The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-13
THE RUSSIAN BEAR.
| Woman Travellers Trip
in the Cars Kingdom.
IGNORANT. pEPRAvEo. IMMORAL
The GreD superSsirions Of the Church
Tho "Bowery" waltz In the Hears
81 the Worlds Biggest Salt Mine.


eStahs nay a trip through Norway. IL -
solloE 81 today NTH one o. the best de-
ScF3gsase letters. perhaps. ever ptso34sned
OF tie country cf the Russian bear. Miss
ayers stories OF the Greek church II
hlef. The gross superstition OF the people.
encouraged by the car and the metro
polstans. the deprsyify u ne people, and
OF Ter TIP taroug5 the greatest salt mine
ia he wor!a. 100 feet beneath the earth
surface are told ia a bright. racy Way
thai makes them OF vivid interest The
letter follows:
We are now safely Out o. Rassia-e
thing TO feel very grateful for. as tie
weather was hot, indeed. and cholera IL
always &c De dreaded Ia Russia The VA
ter is not used for drinking purposes even
BY Toe natives. and strangers are warned
On al sides not TO touch Il, SO tea and
wine we're our substitutes. II there - any
thing you do not know about wine and
would ike 10, consult either Baedekes
or me, both are reliable authorities
Il have already written o. the deprav-
ity NJ the Russians and can add but LITTLE
more. excepting this: That never visited
a country more ignorant. dspraved. i'm
moral and supersdtious. or where there
are more iieas to the square inch than
Russia can boast of The natives can
truly % called the great unwashed. From
their appearance one would naturally
think the Russians were much afraid
OF the water externally internally.
italy is clean and Constantinople para
disc when compared with Russian me
tropolls.
We visited Kief. the Mecca Of the
Greek church, as the church Of today was
founded there by one Eladirnar, In So A
d. convert OF a Greek philosopher, and
10 this day IL Is called the holy city and
contains his tomb Now. the Greek
church in some respects resembles the
C4tholic. but II Is far mora superstitious.
The car Is not only the head Of the gov
eminent. but Of the Greek church. Next
10 him In authority are three metropoll-
tans, who occupy the same position as
archhishops do in the Roman Catholic
church IL seems TO the average person or
intelligence that X Is the helgb; OF the
ambition OF car and rnetropolitaus 10
keep the Russian people In the grossest
ignorance. For instance, when metro
poIItan dies they are taught 10 believe his
remains never decompose, they wrap
the body in gravecloths. place il In ca
thedrai or In the catacorlbs. with the Id
open and the form OF man plainly des-
cernsbie; a small opening is left on the
forehead about the size OF penny, and
the poor ignorant Russians worship be-
foro this casket and kiss the forehead OF
the dead metropolitan. Candle In hand
"a went through the catacombs. TheF
are much like those In Rome. / vas
very close to a gallant friend OF mine, VINO
on several occasions has promised 10 be
brother To me. and I'll acknowledge 10 a
feeling Of solid comfort when holding on
to his coat-Faiis. We walked what seemed
miles through a narrow tunnel and very
decidedly spooky, the only light coming
from our tallow dips. Occasionally We
would come 10 a shrine OF gold and prect-
GUS stones where the monks were wor-
shipping As We passed on strange sight
4z.f4 N
they called St John--and regarded by
these Russians as a martyr-fcr "a pen
anee was buried up 10 his neck In the
earth in the heart OF these cAtacombs.
He lived in this condition for nfieen years.
after W hitch he died. and today ne remains
In rha same position. with his head COW
cred and Just sticking up out OF the
ground Food was brought this man a.
Intervals until death occurred. Now, OF
course. no Intelligent person believes this
nonsense. but Il is gospel train 10 the
Russians.
s.R.~fore leaving these ancient catacor,hs
I could not resist giving sly poke on the
shoulder OF one OF these so-callsd immor-
tai metropolitans. and Y strangely suS-
gested to my mind generous amount OF
rags so arranged as 10 form the outline
OF a man Indeed. Il IL far more plausible
that the whole OF Russia IS today worship
ping rag babies in form OF dead metro
the church are more than mortal
.+E4.f ia situated on the hanks Of the
roetnar. a muddy, shallow stream. The
city is fun OF churches, tll@f with gold
shrines and Jewels or priceless Naidr
VladimAr. the founder OF the church. IS
trnu4orfalizsd in bronze on an elevation
shoya the river. holding a cross. htch AT
rfvs- :. illuminated with innumerabie
electric lights that can BE- seen all oven
tna CITY Bur rhs cross presented even ID
.hg. t-aautffui Illumination does not carry
10 poo-. ignorant Russia one~haf OF the
beauty. truth and holiness that Intelligent
f.h~faf4ans enjoy. A feeling Of depression
u. ,,.,,s~,,rer,t upon A vtstt 10 this country
a,a after witnessing the Ills you can
~ r.r..fy your next desire IS 70
ln.v. u al ana get snto more
enlightened country
To ys<s; Russia a passport IS necessity
ans every time you stop al hotel the
proprietor sends 10 your room Tor Il 80
Ea~ns = IN his possession nnal just as
vee, ara leaving. when yoa pay any sum
he dictates 20 get Il snto your heepins
again when you arrive CD ms RUSSIAN
frontier vou must show i % govern
rs~at official and get h!S permission %
Rave Russia. He also asks yoa now m ~ n
money yca are taking out 81 the country.
Insses3. after visiting Russia one - &c
w-oe batter acquainted with one's ser
than ever before I very much DOUBT Z
tha proverhsaiIy smart Philadelphia Jaw
yer car ask "a many questions OF any ons
individual as these officials / rsiher re-
aautese being asked On entering - 9o1n-
try z Mas married. engage or intended
>, become so. l replied tast ne question
- ~a~-airlv pertinent. hpt . tae rest q
,,,,s kn>~ledgs a. present I II iErt b con-
Slser@.5 as neutral but Z n the ffrfirS
-s~.-srn.far~ss should - prc9 ,toGs
should Always reEsTd Dtst IS hsV.1s
the eest wishes 81 ire Russian govern
fuest. MAS ret asks any more cues
tlaas-
w arrived = Cracow a. ~ Z tav ana
. rtrA. - sNe train. passing throTlgF \
,>es-trs as ricb. fertile ard ~eli far1aed a.
arv IN chester couatv Wheat q IRE pr.0
.t-,.t .>..,o T~Ne reassats az dress - re-
A. both men ard women scrS = the
ne. = ard yrcsea: pT@tfy 2fcf''Te = th@.r
-,s F7zst4rrss among the rise gan S4s
Ssrrflset a: tAs genera E~TtLifY ~ SGs~
"a whtcA resersseses cfo$ely S2r " astern
rs~..~.sx We are tol4 they <xrsr1 ~ -
.Nf~sss q -sc AGrsot~t - e-asn ra-~sa. N~e %
- n tAa country cels eae~thf~t 3
NJ e--ua-ta- Is versHr~5 saer ere looks al;
ne Ns.f-stRYN~t peasants. SHoes1 ttera
- a fslurc % c~ops oTe SeST AK 70
uvea.s ass..-eiiv re~s.t A Hrc..te en-
tered p,,srs anf Soca ~ N~re IL g o~sl.
.4sas ~ssftrx country SIS ssTfite Huss. 4
ara gar yE~r@ interesting eeCR1se - tne
-Na~x.@E e~rrerv We Scon ec@ o.H - = g
tse ee9en-As-a po,3sh isw. fo~ shsea 10
lars - -e-awre+ p@ca4asr csarac 'sr-
ixtse 20 tnesp Jews 30 clzSte- q Eesr-
* lozsx ce-l - sttAsY ss3e 81 TIE skce
.Ar8 ween thes~ Sayiorks ar - process
. a-a&uE clces - gar ne 4o-E cr-r :
rfav a. ar.lve par II tAs Jew zaarsa~s
= cav Se~0n1-hs see-rs az - p~,-
sas1s7. a-s every rag 1Asie ar,ici~ - =
ese:ass 20 ga irrn car - ~ -cAasst as
sne sre-k ~ eaat &cco~ates tAs ss&e r~&- T.