The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-16
OBSERVED IN ST. PETERSBURG

From an Americans "Sidelights in Eu-
 rope" in the New York Sun
 TT is not difficult to get into Russia. Every piece of baggage has to be opened. and it Is examined thorough ly but without mussing the contents The officers speak English and are politeness itself. On registering at the hotel my passport is surrendered to be filed in the office of the inspector of police until the time of departure, of which AS hours notice must be given.
 The hotel at which stayed is of mod ern construction, the rooms well fur nished. clean and comfortable At 2:so o'clock on this 17th day of December it is twilight and at o'clock quite dark. Outside the window is a mounted police man; a sword hangs at his side and rife rests over his shoulder. It would seem from walk through the streets that the able bodied men are mostly in soldiers uniforms
 The dining room of the hotel is a great white arch. The floor is covered with blazing red carpet; on the tables are large lamps with great shades that are alternately of flaming red and flaming yellow. The two or three head walters are in the evening dress that is conven- tional for walters and gentlemen; the side walters and the omnibus boys wear bright red coats. At the tables are heavy black-eyed women and officers in gor- geous uniforms, all smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee from the glass bra- ziers in which it boils in front of them. very good orchestra is playing Tschai- kowsky- things with barbaric rhythm and gypsy tang.
 Many of the under walters have brown faces of dark copper tingue, with large appealing eyes, and they are very delib- crate in movement. I asked head walt CT. who says they are ''Ta tas.'' which he pronounces just as the Americanism that means ''good-by for a little while," and he tells me that they are sought as walters because although usually some what stupid they are thoroughly honest What a revelation! My idea of Tartar was of wiry and ferocious Individual better suited for saughtering cattle than serving their flets, but these "Ta tas" are plump and mild. Maybe they are dcmesticated variety.
 I ask for a cigar. Now at a hotel in our country waiter may bring the ex- act number of cigars of the brand re- quested, or he may bring a tray of many compartments filled with different kinds of cigars from which selection may be made or.s as at one Or two of the swag- ger hotels in New York. an abominably big glass case filled with different varie- ties, each receptable bearing a price la bel, is wheeled to your chair. In Ger many waiter brings an armful of ci- gars in the original boxes. which he ><1aps open on the table with marvellous dexterity. At this hotel in St. Peters burg the manager of the dining room, a handsome man with lustrous brown eyes and neatly pointed, soft, brown beard. in immaculate evening attire, approaches with an engaging blending of cordiality and deference. He opens a large mo- rocco case in which are two or three cigars each of choice brands and ex- tends it with the air of one gentleman of- fering a cigar to another; but the weed turns up in the bill. The Fancy Tales'' that retail at 70 cents each in New York lare charged to your account at 75 cents each in this hotel in St. Petersburg. A day or two later this charming man. ager confides to me that the cigar trade of the hotel is his benefce.
 When buy cigars at tobacconists there comes a glimmer of understanding of the procedure of the courteous major domo of the dining room. The Russian government exacts a tax upon each sale, no matter how trinins. opeq boxes are cigars may be purchased. Cigars are done up in boxes of 100. of 50. of 25. of 10 of five, of three, of two, of one. each bearing the proper excise stamp. The smaller packages are of pasteboard with an isinglass top, through which the con-