The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-06-10
COMPLEXITIES OF
RUSSIAN CHARACTER
Intellectual Claims Admitted
Despite Many Contra
dictions.
FUNNY THINGS I'm sERvlA
King Peter Goes to Mass for the Ruler
He Succeeded, Celebrated by the
Bishop Who Reioiced in the
Assassination.
FUNNY THINGS I'M sERvtA
Copyright. 1901, by w. r. Hearst

(1OpyIlgnC, l.ol, by w. IL. iiearSt.)
London special: Many elements go
to make up the Russian national char
acter. We may look on Russia as the
enemy of freedom, the tyrant of the
Jews, the slave of otticialdom. but we
cannot disregard the claims of intel
lectual Russia.
They have q wonderful facility for
languages. 1t is not extraordinary to
find a child of Il belonging to the Gull
tured classes able to speak and write
inteliigently in four foreign languages.
Two children-daughter and son of a
Well knoWn Russian count-with all the
advantages for education that wealth
and rank provide, are such lovers of
Shakespeare that they talk Shakes
peare" from memoir for amusement.
One day the girl, the elder OF the two,
did something of which her brother dis
approved, when he said: "Ah! If you
do that, your SWANS will not commend
you" | wonder how many little Eng
lish speaking boys of IL could so appre-
ciate Sylvia"
A writer in a recent English maya
zine confirms this opinion. when out of
the fulness of her experience and
knowledge she says that a Russian girl
of 10 in the gymnasium or institute
would put to shame in European his
tory a French girl who has already
finished her education. Russian chill
drep are, indeed, educated on imperial
lines.
Uneasy the Crowned Head.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a
CROWN is truly applicable to those
that succeed each other in the kingdom
of Servia, and King Alexander appears
to be ~companying with the spirit of the
king of Milan, much as Hamlet COM
panied With his fathers ghost. 1t is
little wonder that the present occupier
of the Servian throne should have UNI
easy dreams, but it appears that King
Peter is continually seeing the king of
Milan running through the corridors
INC halls of the palace with drawn
sword and shouting Where are the
murderers of my SOM"
Truly he occupies an unenviable posi-
ton which will permit the present king
to attend the mass for the souls of
King Alexander and Queen Draga,
celebrated by the same metropolitan
who performed the marriage cere-
mony of the two victims, but who hung
his house with flags on the day of their
assassination; who refused absolution
to their mangled corpses and celebrated
the TIE Deum upon the arrival Of
King Peter, and it is difficult to under
stand the mental gymnastics of the
king and the priest who meet to-
sether to pray for the murdered pre-
1eceSsor.
Strange Story of Idolatry.
An extraordinary story of Indian
Blu Book.
1t appears h a at the time of the
spring equinox there is q fetish fes-
tival called Sri Panchami. when every
person is bound to worship the imple-
ments or insignia of the vocation by
which he lives.
The soldier worships his sword, the
%cultivator his pillow, the none lender
his ledger. n so on. A description Of
how some orderlies in Simla carried
out this observance is worth mention.
About thirty worshipers met on a
buildings. among their number being a
priest-Punjabi Grammar.
A large packing case dTaped in PLAN
tain leaves and branches of the sacred
pipal tree was placed as an altar, sur
mounted by an office dispatch box,
while on top of this was placed. as the
principal fetish. an ordinary English
made glass ink pot with a screw top.
1t was surrounded by penholders,
pencils and other writing accessories
used by government officials. and
greatly decorated with red tape
The usual formula of food offerings
Il ext r~ecitals We're gone through in
all solemnity, The worship of red
tape" so proverbial in English govern
mental circles, is evidently more uni
versal than one had thought.
But apart from the absurdity of the
proceeding it is truly pathetic to hear
of such hopeless ignorance in a coun-
try. too. where SO much "civilizing''
and missionary labor have been freely
spent.
Stanley and England.
Though not great enough for the ab-
bey." the late Sir H. NJ. Stanley was
nevertheless n OF England's greatest
uen in modern times. and u whose