The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-24

An audience of between 1000 and 5000
listened to DR.. ]. E. Talmage's illus
trated lecture at the tabernacle last
night on Sights and Scenes In Rus
sia-' The NJ. l. A. for whose benefit
it was given. reaped a bountifuI har-
vest and the audience spent a very en-
tertaining evening.
The lecture was Illustrated by vivid
stereOpticOn views from photographs
taken by DR.. Talmage during his recent
trip through the land of the car.
Preceding the lecture. music was
male quartette, and opening prayer was
offered by Elder Willard Done.
COMPARATIVELY UNKNOWN.
The Russians. said Dr. Talmage. are
comparatively unknown to the rest of
the world. chiefly because the author
tiles have been lOath to admit visitors
Recently there has come a change in
this respect and Russia realizes the
benefits which would come from a more
liberal intercourse with other European
nations
The first characteristic of the peas
antry which Expresses a visitor is their
childish simplicity and the immaturity
of their intellectual development. The
reference to hairy and shaggy Rus
STA" if it is meant to imply that there
is an element of fierceness in the Rus
slams, gives a false impression. They
are generally subdued in nature, and
their courtesy almost reaches servility.
For all that, they are tyrannical to-
wards their interiors, probably a con-
sequence of the long serfdom under
which they have lived. Fortunately,
that social barbarism was abolished
about 40 years ago.
The Russian peasantry are exceeding
ly devout, and their religious observ-
ances are almost wholly ceremonial
Shrines are everywhere, from the rich
cathedral to the little cross erected at
the roadside or on the unfrequented
desert &
In language. dress and habits they
are strikingly distinct from other cOun-
tries and show that their national in
dividuaIity has been maintained
PATRIARCHAL GOVERNMENT.
They still hold to a patriarchaI form
of government. A family, with all the
relatives, form a community, over
which the oldest is the ruler. They look
upon the nation as one great family
the father of which is the car. The
women have a social standing which
is not enviable, as they engage in man
ual labor and are often employed as
section hands on the railways.
The country is very sparsely settled.
The average number of Inhabitants is
~ TO the square mile. They are used
TO holding property in common, and
when, in 1861, serfdOm was abolished
the mendieants were given a certain
amount of land. This land is frequent
~ redistributed by lot in accordance
with the size of the families.
There is no popular or general edu-
cation in Russia, but recently the
country has been divided into univer-
Sity districts from which beneficial re-
suits may be expected. Still. the
charge of illiteracy made against the
Russians is well founded The gov
eminent has confessedly been afraid
Of the general dissemination of knowI
edge. The more progressive are enter
ing a protest against this intellectual
and this element is repre-
sented by the nihilists A nihilist is
not necessarily an anarchist. They are
Of two classes; one class seeks merely
to have knowledge more generally dis
the other seeks to gain its
ends by force and terrorism.
GREATEST IN EXTENT.
Russia is the greatest empire in ex-
tent the world has ever known 1t coy
ars one-half of Europe. one-third Of
ASIA and One-SlXth or the globe
At this point the stereopticOn views
were manipulated, showing Russian
scenes and peasant life, from the low
IRA; country to Siberia and the great
cities.
The Finland people, said DR.. Talmage.
are uniformly neat and clearly and
have little patriotism for Russia.
The steppes are series of wide
plains. A weed grows there called the
wind witch, which, with a wind behind
L, speeds faster than any COssack
horse.
SIBERIAN EXILES.
Most of the exiles To Siberia are given
freedom, but are required
10 report at stated times.
The Russians are not given to drunk
enness more than other European ma
ions. They are a good and sturdy race
and viii some day be heard from in