The Saint Paul globe., 1904-08-25
COMING CAR is
DULY CHRISTENED
Royal Infant at the Proper
TimeYells Lustiiy. Which Is
Regarded a Good Omen

ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. "a. = A
wave of rejoicing and festivity swept
over Russia with the rising of the sun
on the christening day OF the heir to
the Russian throne, eliminating when
the Te Deum, softly chanted in the
beautiful little chapel of the Peterhof
palace, announced that the ceremony
was accomplished and the news was
heralded to the world without by the
crash of cannon and the Ginning of
innumerable church bells echoing from
the Baltic to the Black sea, and from
the frontiers of Poland to the confines
of the farthest East. Notwithstanding
the momentous events passing at the
front, the whole population turned
gladly for the time being from more
serious considerations to participating
in the day of glittering ceremonial and
pageantry at Peterhof, where the tiny
successor of the great white czar re-
ceived at the hands of the church the
name of Alexis Nicholaeviteh, from
which he is destined to pass in course
of time to the dignity and response
bility of autocrat of all the Russias.
Some of the festivities usual on such
occasions, for instance, the state ban
being substituted in Difference to the
grave struggle which the country is
engaged.
Flags Are Thick
From every angle and corner of the
palace flags waved in the crisp cool
wind driving in across the Finnish
gulf. The soldiers of the guards, bril-
liant in the imperial uniforms, moved
in continual swirl of color around the
doorWays of the palace.
st. Petersburg itself awoke to the
f1utter of flags from every house front.
The garrisons of the fortresses were
more alert than usual. There was
bright panorama of guardmounts and
dress parades, and the gunners were
early at their stations ready to fire
national salute in honor of the baby
heir.
Within the royal park of the Peter
hof palace from the moment the cor
tege issued from the gates of the Alex
andera villa to the instant the glasses
were clinked around the imperial table
in the palace, the scene was one of
magnif1cence and brilliancy, almost
touching the barbaric. =
Over perfect roads, beneath stately
overhanging trees, the procession
moved through the royal park, a beau
tifully composed, slowly changing pic
IuT6, perfect 10 .IIS SIlldileSI uG1dll. II
was headed by the master of the i'm
perial household, his uniform ablaze of
gold and decoration. He was sur
rounded by retinue of officials only a
little less brilliant.
Golden State Carriage
The center Of interest, of course, was
the golden state carriage drawn by
eight milk white horses, with outriders
Iii, IN 1ioIa -of fhc
Princess Galatzin, mistress of the en-
press household, with the imperial
heir. At the door of the coach on one
side rode the grand equerry of the
court Lieut.. Gen. DIR. Grunwald, and
on the other side the commander of
the household troops, Lieut.. Gen. Hesse,
both Superbly mounted and uniformed.
Following the coach came an armed
escort, with poised lances of the fam
Gus blue COssacks of the Don, of which
the baby heir is now commander-in-
chief Each man and horse of this
picturesque guard was groomed to
perfection, the very ideal of the wild,
light cavalry of the Russian steppes.
The procession passed through the
palace to the church. There was an
other picture in the waiting rooms The
royal salons were filled with a most
brilliant assemblage the ladies of the
court, all in jewels, the officers re-
splendent in the gorgeous uniforms of
the empire. Mingling with the modern
thrOng were many persons in quaint
costumes, some of them antedating the
founding of the northern capital on the
banks of the Neva.
The emperor, his face wreathed in
smiles, and with the dowager empress
on his arm, led the procession, followed
by the other members of the imperial
family-the grand dukes and grand
duchesses, in the order of their rank,
the baby bringing up the rear, the
youngest of all. His majesty was met
at the door of the church by the met
ropofitan of ST. Petersburg with raised
cross.
Gar Is Out of 1t
But here the emperor retired, as the
rules of the orthodox church give him
no place in the ceremony in which the
baby was presented by his spiritual
parents to the heavenly father Inside
the chapel were assembled M. Pode-
donstseff, procurator general of the
holy synod, and the members of the
holy synod, the diplomatic corps, with
whom were Ambassador Mccormick
and imperial guests from every court in
Europe. The scene. within the picture
covered walls was a climax of bril-
Hancy, uniforms, decorations and court
dress being all outlined by a ripping
flame of jewels, which fairly lit up