The Washington times., 1923-08-22

They are meek, meritable, folk
without any will power.
The professional ''starver" is
quite q different type. One has
only got to live in Moscow for q
few weeks and one gets to know
them all personally" Anyone who
is clad in what are called Euro
pean" clothes is sure to be accost-
ed by dirty and shameless woman
on the "Petrovska," who will bother
him with her company for a long
time.
Man With Hand Missing.
Another well-known Moscow beg
gar is a man, who is. apparently
half idiot, and whose right hand
is missing. To encourage his busi-
ness, he bares the filthy, horrible
stump, holds it In his left hand
and pushes it in front of the noses
of the passersby. He traverses
Moscow as fast as he can, and in
the course Of one morning one
may run across him in at least
twenty places, far apart.
This type Of beggar Is extraor-
dinarily- importunate. They attack
everyone who passes, and even II
| one is travelling in a cab, they will
jump on to the step and are not
to be got rid of. It is a horrible
sort Of pest. kind of siege. One
is continually taken by the arm
by these beggars and before one
knows where one is, ones pocket
has been picked. But as the for.
eigner is not quite SO generous
with his millions as. the Russian
"who prints them" he is not very
81 l~l
beggar.
Another type which was very
common in Russia, but, which is
dying out, is the beggar at the
churches. One may find dozens
Of men and women in front of
every church, who bow and cross
themselves and-beg. But the rev.
olution has hit them very hard.
The number Of wealthy church
goers has sorely fallen off. Be
side ! the outward observance of
the whole pomp and circumstance
Of the. church is no longer FASH
ionable. The BolsheViki have shown
extraordinarily little sympathy for
all the old holy men and women"
for those who prayed for the sick
and the monks who wrought mira
cles.
thousands OF Children.
Then we come to the endless
series of begging children. There
is an army Of about $4,000 chill.
dren begging, stealing and wander.
ing about the streets and stations
Of Moscow. They have gathered
from all parts of Russia. Their
fathers and mothers are dead of
starvation. Sometimes the children
have travelled for months before
of them have got there under the
frames of the railway cars. or
have fallen under the wheels. When
they get to Moscow they are
ground under the mills Of the gods.
Boys of fourteen murder and steal.
Girls of twelve become prostitutes,
live on cocaine and forbidden
liquors, and beg. The Soviet gov
ernment has opened dozens of ref
uges, but It remains practically
powerless against this misery Of
the children. It is storm which
has swept 100000 Of little VIC
Tins overheard; a storm which has
proved much stronger than those
who released it, without having
the faintest idea of the terrible
VI LHcIT dCL1Ous
But apart from all these people
whose lives have been so cruelty
mangled by fate, there is a last
category, that of the half annihi-
lated but not yet completely de.
stroyed. These are the remnants OF
the Bourgeoisie. This is the rem
nant Of the Russian "Intelligenzia"
which has now been reduced tol
beggary. should prefer to call
them the "beggars who do not beg"
1t is a hopeless undertaking to de-
fend the "Intelligents" in Russia.
AS everyone knows, they have failed
dismally. But one thing on . must
say. They bear their cross bravely.
They are doing their work as far as
they can and as far as they know
They do not beg.
Servants Highly Educated.
I went to see German friend OF
mine who was in Moscow on some
business and found the servant
washing the floor. To my surprise.
when I came into the room I found
him talking tn khO R0FYaAG in