FOUR TRIPS ACROSS RUSSIA

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 121, 22 May 1920, Page 71

FOUR TRIPS ACROSS RUSSIA

"BLACK AND WHITE" CHURCH AND BOLSHEVIK In the Springfield Republican Edgar "White writes interestingly of four trips across Russia made by Miss Olive Gilbreath, a Missourian girl. " 'Black and white'—that's Russia," said Miss Gilbreath the other day. "The mysterious black of ' the forests, the eternal white mantle of snow,' a mantle that is silently falling all the time like the roses at Nero's feast. That is why the Russian loves red and other brig Tit colours, to vary the everlasting, monotony of the landscape. And yet this very monotony fascinates, and largely explain? tile Russian's character. To him it is symbolical of an unchangeable pur- ' pose of the Creator. Life is fixed in grooves lie 'dare not overleap lest, disaster come. The upheaval that has occurred he cannot fathom, ar.d clings closer to the Church, as -an anchor of .safety, il am Speaking now of the people we met in Siberia. " Our train was followed by General Kolchak, who was driving the Bolsheviks before him. During one df our stops a peasant drove me m a sled to another place where the army of the Lenin Government had been. There were several splendid cathedrals of the Greek Church and a large convent. The priests showed 'me through one of the cathedrals, and I spoke of the jewels and valuable things j the Bolsheviks had spared. It: seemed ! odd considering the vandalism at other towns. The priests, with glowing eves, told how they had summoned the peasants and the people of the town, formed them into linos, and placed a number of ikons in the front rank." Then the civilian army, without a weapon of ;any kind, advanced toward the fierce Bolsheviks chanting the music of the church as they marched. WOULD NOT FIRS ON CHURCH. "There was a shot rattle of the machine guns, and then the Bolsheviks refused to fire on the ikons, the priest said. Many in the enemy ranks were believers, and would not raise their hands against tho symbols of the church. The priests did not say they led the civilian army, but I am oi the impression they did. Something like this must have happened, because the Bolshevik army had been through the place, and you. could see none of the valuable things in the cathedrals had been disturbed. " That very crowd, of Bolsheviks, so fearful of the spell of the ikons, made an old woman in another town hold a lamp . while they shot her two sons. . That evidence was given to the officers of our expedition. The mother superior of the j convent stated that prayers had been mads to one of the ikons in her institution that they be spared by the enemy. She declared.that the prayer had been answered, and showed me the ikon through which the intercession had been made, a representative of one of the sacred women of the Bible." - Miss Gilbreath was asked if she had come in contact with any of the Bolsheviks. ' "Yes, v she smiled, "and instead of a sinister meeting as I at first thought it turned out to be amusing. It was while we were at Vladivostok. The telephone notified me that two men wished to see me. I knew they were members of the Bolshevik Party, and knew then, as.all do now, what a-Bolshevik is. There vvaa nothing to do but to answer 'yes.' They came to my place, and they looked cxi actly like the mental pictures you have of Bolsheviks, black whiskers, roving black eyes, deep authoritative- voices. These two Bolsheviks' were needing help, they said. They were dignitaries of some sort, nnd had received a communication from Admiral Knight, United States Navy, and they wanted it whacked into Russian—'very properly,' they insisted—and then wanted me to put their reply into English—also 'very properly'—for the Admiral. "Considerably relieved I promptly proceeded with the job, and I guess it suited them, judging by the trouble I soon fouud myself in. . From that time, whenever or wherever I met those two men, theatre, cafe, or public assembly, they woujd both promptly arise and bow to me with all the formality they would show a queen, and of course everybody in the place wanted to see on whom those big Bolsheviks were bestowing such marked courtesy. The officers from th% ships had a- good time teasing me about my Bolshevik friends. Finally, somebody tipped off my 'friends' that such extreme formality was not necessary, and after that they simply raised their hats. HELD TRAIN TO HEAR VIOLINIST The young Siberian explorer laughed when someone asked her to tejl about the operation of railroad trains. "Our train was composed of very good coaches—well-heated and comfortable, but it was the -movement of the trains that was funny. While we were getting ready to clear one town, and were in a hurry to get- on, the stationmaster, who seems to be supreme railroad bess in his town, learned there was a passenger on i board who owned a rare old violin, and I was something of a musician. '. So he I came on our car and insisted that the musician go out to his house and show the wife the rare old instrument and play on it for her. " 'But I haven't got time,' protested the musician; ' the train is about to j leave.' "'The train won't leave until I say so,' returned the stationmaster, ' tho key that unlocks the switch is in my pocket; come on.' "The matter'of an hour's delay in the train schedule was insignificant to that stationmaster, but the finding of a man with an ancient violin was an event". That is one trouble with tha Russians— ? the way they weigh things. Matters of extreme moment with, us would be trifling to them. ' That "tationmaster probably reasoned that the soul-nourishing qualities of music were of much greater consequence than our hitting our destination before nightfall. " One snowy night word came to our stationmaster that a- high bridge down tiie line might be unsafe because of the storm. There was a way around on another line— ; a much longer way. The fjfficei's of the expedition let the passengers vote on the route. All but one

yoteil for the shorter way over the risky bridge. He said time was no object to him. Tlie crew took no part in the ballot-—' theirs was but to do or die.' i But after we 'decided to. proceed, the I stationmaster said there were two ways i —to proceed with our heavy locomotive lon the. head-end, thereby greatly enhancing the chances of disaster, or lot him telegraph to. the other division to send clown a locomotive to the-other side, and let our engine fret behind and 'kick' the train "across. Wise old head that statinnmnster had ! Engines cost money and—well, there are plenty of people. We voted not to risk that precious engine, nnd so our train was 'kicked' across the dangerous structure without loss of life. " Sometimes we'd reach a town where some dignitary's train would be . waiting for an engine, and his crow would (-..-ike nuv engine and scoot off with it. But mif crew often played the s"-:i c triok on other?, so the '.iilances wera fairj.v I even. Of course ours was a special'ex-

press, but we never knew when we awoke in the morning how many other cars would be hitched on behind. For a dignified amount of roubles the stationmaster would let you couple a car or two behind anything that travelled on wheels. The Overland stage coach days had nothing on Siberia in the reign of Leriine the first." "HEART OF RUSSIA IS RIGHT." Miss Gilbreath declares the spell of Russia has never left her and never will. She says she knows the time will come when she wilt have to go back, if for nothing else than to hear the "wonderful Slav music," which she says there is nothing like in all the world. The educated Russian, the nobleman, she says, is one of the most companionable of men, and the most democratic. A grand duke will- unhesitatingly kiss a private soldier who has done some good bit of work. The peasants are like children, always readyto do you a good turn, but as to their rights and what life might hold' for them under better conditions there is a big question mark. , Children of the plains, they know nothing but labour, and are content-when it yields a living to them and those they love. "Will Russia, come back?" Miss Gilbreath repeated the question. I think it. will more glorious than ever. There is so much good there, so' many well-educat-ed people, that they deserve the comforts and blessings of other Governments administered by wise and patriotic hands. The heart of Russia- is right. When that heart speaks the Ehackles will fall from her."