Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-08-17
WEALTH OF THE RUSSIANS.
OUTSIDE WORLD KNOWS LITTLE
ABOUT THIS COUNTRY.
Riches Ina Number Of Commodities
so Vast the Owners Have
Idea Ia Their
Real Worth.

Possibly the railroads and the tele-
graph lines may reveal Russia. turn
the country inside out, as 1t were, but
at present il is "A mysterious country.
much about Russia and less about the
Russians. The greatest uncertainty
prevails as 10 who are the real Rus
slams. Everybody knows that there
are ia Russia, as subjects of the ear,
! Poles and Germans and Firms and Ar
menianS. Everybody has seen these,
but how many Americans have known
! Intimately Russian, a real Slav-one
OF the people who were before Peter
the GrcatE
! Everything that is told about these
people and their country has an air, n
/ color Of mystery. Kennan's travels
/ sound like those of Marco Polo. All
! that The Russians say about them
selves as Turgenieff's and Tolstoy's
stories seem of quite another world.
The general idea about Russia is that
nearly everybody in ii is very poor
/ And yet the country itself is rich Ii
: Is full of all sorts of resources. and
/ while the riches may not he very
evenly distributed, there is great
wealth collected, as ii were. in spots.
here and there.
! There died not long ago a Russian,
General Alexander Basilewski. His
property consisted Of gold mines in ST
IBERIA. How many gold mines and of
what richness may not be known He
Inherited them, for the Basilewskis
have always owned gold mines When
they have needed spending money
they have dug il out OF their own
ground BESIDES, Basilewski owned
sturgeon fisheries, nearly all In Rus
STA. and men We're always drawing up
wealth for him out of the bowels of
the earth and out of the waters. As
TO landed property, he did not merely
own farm, and plantations he owned
countries. But he lived in Paris. He
went there soon after the Crimean
war, IN which he distinguished him
self, AMI never had any other resi-
dence is the misfortune OF the rich
Russian that he has no country. The
more he receives from his native land
the less he cares for it, He regards
Russia rs a place where his wealth
would lac Of no use 10 him Paris. i'm
Europe, IN the world. Is his fayorite
residence Gen. Basilewski lived i'm
Paris. lie collected the finest gallery
OF pictures in Europe, and he built a
palace 10 hold il. But a queer thing
happened 70 him. He was divorced
from bis wife, and then he tired of his
pictures and his palace. He made a
present of The gallery to the ear of
Russia and an ex-queen coming along
one day-lsabella of Spain-he sold
her the palace. Nobody but Russians
do such things.
There is a Russian family. the Dem
idoifs, who own incalculable gold and
silver mines, and besides have nearly
monopoly of lapis-laZuli and mala-
chite There is still another-the
foupouSouffs-who control almost the
ehtlre output of the world in tur-
quoises. The Princess Youpousoff
who Is the heiress of it ALL is the de
scendant in the third generation. from
an American named Elton, who en-
tered the service of the Gar Paul
about the close of the last century.
The mystery of mysteries is what is
to become of all this Russian wealth.
The Russian of the real type cares to
accumulate. not wealth in stocks and
bonds and deeds, but in gold, silver,
jewels, objects Of art and luxury. lie
has the tastes of an Oriental, Il bar
barian. Bon Gaultier says the richest
and most powerful Russian sleeps on
sort Of leather couch. He says this is
In order that when the time comes he
may roll up his bedding at moments
notice, and go back to Tartary. from
whence he came.
The Russian, from the little which
we can hear. does not seem to be do
ing much for Russia. AS far as spend
Ing money for religion goes, he may
deck affairs and cover images with
plated gold. but he does not found and
build orphanages or asylums or char
tiles What he gives Is to God and his
saints direct. not to his poor people Ii
would not seem that RUSSIA is very
much happier for all its riches. 1t ap-
pears that Paris has rather the best OF
IL.
Here we have a great country grow
ing richer. but not better or happier.
Here are gold. silver, lapis lazuli. NAL
achite wheat, petroleum. sturgeon.
leather, all accommodating and creating
wealth. and nobody doing ANYTHING
for Russia with 1t. VIII this ever
changer No one knows. The Rus
sian speaks of his country as "IIoly
Russia but he does not care TO have
1t any holier or freer or happier He
goes away. if possible, where he may
have no sight OF Russia. Possibly this
Is because liberty does not know Rus
STA. Liberty does not enlighten Rus
STA. Perhaps she Is waiting for an in
Production Kansas City Star.
Once Was Enough.
This is one of Gen. Miles stories. In
the confederate army Longstreets
40. t..t.s