The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-14
STORIES or PETER THE GREAT
The Bn rbn rinn G enius Who Made the
Empire of RUSSIA.
From the New York Tribune.

!
Among the stories, however, which
have not met with positive contradic-
ton there are many which would seem
to belong more to fiction than to his
tory. For example it is related that
during the earliest days of st. Peters
burg the inhabitants revolted against
living there any longer. In the first
year 100000 had died from pestilence
and food The streets and floors of
the houses were so near the waters
edge that fever ravaged the commu-
nifty and the bitter cold of winter,
when the temperature frequently sank
to 40 degrees below zero, froze to death
many . hardy Cossack who had been
! compelled TO settle there. Accordingly
the people sought the priests to inter-
! cede for them and secure their depart
ure from the hated town.
The Car was living here at the time
in a wooden hut, which is still pre-
served, but the priests waited until Pc
! ter was out of town. Then they called
the attention of the multitude to an i'm
age of the Blessed Virgin which was
weeping copiously.
| Our Blessed Lady weeps for the
sickness and death which aff1ict US. She
| bids us flee this valley of sorrow" said
the priests.
The community had been left in
charge of Count Galofkin. and the
| Count, in alarm, sent posthaste for his
| master. There was no time lost. Pc
| ter was back before he was expected.
AS soon as he saw the weeping image
he tore off the back of it's head and
| discovered a hollow filled with oil,
which kept trickling out through the
eyes.
That's the way your priests make
| fools of YOU" cried the Car, and pick
ing up the image he took it home with
him to add to his collection of curios.
The first building, however, which Pc
ter erected in the city after the fort
| was a church.
| The way Peter handled the image
and disclosed the treachery of the
priests may be justified under the cir
| cumstances. Few, however, would be
so liberal in their religious views as
! to excuse the method which Peter took
| subsequently to make the Office of pa
| triarch ridiculous, and thus rid him
self of high clerical Office which
was a perpetual hindrance to him. On
| three different occasions the Gear is
said to have instituted a mock patri-
| arch with mock conclave. One time he
chose Sotof his clown, to perform the
part of the patriarch. The jester was
81 years old and could barely keep on
| his feet even when sober. In the course
of the performance he was married to
| a widow of 30. The four guests were
the four worst Sufferers of the king
| dom. Four footmen were chosen to
run" beside the bridal carriage who
were so fat they could hardly waddle
| The attendants of the bridegroom and
| the bridemaids were all helplessly
lame. The different members of the
sacred college were first made drunk
so that they could hardly keep awake,
and in this fashion the procession
| started for the church. The streets
| were lined with the populace. The Car
had ordered day of festivity, and ac-
cording to some chroniclers there was
hardly sober man in the place. The
marriage was performed by a priest
nearly 100 years old, who was both
deaf and blind, and who had so nearly
lost his mind that he had to be
prompted.
In the earlier years of his life, Pc
ter was famous for his heavy drinking.
Some who attempted to keep pace with
him on some of his bouts died from the
consequences. Some say that he con-
tracted with habit when mere youth,
because of the evil companions with
whlch his enemies surrounded him in
the hope that ne might go wholly to
the bad. Peter realized that drink was
his worst foe, and in his later years he
succeeded in letting liquor alone At a
olnner which he gave on the 10th day
OF mock patriarch festival, each
guest was compelled, after the various
wines and liquors were drunk through
out the meal, to quaff what was term
ed a double eagle" of wine The
draught was poured into a glass hold
ing half-gallon. Most of the diners
after draining the double eagle" had
TO be carried away in what TODAY
would be called ambulances. One ban
| queter by the name of Kilderman. a.
tutor OF the Car in former days, died
soon after reaching his home. Peter
T was overcome with grief at the news
OF the death of his teacher and set
tied a large annuity upon his window,
AT state dinner Peter was wont to
encourage drinking and scuffling. an
ne said it promoted good fellowship
For this purpose he saw that the ia
oles were never furnished with enough
chairs to go around. Accordingly, the
dinner started off with a free fight for
seats. Those who failed to find seats
were compelled either to sit on the
moor or go without food. Neither were
there enough napkins and after tho
guests who obtained chairs were seat.
ed they began another battle. In the
same way there was always an INSULT
cient number of dishes and knives. so
that many of the guests were COM
PEELED to divide a dish or an eating
utens1l between them to the derision of
their more fortunate fellows, The Gear
cheered on the combatants, and the
greater the noise and confusion the
more he applauded the roisterers.
10 each guest was given a great Gun
of brandy and this fiery potion was fol-
lowed by goblets of tokay wine. Conse-
quently, the greater portion of the as
sembIage became befuddled before even
the soup was served. Throughout the
meal great bumpers of dark beer were
passed around, and Peter, sitting at
the head of the table of honor. sur
rounded with carpenters. shipwrights
and mechanics, shouted to the sena-
tors and foreign ambassadors scatter
ed pell-meH around the other tables.
Drink hearty! Drink heavy! Drink
1t ALL"
AT such dinners the Car often play-
ed practical jokes on his guests which
would hardly be considered good eti-
quette at the present time For example
he you'd have his cooks put mice in
the soup, so that the animals would
not be found until the banqueters had
almost drained the tureen. Again. the
Car would announce after a course
had been eaten that the meat was
that of raven or wolf.
Other dinners, according to some his
torians, were made the occasions for
the slaughter of criminals or traitors.
When Peter was in Holland working in
a Zaandam shipyard so that he might