Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-10-16

! N with their gilded domes. The
| Il n banks of the river Neva, with
it's quays of pink granite, its
! rows of splendid palaces, in which
| are accumulated an endless wealth OF
! superb pictures, statues and furnl-
ture form an enhancing spectacle
The Russian grande dame adores lux
ury, and a ball in one Of the great
private palaces or at the court is the
last word of earthly splendor. At the
opera the Russian noblewoman has
her box for the whole season. There,
surrounded by her friends, as If in
her own drawing room, she receives
during the entr' actes the hosts of her
admirers. There you see the higher
officers of the army and navy and
prominent statesmen and function
aries. The society woman's evening
costume is covered with jewels to an
amazing extent, for Russians love
these ornaments as the Orientals do.
st. Petersburg is a superb city and
very interesting to visit, but it is be-
coming every day more and more
European, while it's older sister, Mos
COW, has kept it's peculiar aspect.
Those who have visited the Kremlin
at Moscow on winter night, lighted
by the pale radiance of the moon,
will tell you that the memory is I'M
forgetable. You might think you
were revisiting a scene Of "The Ara
bian Nights"
Truly Beautiful City.
After a somewhat monotonous rail-
way journey, the traveller sees with
pleasure the giIded domes Of st. Pc
tersburg as he approaches the city.
II is truly a beautiful city, on the
banks of the splendid Neva, which re-
mains frozen for five months.
When the ice foes begin to come
down from Lake Ladoga, where the
Neva takes its source, it is an inter
esting spectacle to see the sheets of
ice freeze together and form COM
plete field of ice over the rapid river.
AS soon as the ice is found solid the
st. Petersburg people make regular
streets and avenues across it. They
make holes in the ice in regular align
ment, and into each of these holes
they place young pine tree sur
rounded with snow Immediately the
tree is frozen there in the ice, and it
is thus that the principal avenues
are formed across the ice whsc41 be-
comes capable of bearing the heav-
lest traffic. At intervals along the
avenues lanterns on posts are con-
structed and after that little houses
called 'boutka" are built in which the
police charged with watching the ice
traffic remain on duty day and night
On January occurs the great fete
called the Baptism Of the Neva." The
clergy come in a great procession
wearing all their vestments and car
rying a banner to meet the car at
his palace on the banks of the river.
A pathway to Neva is prepared in ad-
vance with Oriental rugs. The car,
surrounded by his court. descends the
steps to the river, following the high
priest and his assistants bearing the
cross and the sacred images. They
make a great hole in the ice, after
which comes the religious ceremony
which includes the solemn blessings
of the waters Afterwards the car
and the principal persons present re-
turn to the winter palace where a
great banquet is held
During the winter there is not only
a vast amount Of skating on the Neva.
but the Russians hold balls and other
entertainments there. They mark off
a great square space on the ice in the
midst Of which a stand for the or
chestra is constructed from blocks of
ice covered with bear skins.
Similar blocks of ice, also we'll Gov
cred with bear skins, serve as seats
for the dancers. Pages stand about
with torches to light the merry ma
kers. Colored lanterns of all kinds
hung on posts around the dancing
floor make the spectacle a fairylike
one. The guests come in costumes
of heavy velvet. The women wear
short skirts trimmed with fur, pretty
little high boots matching the cos
tune and fetching little fur caps,
usually ornamented with an aigrette
fastened on with a jeweled clasp. The
men wear loose breaches Of velvet
thrust into the boots, and caftans
lined and trimmed with fur. You
must understand that this enclosure
is not covered in but is open to the
winter sky and the light Of the moon.
city's Gay Night Life.
The Russians love night life. Very
often after leaving the theater they
go to the little islands on the farther
side of the Neva- It only means a
trip of ten minutes in a sleigh IN
cross the Neva. On these islands
are charming houses Of wood, which