The labor world., 1922-07-01
ROYAL PALACE OF The kREmL|N IS
SILENT SYMBOL OF FORMER REGIME

III DIV ~ &1Bu0~~ "
The leaders of the Bolsheviki take
some pride in the fact that they have
preserved the great Royal Palace
of the kremlin, almost without
change, as a reminder of 1.-The lavish
wealth and the ponp and splendor
Of the old regime" Certainly, in
these flamboyantly decorated and
now silent halls one realizes more
vividly than in any other place in
Moscow. or Petrograd, the immens-
ity and completeness of the social
upheaval of 1917.
A representative of The Christian
Science Monitor obtained the rare
concession of permit to wander
through these historic buildings of
the kremlin. So stringent are the
regulations governing admittance
that, once inside the Kremlin
grounds, one notices with surprise
the unobtrusiveness of the military
power which has preserved Lenine
apd his colleagues inviolate in this
ancient fortress. Costly as are the
treasures in the Great Palace there
were no guards outside the building.
One of the veteran attendants still
wearing the gray uniform of Fzarist
days, acted as guide. He seemed to
find quiet pleasure in explaining TO
his visitors the objects and rooms
Of special interest, but otherwise he
was inscrutable. Yet what memories
must have surged through his mind
as he came in contact once more
with the outside world!
Scrupulously Clean.
The palace is kept scrupulously
clean. The rarest of the carpets and
the marvellous wooden floors Of the
st. George and st. Alexa ader rooms
are protected by linen. In the first
named room the white and gold dec
orations, the many regimental en-
blems, the bronze chests containing
the names Of the knights. the rides
cent glass candelabra with their 5000
electric lights remain as they were
before the war, but several collec-
tions of rare pottery and plate have
been added. In the throne room. in
the older part of the palace, the en-
broidered carpet, the throne with its
solid gold ornaments, the cloth Of
gold which covers the throne steps
are carefully protected, yet in the
eyes of the Bolsheviki they are pre-
-
uprooted tyranny.
The state rooms, gorgeously deco
rated and richly furnished. remain
untouched, except thai the rare ikons
with their marvelously wrought
gold ornamentation. have been sealed
by the soviet authorities. In the
rooms of the patriarch, medieval in
aspect and lighted by oil lamps, the
golden chests containing the coron-
alton records Of the tzars and the
patriarchs enthronement documents
are still to be seen.
AS one passes through the many
rooms it is impossible to take in
more than a vague impression Of all
the objects Of splendor, the doors
with mother-of-pearls ornament, the
exquisite craftsmanship of French
gold clocks, buhl chairs and tables,
richly ornamented mirrors and rarest
fabrics of many kinds.
Tzar's Rooms Simply Furnished.
Out of this maze of memories,
however. one will remain clear and
unfading. It is that of a simply fur
nished room with a gilded bed where
Nicholas II slept when living dn
Moscow, and adjoining this bedroom,
in sharp contrast with the embellish-
ments of the state rooms, the still
simpler working chamber, where
Nicholas indorsed the decisions and
obeyed the orders of his autocratic
counsellors. The table on which he
signed the state documents, and the
remaining scanty furniture Of the
room remains precisely as it was
when the Tar reisned.
In the Little Palace one found the
pictures and furniture as carefully
protected as the room in the Great
Palace, but this building was used
as a club by young officers Of the
Red Army. It would be impossible
to imagine quieter and less obtru-
slve groups Of soldiers than those
who were in the building at the time
OF the visit. Some were reading on
the couches and divans. Others
played draughts. In one room a.
group sat around an oval dining ta-
bic rehearsing parts of Gorky play.
| IN other rooms classes in connection
with the Red Army system eff edu-
cation were held.
Apart from the removal Of vari-