The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-16
,,ri ,o Mir. 5itchcock was read.

sini to Mrs. Hitchcock was read.
 Dr. Schadt referred to the national friendship between Russia and the Unit ed States. and said;
 An antipathy in this country for Russia Is due to ignorance. If you know Russia you Americans would be her friend and her true Friend. for the feeling of the Russians for the people of this country Is the kindliest."
 Addresses followed by secretary Bob ron. Baron Ernest Schilhng, the Rus sian First vice-Corsul and Commander Boutakoff,> all of whom expressed the earnest hope that the Friendship between the two countries would suffer no ia. terruption.
 .'Let me ask that Judgment of my coun- try be not based on superficial knowi- cage or hearsay evidence or on such writings as may come from those ia- sufficiently informed. 1 ask that your Judgment be that of mature thought based on accurate information of my country and my people. With the ver- dict thus formed will be content. Know us as we are. If you desire to under stand Russia, It's soul and It's life. you must judge it from a certain definite standpoint. We Russians are conscious and We fervently hope that our friends. when they learn to know us better, wiil agree that the Russian people Is a great Christian nation, designed by the AL mighty to accomplish a great Christian mission on earth. All other multiple sides of national iife-wars. politics. com merce. literature and art-all these are of secondary consideration.
 Now, after having established this first dominant Russian point of view. | beg to call your attention to the next important key to proper understanding or Russia and the Russians. After re- ligion. the most characteristic feature of Russian psychology and Russian life is the general unquestioned and unquestion- able recognition of the noble role of wo- man life, in family, in society and in the state
 Tt Is a woman, the Norman Princess Olga. Grand Duchess Dowager of Kleff, to whom the Russian people is indebted for obtaining-neariy a thousand years ago-the greatest blessing that has eyef come to humanity. conversion from idol atry to the Christian faith.
 T need scarcely explain that being my- self brought up in the deepest regar to and most sincere recognition of the bless ed power of woman in the life of family. of nation and of all humanity and wit- ness th!e evening that the Russian Chs:s-
  up by distinguished American ladies, believe ahd hope that by means of your moral tnon-poiiticalJ sympathy, the Christian cause will advance.
 T venture to assure you that the scr. vice of your moral sympathy when duly known In my country will be received with deepest gratitude. It will be con- sidered as a new page in the gi9r.ons History of l30 years of American Rt sslan friendship. Begun by Washington aud Catherine the Great, continued by all their successors. this friendship had tne of its eliminating points in the slxties of the nineteenth century when President Lincoln and Emperor Alexander the scc- ond. simultaneously hoisted the standard of liberty. abolishing slavery hera and giving freedom In Russia.
 .I beg to conclude by asserting with tae deepest consciousness of the truth Cf my statement-that the most fervent wlsh Of the Russian people. without distinction !h it's Christian denominations and non Christian faiths. without distinction of classes and of it's etbnographical nas.,,nai- ities-I say that the whole united an1 ih- divisIble nation of 10000. 600 have hnly one wish, and this is peace."t