News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-09-06

| ceived, and we quote parts of it.
II Today I've been on a long but in
| teresting expedition to the Troitzko-
Sergiyevskaya Lavra, or in plain
| words, the Trinity Monastery of St
Sergius. This place is about 4E
miles from Moscow and was reached
by us via automobile over one of
Russia's so-called roads, chaussee
| which / probably told you is sort
Of causeway paved with cobblestones
AS | sat on one of the little seats in
the rear of the car, both ways, | feel
as if had been on trip around the
world.
| The party consisted of four A. R.
A. men and Moscow professor with
Antonov, the chauffeur. We pulled
| out of Moscow with our lunch at ten
| and bumped our way to the village
| OF Segiyevo, where the monastery is,
arriving in little over two hours.
1t being Sunday (the reason we were
free to take the trip the village
market was in full swing. The
streets were full of wagons and peo-
pie selling everything from wood
toys to live pigs. We located the
monastery, and then wandered
through the market looking at
things, but finding little of interest
to buy. In the course of our wan
dering the Moscow professor and I
Went into shop containing what he
assured me was peasant art, but the
accent was chiefly Oh the peasant.
However, the professor finally
bought for 100000 roubles, a small
ikron, which he presented with great
ceremony to Colder as a gift. Then
we popped into the car and went out
OF town a little way to eat our
| lunch. ;.-p -, yal.'...p
! ,Affer lunch we returned and start |
ed on our tour of the monastery with |
a guide and flock of Russian, whom
we met with the usual ceremony and
who were, Colder told US, a group of |
artists, who were spending the sum-
mer there. They were more or
less queer collection, the men with
long, flowing hair and boards, and
the one woman, true intellectual"
We spent most of our time in the
chapel of the Trinity, which is 18th
century affair Quilt in 1340) and
which contains many paintings and
lkons OF the period. 1t was one of
the most famous and one of the rich
est churches in Russia. 1t is still
famous, but about $50 pools of sill
yer (about two and one-half tons)
and gems have been removed by the
recent collection of church treasures
by the government. This is the first
place where l have seen the results
of this collection" You know the
ikons are frequently ornamented
with silver or gold or gems. Here
we saw them as they look after the
ornaments have been taken off. In
the case of famous picture of the
Trinity, the ornamentation was al
lowed to remain, so we saw the eff
fects before and after The silver
sarcOphagus of st. Sergius remains
and is quite a beautiful thing, but
the silver canopy above it, which was
given by Empress Anna Ivonovna.
has been removed.
We also visited the treasury, which
is said to have contained treaures
worth $50 million roubles in the old
days, but does not contain them now.
1t does still, however, have a great
number of beautiful things such as
vestments, stoles, old books, Bibles
covered with gems, etc. We also
gave sursory inspection TO the tomb
of Boris Godunoz, his wife and two
children, which within the monastery
walls, along with the Holy Well, an
obelisk with gilt panels telling the
history of the place and two or three
other churches, refectories, etc.
There were comparatively few
monks about, but they looked as
sleek and hairy as one could wish.
The most conspicuous people were
there and are housed in the various
refectories and perhaps churches for
all l know. And this is the monas-
terry which was once able to put an
army of 10000 men in the field all
by itself. According to Russian
tradition, st. Sergius was a bad
saint to rile. Even Napoleon kept
away from there in 1912 and the
Poles were beaten when they be-
seiged it in 1908. The young officers
must say, were quite intelligent
looking.
Well, last Friday nigh / nearly
walked and stood my legs off gazing
at another historic event, but a
much more modern one. About ten
o'clock Mangan came in and asked
me to go down town with him to see
them take the Social Revolutionists,
now on trial, from the place of trial
to the Jail. He and Colonel Haskell
had seen the show once and it was
quite an affair. So we set forth and
walked down to Theatre Square, on
which is the Hall of the Noblesse,
where the trials are being held. We
got there about II (you know it is
as light here at II as seven o'clock
at home) and walked around until
11:30 before anything happened.
Then some cavalry came down the
street and a few minutes later some
infantry, to which were added more
infantry from the Hall of Noblesse.
They posted the infantry along all
Sidns of the sn11a 70 ,,rhiln tho ,,,n1,nt-