New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-22
HOLY RUSSIA.
orsrRA CTIONs OF a PILGRIM IN SEARCH
OF THE Observation-Disclosures
ASSOCIATIONS AND SUPERSTl-
TIONs-THE KREMLIN WITH
AND WITHOUT PER
SPECTIVE.

AND WITHOUT PER-
SPECTIVE.
Moscow. August "a
wise man has said that the value Oh traNe'
.o,s,sts nor so much in what one mas IN io'
49,, .o,,r.,ies as in what one takes into them
,,odsyn Greece as a desolate land. tenanted by
.,,r,a race unworthy Of its heritage, is dlsap-
,r,,,c n the ord nary sightseer; but II IL
.o,,sscrr,d into n glorious country If one car
rios with him a sympathetic nina anu ""'
,or,-,,ion for rebuilding the temples. for re-
.,o,,ine the academic groves and for living
anew among Homers men. the warriors ..
Marathon and ThermOpyle, and the orators anu
s,ces 81 Athens. Under the white glare Oh INC
,,,deumn,er sun i IS hardly possible Tor 'he
mos, sentimental traveller to ideaIZe MoS'o"
IN This way The only historical asSocId'io"'
n fascinate the imagination are those CON
nec,ed with Napoleon's triumphant eH'iS anu
enforced retreat All else is 1umoie OF i"t'a'
barbarisrn and coronation ceremonial i"c
stranger has been dreaming OF orieh'al mar
,,on,ee Of color and the splendors Of the Krem-
lin. and he awakes among green comes ous'!
souares mink ninarets. wretched novels and
Golden crosses. to find himself in Babei OF
ear-snlj,ing noises and in a Cologne Of varied
etc
coal for 4 sentimental journey than Moscow
Fortunate indeed, is the traveller VINO ieaNeS
his illusions and his nerves behind him, and
reserves Cor Moscow a low degree of sensioill'N'
W. arrives at a station in an arid square several
miles from the hotels, and when his bargain Is
r,ads with the drosky driver in long blue
dressing-eown he is rafting and banging
wildly over the cobblestones Of the worst pave
,oents in the world. The jolting is maddening;
the noise is deafening. Mile after mile is 'ra-
versed at full speed. and there is a cloud OF
6ne dust with a loud rumble like musket-4ring
q, close range whenever another drosky is
nassed Meanwhile the passenger. with aching
head and bruised bones, is straining his eyes
for the earliest glimpses Of something sui'-
GENTLY picturesque and bizarre to satisfy nm
that he is in the mystic White City; and for
the greater part Of the way he can see nothing
tut mean streets rough timber novels and plas'
fer shops with here and there a cOarsely painted
church with bulb shaped towers and a gi!ded
mr. green dome with a spiral twist. AS the
hotel quarter is approached the horses pace
ouckens. and the drosky swings around the
last corner with nerve-rendins clangor. The
hubbub and turmoil n:,ve begun. and Will not
end until the traveller has shaken off the dust
from his feet at the railway station and chat
fered for the last time with a drosky-driver.
Moscow has a circuit Of nearly twenty-eight
miles. and the distance is eight miles across
from rim to rim. Whoever walks can see little
unless he remains for weeks in the city.
II the searcher after the picturesque be not
distracted by the never-ceasing noise or the
streets he will be disabled by the stenches FOR
the enjoyment Of the Kremlin. the mosque-like
churches and the converts. The guide whom he
employs will leave distinct trail behind him IN
the air Every church which he visits VIII be
!. boratory Of foul odOrs. Every tradesnmn IN
the bazaar, every driver in his box, every waiter
in the hotels every beggar mumbling in the
outer porch Of a church and every nun crossing
herself before an icon in convent will have an
ATMOSPHERE more or less mephitc from coarse
diet and uncleanliness. Moscow may be the
sanctifed capital which e,ery good Russian
reverences. but it is musty unwholesome and
unsanitary town. 1t is not without reason that
the priests when a church is crowded with wor-
shippers 90 up and down the pavements swing
ing their censers and scattering incense. Ihere
are five hundred churches in Moscow. but no.
where is an altar raised to the unknown goa OF
c,oanliress. The hotels reek with the smells Of
rancid cabbage and every church and monas-
terry. with its diamond studded icons. Is tainted
This is in midsummer when the winds Of heaven
are sveepjng through the long streets and barren
squares and duting the stenches. What must
Holy Moscow be in midwnter. when every WIN
dow is barred by double sashes against the cold
and every temple and convent is Theoretically
scaled. and when the icebound river is Uttered
with the accumulations Of ofal?
THE PICTURESQUE. WITH BACKGROUND.
If ba
and nauseated by the foul breath OF the town.
the sensitive traveller is appalled, by the balefu
associations. the vagaries Of Tartar architecture
and the degrading superstltions Of Moscow. He
passes from the labyrinthian alleys Of the New
Bazaar into the arid Red Square. ornamented
with group Of statuary in honor Of Menin. the
patriotic cattle dealer. and naLked by the high
walls Of the Krernln. II is a bleak and dusty
place. where a few mutilated trees are strug-
Cling for life: and at the upper end is a freakish
Tartar cathedral, which could only have been
designed by architects with disordered minds.
IT is St Basil with eleven domes and nine octa-
CONS. and maze Of chapels and crypts. IT is
Oriental mosque, with an incongruous ad-
mixture Of Gothic lines. Every dome cupola.
minaret and bulb is ribbed and futed in a dis
t!nct style and painted differently There is a
Kaleidoscope effect OF color which heightens the
incOherence Of the design. one is well prepared
10 believe the older legend that Ivan " ordered
the architects eyes 10 be put out so that he
might never build another unsightly church. as
well as the more authentic tradition that Ma
poeon. after stabling cavalry horses within.
gave futile directions that the mosque should be
destroyed. 1t is h!deous and unsettling. Yet it
Is a characteristic monument for ST. Basil was
an idiouc beggar. reverenced as miracle
worker and he is buried there among the chains
and heavy crosses which he wore for penance;
and sick children and lunatics are taken To this
day to his shrine in hope Of cure.
In front Of ST. Basil is the circular stone trib-
une. from which the edicts OF the ancient Cars
were proclaimed: and in the open space beyond
is the scene OF the infamous executions. where
L. ILL !, ctl.l 49,