| ii n of the guides through couriers or
interpreters, and then what they write
is so erroneous that when it comes back
in print it is carefully blotted out by the
faithful vigilants on the frontier. The
| fascinating architecture of the Church of
St. Basil keeps us standing outs de while
the ragged beggars clamOr and rub
against us in drOves. So many domes
on one roof and all so beautiful remind
us not only of the deeply religi 'us char
acter of this people but at the same time
of the historic fact that John the Fourth
put out the eyes of the Italian architect
who planned the church that there might
not be another like it. He built it to
commemorate the capture of KazaD.
We hear a great deal about Kazan in
the large cities. A diamond from this
district came as gift to the Church OF
| our Lady in st. Petersburg and is placed
over the forehead of the ikon of Jesus.
| 1t is nearly as large as baby's fist, and
of immense value. l gazed long time
at that glittering multitude of diamond
stars of which it is chief.
The painting of our Lord stands in
perspective far forward from the dark
sky, and real diamond stars shine under
the lighted candles forever giving an
alive presence to the midnight vault OF
deep sky, star studded, and to the face.
Our interpreter is the same one who
piloted Gen. Grant over the breakers OF
Russian speech. He always takes
charge of the Prince of Wales when he
comes visiting his wife's sister, the
Czarina. At st. Petersburg they told us
that after the royal private lunch served
to the General and Mrs. Grant there was
a great ball at the Winter Palace, to
which Mrs. Grant was not invited. No
body ever knew why this happened
We three travellers occupied the suit al
hotel d Europe, in st. Petersburg, which
the General used while there. In Mos
COW we take our dinners where he some
times dined. There we see the Russian
ladies and gentlemen smoking together
The ladies seem to smoke as skillfully
as the men.
GUARANTEED CURE.
We authorized our advertised druggist