Imperial Valley press., 1914-10-01

the policeman They were singing
God Save theTsar.' / am no musician,
but | know what is sacred, thank
God"
"There is big shrine in front Of
the Holy Gate, which is one of many
rates in the Kremlin walls and this
shrine was cleaning with an array
of candles by the time [ arrived there.
The road leading up to it forms d
square Immediately under the walls
and here, in the insufficient light Of
two lamps, stood an enormous crowd
waiting for something to happen,
something mystic, the expression of
that strange feeling they possessed.
The right was heavy with coming
rain ard in the dim light the crowd )f
rough peasants, hushed by the eX-
pectatlon of Divine blessing, some
shockheaded, with legs crossed
gathered like twelfth century villains,
seemed under the old gateway, lit by
cutting candles, mcrc likely to be
praying for help from their medieval
'suzerain than beseeching the blessing
'of God on modern warfare. The
bishop, too, coming out from the
shrine, helped the illusion with the
fantastic emblazonry of his robes. He
bad9 some students fetch out the
grea5 ikon of the Blessed Mother and
on the arrival Of the governor pro-
sale figure in the old-time setting
began a prayer for the safety of the
Russian arms.
On the hard, uneven cobbles they
all hnelt there while he prayed; then
slowly and quietly they began a cham
and beginning it on their knees,
slowly they rose and on their rising
the chant swelled and thundered out
till the walls around cast back the
rich echoes. There are times wh an
that chant might easily sound color
less and monotonous; it hangs for
bars on one note and like all old
chants was solemn and restrained: :
but on that night it was the cry Of
9 simple people, and in its start sim,
plicity achieved an effect that 10
chorus in any opera could ever hope
to produce. There was an insistence
In its very monotony and appeal that
was compelling by reason of its ex-
trema humility, that knew none of the
bombast and self-laudations by which
so many suppliants hope to obtain
mercy. To the Russians war is 2
very terrible thing, although they
welcomed it with brave hurrahs. None
have forgotten their last encounter,
which is still known simply as 'the
disaster
"And so the people newly embroiled
in a fresh campaign of one accord
met together by the Sacred Gate Of
their Holy Moscow, and with al
fervor and ingleheartedness be.
sought the blessing of their God upor
their aims. The long chant doomed
and echoed round the gate, still in the
pauSes it was hard to tell which was
the echo and which the distant thund-
er. The lights fiickered and grew
dim, but the deep bass voices rolled
out the heavy notes in sonorous en-
troaty, ending each appeal with Il
hushed, 80 Gospode, Gospode" %
Lord of Lords Towering in front Of
me TODD peasant, blonde, shaggy
glan-. He looked much as his fathers
looked, who labored to build that an
cien1 gate. He wore the old skirted
coat and leggings of straw. The
light, which he observed, shonc
through his hair and turned it into
an aureole about his head. When he
lifted up his voice everyone took their
time from him. Yet he noticed no.
body, but stood holding his hat in
one hand and his bundle and his staff
eforc him in the other, and gazed for
something beyond the lights, beyond
the shrine and the great gate holding
it. At length the bishop blessed us
and The crowd began to move away.
The giant took a deep breath and
crossed himself. Now | can fight he
said. Then he looked at me. They
call me Dimitri,' he said, holding out
his hand in friendliness.
"There is in Moscow an eating
house below ground, where the peas
ants go and eat and drink and smoke.
When | went the next day / found
chiefly soldiers there, looking strange
Iy at each other in their new uni
forms. | had hardly sat down when
] felt crash on my shoulder and
turned to sec an enormous young fel-
low, shaVen and shorn, in brand new
khaki, grinning down at me.
"'What do you think of me?' he
asked, holding himself at attention.
" Very fine l said, from motives
of policy,
50 Il an, crIopJ;J oh ., H. -,;l