The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-10-27

Mrs. H. L. Alkire was hostess at
q meeting Of the Alta Vista club. TO
which a few friends who were not
members were also asked.
An entertaining feature of the art
ernoon las a lecture by Mrs. Julia
Farnsworth Soper on Russia, VINO
chose that country as the subject OF
her address because a comparatively
few travellers abroad visit 1t, anc be-
cause it is prominently before the
world now as one Of the warning ma
tons. RS. Soper entered RUSSIA from
the east, having first toured China ana
japan She visited Port Arthur and
y1adovostok. and in speaking OF the
trip Yesterday, she touched on Few
of the details of the Japanese-Rus-
sian war, and the betrayal OF Fort
Arthur to the Japanese. The party In
which Mrs. Soper Travelled took the
Trans-Siberian railway to MOSCOW,
and one Of the women Of tie party
was 4 wife of the chief engineer OF
the road. 1.-THE idea that Siberia Is a
barren desert" Mrs. Soper said. lis
a mistaken ono. Along Their abroad.
the grass grows up to the track. and
the grass of the plains grows high and
is so thickly strewn with forget-me-
nots that it looks like vast fields OF
blue. Farther away one sees an ex-
oanse Of pink, and on coming closer
discovers that it is field OF double
anenome. 1t is. at the time OF year
/ went through, early summer, a will
derness Of flowers. The peasants sell
the tourists great bouquets OF lilies
of the valley for half a cent bunch.
Mrs Soper told of the old city OF
Moscow, its early devastations by'war
and pestilence, the magnificent Krem-
lin and it's churches. She also visited
St. Petersburg (now PetrOgrad), and
Peterhof Sh~ told about the czar's
winter palace and something of the
guarded life of the emperor and his
English wife, on which account Eng
lish instead Of French became the
language Of the court in Russia.
She told of a visit to the royal
treasury of Russia. where the crown
Jewels of previous czars are kept. Il
have never seen such a display of
gems anywhere else in the world. No
other monarch has any such cOllec-
ton. Rare rose diamonds are there,
watches, swords and even harness for
horses are simply crusted with costly
jewels. In some of the palaces there
are columns of malachite and tables
of lopislazuli stone"
From ST. Petersburg to Berlin a sis
ter of the car and her husband trav-
eled on the same train with Mrs. So
per's party. THE man, who is one
of the dukes of the realm, was gor-
geously dressed in gold-braided uni
form. and the party was attended by
guards and servants to the train. The
Americans and the Russians of royal
family met that night in the dining
room, and the duchess, sister of the
richest ruler in the world, was wear
ing a plain tailored suit with small
hat trimmed with lone stiff feather,
and the duke dined in a business suit
of gray. One of the Americans
asked an attendant OF the pair why
they did not travel in a private car.
I'VE think" the man answered, that
for one day and night amounts nearly
to private car" And the nobility
of Russia, represented by the two tt
tied travellers, peered into the apart
ments of the supposed American
millionaires" quite like "just folks.
Mrs. Soper brought to the meeting
some of the articles she bought in
Russia. including an icon, such as
hangs in the churches and residences
of the Russian people. Hers Is a
portrait of st. Nicholas, handsomely
enameled. She also has a miniature
drinking cup in the Russian enamel.
which is said to be the finest in the
world. Among the articles was a bit
of Russian peasant embroidery, and
another handsome piece of embroid-
cry done in a convent, and designed,
probably. for an altar cloth.
The members of the Alta Vista club
are: Mrs. Reid Alexander, Mrs. J.
NJ. Brown, Mrs. H. L. Cook, Mrs.
Thomas E. Dewey, Mrs. Thomas +.
Doran. Mrs. d. E. Esterly. Mrs. A. d.
Gray. Mrs. Willard N. Hall, Mrs. C.
X. Holiday. Mrs. William Macferran,
Miss May Kellam, Mrs. C. A. Mcguire,
Mrs. Frank p. MacLennan, Mrs.
Harry Seery, Mrs. Soper, Mrs. John
Switzer, Mrs. F. g. Willard and Mrs.
Alkire. and associate members, Mrs.
A. H. Thompson. Mrs. John Lord and
Miss Caroline Denning. Guests Of the
club yesterday were: Mrs. J. d. Free
man. Mrs. Robert Pierce, Mrs. H. E.
Ray. Mrs. A. K. Rodgers, Mrs. A. s.
Henderson. Mrs. J. M. Brunt and Miss
Bertha Hampstead.
The West Side Forestry club will
meet Thursday with Mrs. w. M.
Forbes, and Ms. Forbes and Mrs.
Frank Forbes will be hostesses. The
program will be about roses, and Mrs.
J. F. Close will read a paper on the
subject. Roll call will be answered by
notes on Roses in Literature
The Spalding Reading Circle will give
card party Thursday evening, Oc-
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