davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

raid and who became first the favorite of
a Gear and then his Czarina.
OF her reign as the favorite there are
many legends-much that Russian people
have handed down through generations of
her wild, wondrous beauty and of her
courage in demanding of her captor cer-
tain mercies for the serfs who kneeled
at his feet as he rode through the streets.
OF her reign as Czarina little is remem-
bered-only that the night of her corona
tion she slept in a bed made of gold,
wrought by hundreds of artisans brought
from Amsterdam, and with the crest her
master had decided to share with her,
glinting with emerald lights set above her
pillowed head. Or, that she was Czarina
only twenty-three days and that then,
firing of the wife who had fascinated him
as a slave girl, the Czar, Ivan the Terrible.
himself beheaded her.
News was given out that the Czarina
died of a strange illness. Her body was
secretly buried Because of their fear
of the Little Father no one dared inquire
for the resting place of the beautiful Cir
cassian.
However, the people were inqusitive
and soon learned that the Circassian An
astasia had been slain in the gold bed
One night the palace was stormed by
the mob, which carried off the gold bed,
and, having no other place to put 1t where
1t would be safe, carried It to the Holy
of Holes" of the most magnificent cathe
dral. This was the Vladimir Cathedral
which still stands
Since then It has rested behind the altar
Every year the priests have showered upon
it jewels given them by those who have
kept alive the memory of the Circassian.
Now, after three hundred years, II seems
as IL the descendants of that mob of peas
ants will gather the reward of their an.
cestors' devotion to Anastasia. The golden
bed may be turned into food to prevent
some of them from starving.
The story Of Anastasia is Just one of the
countless startling chapters of the strange
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

gold, captured from Genghis Khan and
erected by Peter the Great. II weighs
twenty-five tons and is studded with en-
eralds. rubies, pearls and sapphires of the
Orient. The four largest rubies in the
world, worn by Emperor Constantine, adorn
the top Of it. 1t was at this altar Ivan the
Terrible confessed to the murder Of the
beautiful Circassian.
The great Ikonostaz, a special stand for
ikons in the Uspensky cathedral, is one
of the marvels of the world. 1t is Of gold
and platinum and is studded with precious
stones, among them the lost Lala stone,
said to radiate light at night and also to
have the power to heal the worshipers.
These stones come from the treasures of
Pharaoh and have never been found In
modern times.
On the Ikonostaz is the famous miter
of Nixon, which, in addition to innumer-
able other priceless Jewels contains the
pearl of julius Cesar and the Perez"
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

pearl These two pearls are the most "a
nous jewels in history.
A king of Persia who ruled ip the fourth
century was the original possessor of the
the subject Of royal intrigue, Is said to
be the mate of the one made famous by
Cleopatra, which she drank dissolved in
vinegar" to impress Marc Antony. Around
this Caesar pearl many romances have been
written by modern authors.
The melting of all the gold and platinum,
making of the church bells because of its
wonderful sounding quality, will bring
millions in gold rubles. The disposal Of
even a slight portion of the treasures would
bring enough to feed whole district of
Russia.
In some of the museums and palaces
there are rooms of solid gold and ivory.
each article of furniture being of the
same precious material as the rooms. One
museum alone, owing to the farsighted-
ness of Peter the Great and Catherine the
Great, has the largest collection of Rem
brandt and Murllo paintings in the world.
The poorest of provincial churches are
the wealthiest factors in the country. Ever
since the adoption of the Byzantine reli-
gion in the ninth century by Russia their
churches have been the recipients of untold
offerings. Since the Russian religion is
really of pagan origin-on every altar the
symbol of the sun is erected and made the
supreme mystic standard of their wor-
ship-the Offering of tribute still exists as
a souvenir of the days of human sacrifice.
Every religious holiday adds to the wealth
of the shrine.
The shadowy archives Of the Russian
Church are interviewer with threads of
Oriental splendor. The magnifcence Of
its priceless collection of treasures, some
of them secreted in repositories unknown
to the authorities, Is unparalleled in the
world. No other country ever has owned
even in its most prosperous days anything
like the marvels belonging to the Russian
Church.
Some of the most famous jewels are kept
in frames of gold and adorn the ikon-
stands and walls of monasteries. The can
dlesticks. the affairs, the ikons, even the
gates are udSScS VI lHNdludule JcWciS duu
precious metal. The opulent gorgeousness
of the cathedrals almost is beyond the
widest imagination, and in each cathedral,
like the golden bed of Anastasia, are
treasures around which have been woven
many fascinating legends.
To the people these treasures are part
of their religious belief. Russians are
superstitious, and while their need for
food is vital it will by no means be an
easy matter to take from these priests the
objects of their devotion and religious zeal,
handed down to posterity through the
ages. And, despite the fact that the strip
ping of the churches will bring relief and
save lives, the traditions which cling to
their treasures, as does the history of the
gold bed, seriously hamper any effort of
the Soviet authorities to pillage the
churches.
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

In the country. IL must
now contribute to the
support of the people.
No one knows what
great wealth the Rus
sian churches conceal.
In no other country is
there so much of opu-
lie e, grandeur and
mystic splendor. It is
impossible to conjecture
just what the recovery
of all this hidden store
Of gold and jewels will
mean, transmitted into
money.
Some OF the cathe-
drals possess treasures
which are almost in
conceivable. An altar
in one of the big mon.
asteries is of solid
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

palace the Cars favorite was the beauti
full daughter of a serf She aspired to the
throne. Ivan realized his people would
not consent. However, the favorite poured
into the ears of her master tales of Anas-
tasia, which aroused his suspicious. She
told him his new Czarina was plotting to
usurp his power over his subjects; that she
had been seen to give her jewels, gifts
which Ivan had bestowed upon her in the
first days of their marriage, to the un-
worthy poor. She told him that when the
Circassian went into the church to pray
she was followed by crowds who applauded
her. She had seen the Czarina tear off her
pearls, her rings and other jewels, she said,
and give them to mendicants
Ivan listened, and when Anastasa asked
him to lift the taxes of the poor his fear
seemed confirmed.
Just three weeks after the wedding the
Car entered the bedroom OF the Circas-
sian and severed her head from her body
with his scimitar.
With the utmost secrecy he buried the
body. Not even those who lived in the
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

and barbaric history of mysterious, opulent
Russia which was brought to mind by the
announcement that the Soviet Government
intends to take from the churches their
priceless treasures.
What Joan of Arc has come to repre-
sent to the French people, the Circassian
Czarina represents to the Russians
Throughout Russia in every household,
the story of Anastasia is kept alive. From
father to son, the story is handed down,
and nothing has been lost in its retelling;
for every legend which enriches the ro-
nance of the world to-day Is given to us
with an accumulation or quaintness and
charm, forming the chief characteristic
of the folklore of any country.
1t was when resting In the imperial pal
ace, after his bloody victory over the
Circassians, that Ivan first saw the beau
tiftn face of the Circassian. report of
her beauty already had reached him, and
IL was thought among his soldiers that to
capture this girl was his chief reason for
waging war upon her people.
There were no censors in those days OF
a czar's morals. The Circassian was in
stalled as his favorite. He showered
priceless gems on her. as the possessors of
favorites have a way OF doing.
It was in these days the Circassian won
the hearts of the people. Ivan took advan-
The New York herald., 1922-02-26

palace knew when and where the Czarina
died. Daily he issued reports that she was
indisposed, and it was not until months
afterward a proclamation revealed her
death.
The secret was disclosed by confession
of the Car, who declared he was haunted
by the memory of the girls head staring
at. him from where it had fallen on the
floor.
The Holy of Holes in every Russian
church Is a sanctuary. No woman is per-
mitted to enter. Only the priests have
authority to pass within. 1t is part of the
wondrous mysticism which enfolds Rus
sian worship. No one but the priests have
seen the bed since it was hidden there.
To the clergy it has been a matter Of
contention, some claiming that since it
Is bed and also because Of its relation to
a woman it has no right to be in the
Holy of Holes. Other priests of the
church quote the sanity qualities Of Anas
tasia as sufficient excuse for the church
allowing it to remain.
But now the religious controversy may
be ended, for the golden bed is to be turned
into money with which to buy bread for
the starving people of Russia. Nikolai
Lenine has issued an order tha: the churches
must be stripped-that the people are dying
by the thousands daily for lack Of food:
and that since the church is and always
has been, perhaps, the wealthiest factor
The New York herald., 1922-02-26


that the Government intends Na
to pillage the churches of their gold, M
platinum and jewel treasures, that
the money they will bring in the sales
market may be used to ease the fam
inc, has caused wide speculation as
to what will be the result of such a
move and--more interesting still
has brought to mind many of the
legends that are woven around some
of these treasures, garnered in bar
barrie times and still almost part of
the Russian religion.
The power to picture in the minds
eye the great store of treasures
boarded for centuries by the Russian church
is almost beyond human Imagination.
The power to picture in the minds eye
the great store of treasures hoaded for cen
turies by the Russian church, is almost be-
yond human Imagination.
We have learned to compute treasure in
such terms as King Solomon's mines, the
ullueS vi JHe GOlCOHud, OF III the ldVlSn
magnificence of the court of the Queen Of
Sheba-and yet it is doubtful if the treas.
ures of Solomon, the output of Golconda
for whole century, or the gems that he.
decked the throats of Sheba's attendants,
all put together, would equal in actual
value the hidden wealth of the great tenn
pies and churches of Russia.
Russian Cars always have been hoard
ers of jewels. The very barbaric splendor
of their courts, the atmosphere of extrava-
CANT luxury in which these autocrats have
lived throughout the imperial dynasties, all
have contributed to the tangible wealth Of
the nations great stores of rich treasure.
Kubla Khan, Ghengis Khan, later Per
sian Shahs--all have given their share In
the shape of loot. to the crusading soldiers
of the Little Fathers. And Cars and Czar-
mas ever have been liberal to the priests.
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

riers, how many varieties OF
worriers there are!
Women who fidget and are nerv.
Gus in theaters. on boats, in motor
cars.
Women who are always alertly
and anxiously watching for germs.
Women who are honeycombing
the safe and sane old earth with
pitfalls for their children.
You and l know hundreds of
women whose minds are filled with
a confusion like this. all day long
and half the night:
"Oh, dear, he forgot his commu-
tation again-oh, dear. She's
banging the breakfast dishes ter.
ribly this morning-she'll probably
go, I don't care--I hope she does.
lie said the spot would come out
oh. dear, IL 1t doesn't-right there
in front. ,.
Fannie had cough like that
when she was going into scarlet
fever--I wonder IL baby ought TO
20 to dancing class. with that
cough7 She'd probably get some.
thing worse.
She wants me on her silly com.
mittee-I may have sounded cold
Il didn't mean to. but I simply
haven't time. That spare room
closet--I ought to go over II be.
fore the Red Cross man comes.
EXAMINE conscience.
"If I scramble home after the
meeting I can simply snatch my
other hat-e:3o dinner, but they'll
wait-my goodness--my goodness
my goodness-the ice card!
Those chickens down there with.
out any ice -"
And 20 on and on sd infinitum.
80 that when the inevitable out.
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

bling kitten in his arms and Of.
fered it to gaping neighbors. who
disclaimed ownership. Then he
found a negro 'aunty" with
little girl who promised to give
II home, and then he went on
to church.
PASTOR SAW HIM.
The pastors family sat in seat
No. 2. and he was just back Of
it. He always visited with John.
ME-" and one Sunday before
Christmas brought a long pack.
age IN his arms all the way from
the White House and gave II TO
Johnnie" with instructions not
to open il until Christmas. 1t was
a box of toy soldiers.
Vice President Roosevelt ar
rived in Washington on Friday,
and DR. j. NJ. Shick. the pastor
OF Grace Reformed Church. To-
at SiittA
west, between Rhode Island ave-
nue. and + street. called on him
on Saturday. The next day Mr..
Roosevelt and his family went to
that church. and he missed 1t
seldom while in the city during
the eight years of his residence.
At that time the congregation
worshiped in an insignificant
chapel seating a little over 100
and located on the back Of a lot.
Later he laid the cornerstone of
the new church and gave two
beautiful bishop chairs for the
altar.
The present building is simple
in. construction and yet churchly.
This denomination followed the
3. teachings of Zwingli. who, the
pastor assured me, differed from
Luther in that he urged be
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

room at Sycamore HILL" She
added: ~ should like the world
TO know the part his deep knowl-
edge of the Bible played in my
husbands life"
"Bill" Sewall told me that when
Mr.. Roosevelt visited him in the
Main woods in 1917 he would take
his Bible and slip away alone on
Sunday afternoons so that he
could study it undisturbed. Dur
ing his dark days in Dakota he
read II regularly.
A lay passenger asked the Ger
man captain If he might address
the steerage passengers on a Sun
day afternoon. AS it had never
been done before consent was
reluctantly given. This layman
read from his own Bible and pray
ed in three languages. and then
described the traits Of good citi-
zens. His name was Theodore
Roosevelt. 1t occurred when he
was returning from his African
trip.
]. j. Leary told me that one
day while campaigning the train
stopped in Canton, Ohio. Mr..
Roosevelt disappeared and for a
long time they could not find him.
When they did he was discovered
kneeling on the grave Of William
Mckinley.
Mr.. Roosevelt wrote his daugh-
ter a letter OF congratulation
when he learned that she had
agreed to teach a Sunday school
class and told her he had taught
one for seven years, four Of them
while he was in Harvard. Mr.. Riis
tells us that during that time a
boy came into class with a black
eye.
The teacher asked: Johnnie,
where did you get that eye?" The
boy replied: "A boy was mean to
my sister and / fought him." The
teacher commended the deed and
gave the boy 81 as a reward. The
minister of the church heard of it
and asked for the teachers resig'
nation, because he encouraged
fighting. Mr.. Roosevelt resigned,
but instead of being Offended,
promptly took a class in another
Sunday school.
He would neither tell nor even
listen to risque stories. Mr.. Loeb
told me frequently men, mislead
by his heartiness, would start an
offensive story and he would
turn and walk out of the room.
j. ]. Leary. jr., who travelled thou
sands of miles with him as a news
paper correspondent, wrote me:
There was that about Mr.. Roose-
welt that made men careless in
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

and da, da. da. but he actually
spoke all the words. for listened"
While at Cheyenne. Wyo.. he
attended the Methodist Chur'h.
and as usual departed before the
congregation. He noticed that az
artilleryman from Fort A. ID.
Russell. near by, was an usher.
He sent in for him, shook hands.
and said: II wish you to nnd-r-
stand. sir. that I think you are
at your post Of duty. and I Ger.
tainly congratulate you upon hav.
ing a part in the life of this
church"
ALWAYS PUNCTUAL.
visited both his Washington
and Oyster Bay churches and
talked with the local pastors.
He usually walked to and from
church In both places. Once in
Washington he was two minutes
Idtt.. WIS
and showed himself to be really
frustrated as he apologized.
promising that 1t would never oc.
cur again.
Whenever-and that rarely. =
compelled to be absent he sent
messenger from the White House
to tell the pastor the cause Of mis-
absence.
His church attendance was in
no way artificial. 1t was as
natural and counted as valuable
for physical and mental benefit
as was walk in the woods.
Once while en- route, guar led
by Secret Service men. he saw
two dogs chasing a kitten. F3-D
getting his silk hat, he raced
after the dogs. while the "detec.
tive caught the kitten.
The President took the trem.
The Washington times., 1922-11-05
Let's Stop Worrying and Be Happy

fectly neutral; they say positively
It's not cancer. But you know
how doctors deceive you! And
when I think--if I should be taken
now, with the baby so young, and
poor Billy obliged to live with his
sister, and our dear little home not
yet paid for
And then there's mother, too.
Shed have to go to my brother in
Nebraska, and she idolizes the
baby-she'd never see, her
CANCER WORKERS..
IT do try to be cheerful, I DO
try to keep up. but ! just can't!
And Of course when l break down
1t nearly kills mother and Billy"
Don't worry about mother and
Billy; think Of yourself!' we say
tenderly. not realizing that 1t is
entirely too much thinking about
herself that has brought up the
whole problem.
Like tens of thousands Of other
women, this woman has an entirely
imaginary growth, and instead Of
either living. or dying outright, she
IL dragging along enjoyably. eter.
nally in the domestic spotlight.
eternally praised for her heroism.
The cancer worriers are legion.
Healthy, happy busy little Mrs.
Davis, in the next block, Is carried
eff with few hours notice with
flu; courageous, useful old Lady
Baker drops dead while she In
walking to the club; but Minnie
Smith, and her eternal and incur.
able disease, go on forever.
Almost all the old ladies' are the
girls who had consumption. heart
failure. or cancer in the roaring
seventies.
But apart from the sickness wor.
The Washington times., 1922-11-05
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

such matters as careful in their
speech as they would be in the
presence of a group Of little girls"
Like George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln, he never used
tobacco. After being wounded at
Milwaukee. the hospital authori-
ties issued a bulletin saying that
IL Mr.. Roosevelt had used tobacco
and liquor he could not have
avoided blood poisoning.
NOT A DRINKER.
He once said: II drink about an
much as Lyman Abbott, and / say
this with his permission" On the
African trip he took one prescrip-
ton of brandy, but could not keep
II down, and a second was given
him in oil. He never drank high.
ball in his life and very little else
but light wines. He never tasted
beer. Because he slipped cham.
pagne at banquets and then be.
came uproariously happy. like
boy. some thought he was drunk.
He favored the Eighteenth
Amendment. Boss" Barnes want
ed to nominate him instead of Gov
ernor Whitman for the third term.
Mr.. Roosevelt sent back word that
this would be impossible, since
Barnes was a wet" and If he was
nominated he would be compelled
to favor the prohibition amend
ment. Barnes replied: Il don't
care damn whether he is for pro-
hibition or against it. He can be
elected"
Mr.. McGrath. long his secretary.
explained this stand of Mr.. Roose.
velt's by saying that Mr.. Roosevelt
really favored State prohibition. be-
lieving that the country would be
ultimately dried up in this way,
but that when the issue was 30
suddenly and Sharply Drawn, ne
found it necessary to take sides
with the "drys."
And so he worked. ripening his
faith and gaining in favor with the
people because he was clean and
sincere Mrs. Robinson said to me:
MY brother had no fear OF death
in the path Of duty. He believed
in divine guidance, but called 1t
following my lightr
The death of Quentin nearly
broke bis heart. He never COM
pletely rallied from it. But he held
that life was a game and he meant
to play it gamely to the end.
And in that faith he worked day
by day. Like q tired child he went
to bed at IL o'clock and said:
Turn out the light" and awak.
ened in the next world. in which
he confidently believed.
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

derstanding; the difficult Il
thought we could, but we really
cannot afford it," or the hardest Of
all. to son or daughter. 1T is inn.
possible. dear. Daddy disapproves,
and l will not help you to do any.
thing without his knowledge:
And 4. The tiny residue of real
worry. that will not down. But in
this class come only things too big
to be catalogued so-the grief that
lives on and on; the daily contem.
plation of a character that is hope.
lessly weak; the needs of our dear
ones that we may not relieve; the
long-ago mistake that is bearing
bitter fruit even today
LET'S REMEMBER THIS.
But here we have to remember
that there Is a God, and' thai
there is Plan.
We know that grief Is one OF
the vital things in life, an &C.
colade rather than a loss, and
that they are blessed who have
loved enough, and served enough,
truly to mourn, and they will be
comforted.
The character that is weak, no
matter how close and how loved,
cannot be helped by your com.
plants, your fears, and mine.
Build about that character def.
mite good, strong belief in Its
ultimate success and hpapineos,
and you will do all that earthly
and even little bit that heavenly
means can do.
And the needs Of our dear ones7
How we would love to buy the
cottage for Mother, to set the
shining motor car before Bob =
door, and say Happy birthday
The Washington times., 1922-11-05

But the only real gift is love
whether 1t is expressed by the
Hope diamond or by the uuex-
pected rice pudding at supper.
Just to have ones bed smoothly
made. and the room swept and
aired, is a gift lat the end " n
long office day. never to be for
gotten, gift beside which the
listed Jewels and silver and furs
Of New York itself would look
only what they really area
mountain or soulless Junk!
Many and many a rich woman
looks alphabetically at her gifts on
Christmas morning-the cheek,
YES, and the mahogany table.
YES. and the rug-really 1t Is
stunning. isn't it?-at the very
moment that some lucky litt!e
shop girl in a flat a mile or 30
away Ia gasping, between laugh.
ter and tears:
"Oh. Mother--you got me the
umbrella, you darling! And Bob
had my room papered-it looks
like a different place! And Aunt
Mary told me ] could have ner
old bureau. and that she was go
ing to come over and help you
get Christmas dinner-I don't
know why everybody's SO wonder
fulr
WANT A GOOD LAUGH
As for those long-ago mistakes,
.sose silly. irreparable things we
did when life was a trackless
daisy meadow and any road
seemed the right road-well. you
and I are not the first to see our
mistakes and have to pay.
But that Ia life. IL you and ]