New-York tribune., 1894-01-07
SOME RUSSIAN SCENES.
INTOLERANCE-EXOR
DEMONS OF DISEASE.
st. Petersburg. December q

and Paris have them constantly changing from
season to season. ST. Petersburg. too has its
share. There have been half dozen great ex-
hbtions here within couple of years and now
enjoying of the most novel and inter-
esting Of all 1t IS the Czarevitch's show in the
Winter Palace; a display of the trophies and me-
mentos of his travels. Perhaps the place itself
is as attractive to the sghtseers the objects
shown. For it is seldom. indeed. that the general
public ever gets glimpse of the interior Of the
great red palace the Neva. jealousy
guarded is 1t. OutWardly It Is enormously big
and unspeakably ugly And inwardly. too, 1t Is
ugly enough in many respects. though 1t contains
some of the most splendid state apartments in the
world, and an Imperial bali in its vast salons
is the most brilliant and gorgeous spectacle
Imaginable. There are. moreover. innumerable
treasures Of art the walls os the various rooms.
But all these things are usually to be only
By the privileged few. Great. therefore, is the
popular interest to enter the palace now, when
one wing Of it is turned into an exhibition build
ing. open to all who can pay the moderate ad-
mission fee at the gates. And since the proceeds
are to go to the Society for Saving Life at Sea,
a triple interest in the exhibition is aroused.
The exhibition itself Is an extraordinary one.
Il contains all the objects collected by the Care
witch during his travels. arranged in rooms cor
responding to the countries he visited One room
Is devoted to India another to China another 10
japan. another to Siberia. and 50 on. The
articles include trophies Of the chase, gifts from
rulers and the people and many things purchased
by the Princes. The Indian room, for example.
contains many tiger and leopard skins. antique
arms and armor. and the exquisite artwork of
the Hindus. In the room devoted to Java is an
image of the God of the Chase standing some
fifteen feet high elephants legs, with two
supplementary hind-quarters clawing the air.
the claws being made Of half a dozen buffalo
horns. The face battles description. the jaws be-
ing set with Wild beasts teeth and the neck coll
Jared with decr's antlers with four enormous
horns on the head. while the body is covered with
a lcOpards skin. In this same room Is huge
stuffed crocodile shot by His Imperial lIighness.
at least twenty feet long. ana most perfect pair
OF elephant tusks thick as a mans leg and
measuring nearly six feet along the curve.
The largest Of the collections. and in some
respects the most interesting is that from
Siberia. 1t contains great array of salvers
presented to the Czarevitch by the different
provinces. towns. corporations and even villages
through which he passed There are hundreds
Of these. mostly in massive silver gilt. and bear
ing the monogram Of the heir apparent, with
the armorial device Of the province and some
suitable inscription Each one is a masterpiece
in lis way and has been fashioned by the most
expert workers. The salver from Uralsk s simply
blazing with diamonds and other precious stones.
ANA side by side lies lttl. wooden platter,
worth. perhaps. half-a-crown: From the peas
ants of the village of -" Others are in ivory
and I'm porcelain and not the least curious are
one In Ignite and another in agate. This coll
lection alone is worth long visit, and shows
the finest specimens of Russian modern art In
al mi rhar ais fpw
coors by Siberian artists. which are very Curl
Gus in their crude vigor, especially when one
glances up from the cases in which they are
shown to the grand old masters which line the
walls of the Winter Palace. and sees side by side
the rough effort OF "A Kamschatkan genius of to-
day ana the canvas Of Nernet or Poussn.
\ history Of the Czarevitch's travels Is also
being published. II is a large work in several
volumes and Is appearing in Russian. German
French and English editions II is elaborately
illustrated in black and white. and the original
drawings for the plates form conspicuous part
IF tn. Winter Palace exhibition.
Poland always restless. is Just now in n par
tculary troubled state. The Government is
waging war against all religions but the Greek
Church, ana in Poland Is especially severe
against the Roman Catholics 1t forbids the use
of any language I'm public worship save Russian.
If YOU want To talk To God" said a Russian
officer you must speak To- Him in Russian
But In Poland thcre,are mutitudes who do not
know Russian. and in Roman Catholic churches
the use OF latin IL necessary. Orders have been
issued however. to break up all gatherings at
which anything but Russian is used. and an
army Of Cossacks has been detailed to enforce
IN, law At several places the Cossacks have
violently entered Roman Catholic churches.
broken up the services and driven ont the priests
and worshippcrs under the lash or at the point
Of the bavonei. At on" place they killed the
priest at the altar ard dozen of the people.
N another. four priests and siXty-t!ve people
were Killed. and 50 were nearly Il score of the
Cossacks. for a general fight prevailed.
All over Poland the troops are 'quartered upon
tho. people just as in conquered country in
wartime Nominay the Government pays few
cents Il day each for the lodgings of the soldiers
but not "A cent ever reaches the hapless house |
holders upon whom they are betcd. The peo-
plc have therefore. 10 provide free lodgings |
and f,cd for the soldiers. and wait upon them in
the. most s"rve and obsequious manner. In ad- |
diton thny have to endure "A vast amount OF i'll |
treatment at the hands of their guests. The |
worst Of it is that the women are almost in
variably subjected to every possible insult and
indignity. that being the well-ngh universal
practice If Russian soldiers. Against this the |
people dare not always retaliate openly. or even
protest E,it in many instances they take their |
revenge in secret. \ case has just come TO |
light i'm which a young man had his betrothed |
bride and his two sisters shamefully wronged !
lv soldiers 50 that in horror and despair the |
three. girls killed themselves He complained to |
the general in command and was threatened |
with the knout If he did not hold his tongue. |
Thereupon he went quietly away and lay In |
4, fha
Them all three. In cold blood
Winter has checked. but by no means entirely |
stopped the plague of cholera. In St Peters
burg many cases still occur. and elsewhere, !
especially In the southern provinces. the disease
RACES with much virulencc. one OF the chief |
olstacl,s to dealing with II Is found in the ignor-
ante and superstition of the people. They re-
gard the health officer as their natural enemy
ILL IL In Illish llu |