The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-04
RUSSIANS PRAY FERvENTLY.
Thousands kneei in Snow Outsid,
Churches in Moscow.

lHObSdIluS T>uSSt III S1O" oulSlOt
Churches in Moscow.
st. Petersburg, Feb. 25.-All over the
country manifestations Of patriotic en-
thusiasm continue at the departure OF
soldiers. Moscow, of course, Is the
center Of all such sentiment. 1t would
not be Moscow otherwise. In Mos
COW. also in keeping with traditions
that it is the holy city, there have been
great religious demonstrations when
the favOrite churches are filled with
people who surround them and pray
outside.
In front of the Iberian chapel, fol
instance. there have been crowds of
900 people or more or their knees in
the snow, crossing themselves, praying
for long periods II listening to the
echoes Of the sacred music of the re-
ligious services waited through the
open doors. They were praying for the
success of the Russian arms.
Perhaps one of the most striking
features of the day In summing up the
condition of the Russian people Is the
frequency with which one hears the
chances of Russia being beaten dis
cussed. Another is the opinion pre-
vailing almost universally in the minds
of those intelligent enough to think
that whether the Russians or japanese
win intervention and international ar
engagements are sure to occur. The
idea of international complications re-
Sulting from the war does not meet
the Same amount of popular credence
which obtained n few weeks ago..
Gifts Of very large sums continue to
pour in from all over the country. This
city can now boast of having raised
81 800, COO for the war. Everybody gives.
One characteristic gift is one of ST. 0
from the trotting association.
An anonymous Englishman has come to
the fore. He gives a very useful present
for the Ill. 1t consists of $500 bottles of
the porter ale of his country. Tea, sugar
and tobacco are given In great quantities
TO the departing soldiers, while as the
trains start off the peasants throw odd
bits Of wearing apparel into the car
riages.
AS two companies were leaving MINI
Novogorod u lot of peasants took off their
long felt boots and presented them to the
soldiers with the cry: Keep warm and
healthy" And the poor people returned
Rome over the snow happy, yet bare
footed.
The tension of public feeling under the
utter absence of news is very severe, and
made much worse by the sudden inter.
ruption of the wires. The telegraph Is
closed entirely for private messages. This
strikes the people as unusual at such 8
time as this, but it is absolutely neces.
sary.
Even for government need the existing
telegraph facilities scarce suffice, and i
is an open secret that the wires have beer
repeatedly cut, and this, painful as it MAJ
be to say, not by the red bearded, relent
less FIunzees Of Manchuria, but by tn,
enemies Of their country nearer home
Yes. even SO near as In the neighborhoot
of Moscow.
Already the people are realizing will
terror the possibility that later telegraphi
communication with the far east may b.
entirely cut off. Unless the Russian force
make some sweeping and victorious move
ment very soon it is freely accepted tina
the Japs will surely cut both the tele
graphic and railway communication.
AS the vastness of the undertakinI
which this war means dawns fully upol
the minds of the more intelligent peopl
here they realize how almost impossible
1t would be to guard effectually such lon,
stretches of wires and railway as vii
need protection. At the same time the
realize how terrible might be the effect
of a serious blockade on the railway a
l such q tina In tho pravai1for ,oJs