The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-12
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN

BY WALTER d. HICKMAN
A STORY of a little aristo-
L n crat of old Russia from the
time she was born until she ar
rived at the age of Is. is told in
Little Era in Old Russia"
With charm and sincerity, Trina
Skariatina, author of First to
Go Back" and other books, tells
of her own childhood in old czarist
Russia.
There is no doubt in my mind
that the theme is completely
true story of the childhood of a
girl of the old regime.
She has captured a picture of
the heavy landowners and the
generals of the car. 1t is not a
dead picture of other days, but a
live one, full of the rigid diScipline
and convent-like life that a little
girl whose great-aunt was Prin-
cess Trina endured before the old
order persisted.
The reader will find no propa-
ganda, but a most interesting
story of the first sixteen years of
a girls life.
There is no remorse, no tear
jerking in this recital on the part
of this member of the old aristoc-
racy in Russia. but a truthful
recital of how a little girl was
placed in mold" which broke
suddenly, destroying even men,
berS of her family, estates, and
from which she emerged as a
modern woman with millions of
Americans reading her books and
listening to her lectures.
T HAVE met the author several
Il times during her visits to In
dianapolis to see her publishers,
and can see clearly the effects
Of her careful training and guard
ed life OF her younger days.
The story opens with the birth
of Era in the second story of an
old stone house in st. Petersburg.
The house was on the Moika ca
nal, not far from the winter pal
ace.
Of course Era in the early
chapters, repeats from memory
what her English nurse, a Ger
man governess, a doctor, and a
professor taught her.
All her life Era, because she was
kept away from other children
on the vast estate at Trotskoe and
allowed when she was IA and Is
to associate with only few in
the then Russian capital, was
forced to remember, and it was
this gift for detail which gives
such a tremendously fine and ac-
Curate background to the story.
Impressive and even a little pa
thetic is the recital of her chris
tening with princesses and others
of high standing passing judg-
ment.
nNE of the fine accomplish
~ ments of this book is that
the author gives an accurate de-
scription of the position, mode Of
life not only which was led by the
intimate members of her retinue
and family, but hundreds of serv-N
ants with whom she never ex-
changed a word
Although surrounded by an old
order, little Era tried at times to
behave like a natural child. She
loved her many toys, dolls and her
live pets, such as dogs, birds and
the like.
She escaped only once from her
educated and well-trained jailers.
She ran away from the vast
estate, went riding over the snow
with peasant children, saw a live
trained bear and, on being re-
turned by members of her re-
tinue, she was put to bed and
punished with castor oil, as usual.
Then she contracted chickenpox
and superstition decided that she
touched the bear while some
maintained it was because she got
mixed up with dirty crowds"
Her picture of Christmas and
Easter in old Russia is masterful.
The book is just that-a mas
terpiece.
1t is published by the Bobbs-
Merrill Company and sells for $3.50.