The Green Forest tribune., 1912-10-04

N ESS NiIu lutlI SIlueu uOulCS. lG A W banks of the river Neva, with
 it's quays of pink granite, it's rows of splendid palaces, in which are accumulated an endless wealth of superb pictures, statues and furni- ture form an entrancing spectacle. The Russian grande dame adores lux ury, and 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 | costumeis 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 un- l 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 gilded domes of St. Pe- tersburg as he approaches the city. It 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 it's 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 which 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 6 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 cZar at his palace on the banks of the river. A pathway to Neva is prepared in ad- vance with Oriental rugs. The czar. 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 great hole in the ice after which comes the religious ceremony which includes the solemn blessings of the waters. Afterwards the czar hLIN tlC pi iICIpdl peISOUS present re- turn to the winter palace where a great banquet is held
 During the winter there is not only 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 well 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 imatching the cos tune and fetching little fur caps usually ornamented with an aigrette fastened on with jeweled clasp. The