The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-05-20
KNOWN
AS CITY OF HORRORS
CENTER OF ALL RUSSIAN MIS-
cry. GOD GIVE US BREAD
OR DEATH" THEIR PRAYER.

Petrograd, no longer the capital
of Russia in the social and political
sense, remains the capital only in
the sense that it best represents Rus
sia's misery. Men, women and dogs
prowl the streets with the gaunt,
wolfish faces and burning eyes of
famine. Their daily prayer is "God
give US bread or give US death"
The imperial public library with its
million volumes, the Hermitage Art
gallery with its invaluable treasures
of Greek and Scythian art, the Mu-
scum of Alexander III and other pub
lie buildings have been robbed of
their treasures. The winter palace,
where once the emperor ruled and
lived, has been turned into moving
picture house, visited every evening
by thousands of people. The other
palaces are occupied by various de-
partments of the communist govern
ment. Many of the finest buildings
in the city are in ruins.
Few trolley cars run in the city and
no ferry boats ply on the Neva. The
suburbs, where the poor dwelt for
ages, stand deserted, the buildings va
cant, their former tenants having
moved into the center of the city,
where they occupy the homes that
were those of the richer bourgeoise.
Red Guards Much in Evidence.
The Nevsky prospect, the Broad
way of Petrograd, still teens with
life, but the crowd has changed.
Workingmen and soldiers of the Red
Guard, the armed factory workers
that took part in the fighting which
helped establish the communist rule,
have crowded off the mobiles and the
rich and the fashionable folk who
were accustomed to use the thorough
fare. On the steps of the beautiful
palaces and mansions the children of
the poor play their games, none in
terfering. The owners would not dare
protest, whatever the damage done.
Churches are crowded, services be-
ing held continuously all day long,
with intervals for lunch and tea. On
ly those who sympathize, or profess
to sympathize, with communist rule
may conduct services. Red guards,
in plain clothes, frequently enter the
churches to see if the officiating cler-
gymen is talking the wrong kind of
politics in his sermon.
Household Furniture NationaIized.
Under communist rule household
furniture has been nationalized. This
means that no individual has proper
ty rights in his own household goods.
A proletarian who wants a bed sim
ply reports to the committee of the
poor and is given a written order
empowering him to take bed with
out ceremony from any bourgeoise
residence. This naturalization of
property often works out in unusual
ways.
Money Is of Little Value.
There is little trade in PetrogEad,
Most of the stores are closed. But the
public market is open, and many peo-
pie frequent it to see whether by
chance they can buy something to
eat from the spectators in food If
they secured the prices are fabulous,
of course, and even then there is no
safety in the exchange. A Red guard,
noting the purchase, may coniscate
the food for his own use or the use
of his friends. There is plenty of
money in the city. The working class
and the poor boast that they have
more funds than do the idle rich, but
money is of little value when any
purchase may be stolen or seized.