Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-07-22
MOSCOW, THE OLD
CAPITAL OF RUSSIA
Over Seven Hundred Miles from the
German Frontier-A City of Church.

Especial to The Bulletin.)
Washington, d. c., July 21.-Deep
than 700 miles from the German from
tier, guarded over the intervening
space by lake country, marshes, and
innumerable riverways. always certain
of reinforcement by the bleal1est of
winter weather, with its heavy, blind
ing drift of snow, is Moscow, the old
capital of Russia, the city against
whose walls the craft of Napoleon
smashed. Moscow seems more secure
from war horrors and devastation than
any other metropolis within the con-
fines of the fighting nations" begins
a bulletin describing the most Russian
of Russian cities, issued today by the
National Geographic society, at Wash
ington.
Moscow belongs alike to the Orient
and the Occident, more, however, to
the East than to the West. It is fur
Their east than Jerusalem, and behind
it extends a vast, sparsely settled, half
civilized, little-known region, sweeping
the Arctic sea to our west and China
MOSCOW is the pulse of this vast and
undeveloped region, and through it
have flowed endless streams of pio-
neers in peace times, on the mission
Of civilization to the bleak northern
plains and their Asiatic natives. To
the Russian, Moscow Is a sacred city;
to the stranger. it is a city of sur
passing beauty. TO DOIns II Is lne nedTI
and soul of Russia
"Irreglarly built, the intricate and
uncommonly involved plan Of this
mighty city adds to its charm upon
acquaintance. Its streets are one of
its most trying experiences to the for
eign, mostly badly paved and filled
with 'raisinS,' as the cab drivers call
the sharp projecting stones over which
their ancient droShkies lurch. Then,
too, the magnificent and the sordid are
oddly mingled in the city's architec-
ture, and besides the wonderful cath
edral and the impressive government
structure one sees the mean buildings
Of poverty. The peasant, the gentle
man and the millionaire are inextri-
cably mixed up in external Moscow.
Moscow is city of churches. Their
brilliantly colored tower domes, strik-
ing Dubious affairs like upturned beets
or onions. or often mottled like a Hol-
land cheese. give delightful piquancy
to the city's panoramas. First of the
Moscow sanctuarieS Is the renowned
Church of the Saviour, one OF the most
luxurious temples in the world, tenn
pie proving the warmth of imagination
and the love of splendor of the north.
Built in the form of a Greek cross,
perfectly proportioned, its cream col
ored marble base and bright domes
are a feast Of beauty, while its in
terror is an awe-tnsplring medley OF
1.-The Kremlin, the heart of Russia's
heart, the ancient fortress of the city,
Moscow's AcropoIis, is the point of
greatest interest to the visitor. The
KremIin is the inner circle of Mos
COW, wherein are situated the treasury,
the arsenal, the imperial palace, sacred
temples, and around which are drawn
heavy settlements Of masonry. With
in the confines of the Kremlin, the first
city on the site of Moscow grew, the
modern town extends in an outer ring
around it. Most of Kremlin escaped
unframed from Napoleon's visitation,
though its towers were SCARED by the
fires to which the retreating Russians
endeavored to sacrifice their city.
THE largest bell in the world is
preserved here in Moscow. with almost
enough metal in it to make modern
| battle. There are many hundreds OF
relics of Napoleon's visit here, aban-
doned cannon and cannon balls OF the
French and their allies. The famous
palace in the Kremlin is one of the
richest buildings in the world. build
ed, decorated and filled with a luxury
that is oppressive to those unaccus-
toned to association in environments
of boundless wealth. The treasury OF
the Kremlin is a marvellous collection
of priceless historic relics and SOU
venirs of the past.