Hammond Times, Volume 12, Number 232, Hammond, Lake County, 28 March 1918 — Page 14

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An Intimate Sketch of This Great City With Its ; - vsw

Magnificent Palaces and Churches The Center of Real Russia.

'EAK LEST THE GERMAN'S , From that lime on Moscow ere-v

should capture Petrogrrad has rapidly in population, but its progress

led the Russians to remove their

capital, at least for a .time, to

Moscow, the place which was for so many years the center of that country's povcrnmcnt. It is one of the world's magnificent cities, its semibarbaric splendor makes it one of the raot interesting-, if not the most interesting city in Europe. Situated

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w-as stopped several times by great fires. Indeed, in reading- the history of Moscow one begrins to think that its early history consists of nothing but

descriptions of fires. One of the most j

disastrous of these conflagrations occurring in 1737, bepran in the poorer section when an old woman piouslyplaced a t;jper before the ikon, whic'.i

near the middle of European Russ;a. j was in her kitchen and then went out it is the natural center of that preat j to talk to a neighbor. The taper fell but unfortunate land. Its architec- ( and a fire which burned for days was "ture. Its traditions and its institutions ! the result. In 1S12 the resident are a truer reflection of that nation of j themselves set fire to the city to save

conglomerate people than the com- jit from Napoleon, who, as the result,!

paratively modern city of Petrosrrad. j was compelled to leave in such t. It has Just enough touch of the Orien- j hurry that he left several hundred tai to make it strange, foreign and j cannon behind. These are still or fascinating: and yet on ever; side are j exhibition In the grounds of the evidences of the hand of western j Kremlin the royal section of the city prepress and culture and business con- which Is set apart from the other part ditions. So here one finds a truly i of the town and surrounded by a hish

modern advanced city in the setting-

of medieval semi-barbaric semi-Ori cntal surrounding's. Old City.

wall.

nolj Gate. There are five pates to the enclosure

and while they are nil interesting from

each other until they reached the ffate. They ceased and removing their hats drove through in silence only to renew their quarrel when inside. ICcmarkablc Holies. Tho Kremlin which rises In the center of commercial Moscow is the most sacred spot in Russian history for here all the Czars have been crowned for centuries, and here the most sacred relics of the country are preserved. Here are the palaces and churches, monasteries and military

! barracks, and museums where Jewels

of the rarest beauty and purest quality are preserved. It is also the last earthly resting place of the Russian patriarchs, whose bodies are in vaults beneath one of the churches. The church of the Assumption, where the coronation of the Czars were held, is one of the most richly decorated places of worship in the world and its treasury contains many venerated relics, among them a written copy of

The Treasurer of the Kremlin contains the crowns of many of the earlier rulers of Russia and each one is studded with Jewels of the purest quality. All sorts of rare plato used at the coronation feasts, rich enamel bowls and chalica-s of solid gold, sceptres set with diamonds and rubies, gold ajid silver horse trappings used by the princes together with the coronation robes of the Czars and

Czarinas, are spread out in cases where the public may view these rich relics of Russia's splendor. Russia has preserved some queer things in I its museum as well as rich ones, for ! here may be found stuffed and mount- ! ed with the rarest skill of the taxidermist art the favorite horse of Cath-

complete without some mention of the great bell which stands in the Kremlin Square. To provide a bell for a clurch has always been regarded as a meritorious, act in Russia, so the Queen Anne decided to have one cast which by its great size should be known as the "Queen of Bells." It was cast in the year 1735 and weighs twelve thousand pounds. During one of Moscow's numerous fires it fell from a burning beam and a piece was broken from it. It lay where it fell until 1S3i' when Nicholas the First

the Gospels dating from the twelfth

Long before Columbus discovered a historic standpoint the Gate of the centurv. a nail said to be one of those

America .Moscow was menuonea in , ueaeemer sometimes known as the I used on the cross and a thorn said to i w,c 1 L' w nue 1 'OFe D me nad u pace,j wriere it now stands, history, its name appearing in records Holy Gate, is the most important, i have been taken from the crown ef I "iuffeon said to have been used by : c,ose b is the wprld.g lar t cannon

dated May 8. 114.. It was not. how- Since the year 1621 a light has burned I thorns worn by Christ. i n an mc lerriDie, when he murdered i r,prf(.v ,,fAt m,- of b

ever, until tne reign or ivan tne inira above its entrance placed there by toward the end of the fifteenth cm-1 Czar Alexia Miohaelovitch. It is detury that Moscow began to fix up both j creed that no man may pass through

as a rortress ana as a city. At that time a wealthy merchant built a palace of brick which so pleased Ivan and his wife Sophie, who was a Greek princess from Constantinople, that they decided to introduce bricks into the city as building material. Architects were brought from Italy and

without removing his hat. There Is a tradition that Napoleon refused to do this and on entering the wind blew his hat off and it was carried a quarter of a mile away before it was recovered. Several times it is said that

the French tried to steal the gold frame which encases the holy ikon

palaces and churches of great beauty , over the pate, but at each attempt

began to rtse m Moscow, in 150S an i the ladder broko in the middle. The Italian architect was commanded to j Russian of today still carries out the

make plans for surrounding the city I law and the writer has seen drosky

with entrenchments.

drivers quarreling and swearing at

The Palace is so magnificent that all the royal castlevs of Europe pale into insignificance when compared to it. In decoration, in floor covering and In size the Kremlin Palace stands preeminent. It has several hundred rooms eacli one vicing in richness with the other. Modern Russia, however, has seen lit to make use of some of these great halls and during both the Russo-Japanese War and the present conflict the throne room of Alexander has been used as Red Cross headquarters and here each day women of all ranks meet to make bandagesand clothing for the wounded.

his son. and these things in the same

room with the rare jewels. Truly Russia is a land of contrasts. On the wall outside one is shown the place where Ivan the Terrible used to watch the executions which were carried out by his orders on the old execution block which still stands in the Red Square outside the Kremlin. Russian history is filled with the horrible crimns of this ruler and it makes one sh'.iddr-r to look upon the place where his orgies of blood were carried out. Queer Of BorN. No write up of Moscow would be

perfectly useless mass of brass,

which has never been fired. Several cannon balls each weighing one hundred and twenty pounds are beside the cannon and quite as useless as the machine for which they were designed. In order to get the best view of Moscow one must climb the bell tower of Ivan the Great, where the view extends ovvr the city far into the suburbs. The big orphan asylum, where eigh'n thousand orphans are received each year comes into view, the huge bnzaar building with its six thou-, sand shops where the east and the west meet in commerce is in the fore

ground with its hundreds of droskies parked before. The entrance to what is known as the Chinese city, where (he warehouses and office buildings are located is in plain view. Magnificent homes and great churches with their richly colored domes are all about. Two of these churches are particularly notable, St. Basil the Blessed and the Church of St. Savior. Splendid Cliurohes. The former is one of the most original buildings in the world and has a style of architecture all its own. It w;as built at the command of Ivan the Terrible as a thank offering for the Conquest of Kasan. There is a tradition that when it was completed it was so beautiful and so wonderful that Ivan had the builder's eyes put out s6 he could not build another like it. There is another version of the tradition which tells how Ivan asked the architect whether he could build a mor.e beautiful structure, and when the man replied in the affirmative the Czar ordered the executioner to cut off the architect's head so that the structure might remain unrivaled forever. The church has a number of domes or towers which appear like a bunch of upturned beets in shape, each of which is sarmounted by a golden cross. The carving on, them is little short of marvelous, the coloring of which is indescribably beautiful. The interior consists of eleven different rooms in one of which repose the remains of St. Basil the Blessed. In 1611 the church was ransacked by Polish troops and in IS 12 Napoleon used it as a stable for his horses. In 18 39 it was restored to its former beauty and is today the pride of Moscow. The Church of St. Savior is more modern and was built as a thank offering for Moscow's deliverance from Napoleon. It was begun in 1S37 and completed in 1883. As the church is the highest building in the city and dominates the sky line and its dome is covered with solid gold it can be seen for miles. The interior is richly decorated with paintings by native artists and has over one hundred

marble tablets on which are inscribed the names of the men who gave their lives to the city during Napoleon's invasion. Just outside the Kremlin wall stands a house which always interests the visitor. It is the old home of the first Romanoff, the founder of the dynasty of which the recently deposed Czar was a member. Czar Michael Theodorvitch, the founder was born there and also his father, Theodore Kikitisch, who became a patriarch under the name of Philaret. The house is a perfect specimen of the dwelling houses of the old boyars of Russia. It contains many relics of the Romanoff family. Moscow has fine libraries, a University and a remarkable picture gallery in which war pictures of the most bloody type seem to predominate. As it is the western terminus of the Siberian railroad it is the great commercial center of the country. City Of Wealth. , There is considerable social life in the city which is naturally one of wealth and during the winter there is opera, theatres and winter sports. During . the summer many of the wealthy people leave town but amusements are plentiful, vaudeville shows flourish in the suburban parks, these shows sometimes having so many numbers that the entertainment docs not close until two A. M. The hotels and restaurants serve elaborate meals even in war-time few dinners being under seven to ten courses. The new regime in Russia may change the living in Moscow, but Russian tradition and superstition are too much a part of the lives of the people to change the aspect of the city and the Kremlin will always be looked upon with a sort of veneration. Socialists and even Anarchists may sit in the palaces while Russia is working out her new condition but Moscow will always retain that charm of barbaric splendor and the people will still cling to the traditions of this great city from which Russian Czars both good and

bad held sway over Russia for so many I years.

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Eyes of the Nation Turned Upon the Capital - Big Men Who Are Working for Uncle Sam In His Hour of Need - Protection of the President -Mobilizing the Nation's Brain Power.

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i-Ui')i'iJi, wii, riy T..e N ROUTE FROM the Middle West to Washington recently, tho writer of this article, merely to satisfy a curiosity, talked With every passenger in his Pullman. There were no women in the crowded car. Two of the men were tent and awning manufacturers, one represented a firm of steel shell makers, one

was a partner in a fuse manufacturing concern, two were millers from the Northwest, three were coal operators, another was a wholesale dealer in soap, one represented a knitting mill m Chicago, one a rubber company in Central Ohio, one a truck and wagon factory in Indiana, another readily gave the information that he was an "inventor." and the remaining passengers were officers and enlisted men of the Army and Navy, called to Washington to receive war orders. Smoking room conversations are quite likely to become confidential, so when the writer made known the fact that he was acquainted in Washington, his popularity was assured. There was no beating about the bush; the desire of his fellow passengers was apparent. "Wns there an inside track to this ofTUinl. or a subterranean passage to that official?" "This fellow who buys the government': tenting do you know him?"

International Syndicate.

"Ever meet General Blank, of the Quartermasters Corps, who has charge of the Army clothing supply? What kind of a fellow is he, anyway?" Every one of the passengers of that particular Pullman, with th orrrn.

j tion of the soldiers and sailors and, of : course, the "inventor," sought govjernment contract3 for materials : some of them war materials and some of them materials that their makers j thought should be war materials, ; whether they were or not. And this Pullman was no exception; all cars (entering the big Union Station in j Washington average pretty well along the same line. The proportion rep

resentee! ny the "inventor" can be classified more appropriately under the caption of "crank"." 1 Changes About The City. Washington, heretofore rather lethargic and figuratively inclined to sit back and view events with -a critical eye, has awkened with new responsibilities. The city, with an estimated increase in population of somewhere between seventv-five anH n ,t,r,.

dred thousand persons, suddenly finds

iiseir a tnmg or importance to the nation, the point from which all war activities radiate, with many new branches of government service open to workers and witii business of all

kinds on the boom. On the day a state of war was declared between the United States and Germany, the Capital was given impetus. All of the gigantic schemes that go toward putting a nation on a war-time footing and entering into the greatest conflict of the ages were conreived and formulated in Washington, where, in most instances, headquarters were established and thousands of workers placed on the payrolls. Mr. Hoover's Food Administration is an example of this. When his plan was decided upon, before the passage of the Food Bill by Congress, his entire force of workers consisted of a secretary. There are now almost a thousand men and women employed in the Food Administration alone. Efforts to interest millions of women throughout the country in food conservation have .been successful, and .a saving of $2.00,000.000 is expected within a year. The Capital's war-time increase in population enough in itself to make a good-sized city has changed the outward appearance of Washington to a certain extent. All public buildings are heavily guarded, admission to many of them is refused sightseers, and government employes are required to show their identification cards, containing physical descriptions and photographs, when entering or leaving buildings whfre they are employed. Officers of the Army and Navy, together with the enlisted men. throng the streets at all hours and give the city a true war setting. The White House, always a Mecca for tourists and sightseers, has been closed to their inspection. It is guarded by both the military and the police),

yD&77Sc?&2?7 all strangers being closely watched. At night the mansion is watched by soldiers who are stationed a few feet apart around the white House grounds. The gates are doubly guarded. , Cannons Were Sniped. One of the most peculiar incidents of the protection 'of the White House is in regard to two antique cannon adorning the east side of the State, War and Navy Building, which is just west of the Presidential mansion. The two guns, long out of use. were captured during the Spanish-American War. When they were taken to Washington they were placed at the top of the steps lending to the east en'rance of the government's cre.it"st office bjiilding. that of tho Fate, Wt and Navy. Tho murzVs of the c:nnon point directly at the WhitHouse. When a strife of war wns declared with Germany, the gumwere spiked, their interiors completely filled up, so that there was no possibility of their being fired. This is only one of the many precautions taken to safeguard the life of the chief executive. The Capital has also ccome the center of activities for big business men. They are devoting themselves, their time and their resources to the work oX co-operation with the govern-

1 merit in the prosecution of the war. The man best fitted for the particular l job to be accomplished, whether it ; be to facilitate the subscription to a loan, to extend and make more effective the work of the Red Cross throughout the world, to bring railroads into co-ordination with the government's requirements, to invent means to remove tie submarine menace or to mobilize the raw materials and manufacturing products, has ; found his way to Washington and has stepped into the place where his services are most needed. About fifteen thousand names have been added to the government's payroll all of these working In Washington since the entrance of the Un!fed States into the war. Fully as many have been added to take the places of regular employes who have joined the military forces, taken morelucrative positions with other employers or left government service for other reasons. While the Civil Service Corr.mbs. on has beon un.ible to keep pncf with the nnpreeedsmted number of employes who have been placed nt -vork wi'hin such a shor t mc. ofiV ci. of the Commission es'imate thn -V' r thirty thousand new names ap"oar on the payrolls. Naturally; the greatest increase in 'he personnel has been in the War Department, where the normal force of eighteen hundred civilian workers has jumped to almost six thousand. Tho division devoted to ordnance claim"! the greatest increase, but not a

single branch of the department's activity has escaped considerable expan sion. The War Workers. Tho Treasury Department figures

j second, having added over two thoui sand names within the past six i months. It is probable that another '; thousand workers will be taken on by i this department before the end of the present year as tx result of recent ac- ! tion by Congress. It is estimated that ! thee will be needed by the internal I revenue bureau to care for the lncreased war tax provisions. The activities of the Treasury Department i are so varied that definite figures of ; rapid growth are impossible, j The Departments of S'ate, Labor. ' A f-i-n 1 1 ii r n 'i n ; 1 ( in -ri m r-rr- r. H o t-o foliin

on their quota of extra help, while

the Post Office Department is the only one which cannot trace any Increase j directly to the war. Over two hun- !

dred workers have been added because I

in connection with registration totaling approximately four billion copies. The first Liberty Bond issue required large quantities of rush work. Ono million copies of posters, printed in two colors, were delivered within the space of "a few days. Four million

i copies were printed of what is known ias the "Boy Scout Poster," and ten j million copies of it were printed on I circulars, applications, etc. "Cranks" Flock To Capital. ! The war has sent "cranks" and their j pet schemes to the Capital in droves, land they have .caused considerable ! trouble to the police. But the latter

handle suspicious cases in a businesslike rnawer, and, considering the number of these addled creatures -who have descended upon Washington, the

. . ., ., I police have wonderful tact and dc-

service j termination in setting rid of them. A ' The Civil Service Commission has i large number of the suspicious strangexamined over two hundred thousand j ers .ar scl the Government Hos-

piiai lor wie insane lur txamiuauon.

applicants in the present calendar year and has certified sixty-five thousand of them for places in the government service more than a third of them being for positions In Washington. War work in the nation's big print shop, the Government Printing Office, has reached large proportions. Vast numbers of orders covering every con

ceivable class of printing and binding

There they are put through severe tests and allowed to explain their schemes for bringing the war to a sudden close or capturing the kaiser. A Mobilization Of Brains. There are a hundred or more men in Washington now working for the government at nearly double union hours whose time the government has

have been taken care of and rushed never been able to buy in peace times.

through to completion. Working forces were augmented as rapidly as possible to meet the demand, and the shop's linotypes and presses do not stop when the six o'clock whistle blows. T,he workmen are divided into several shifts and the factory works through the full twenty-four hours of each day. Uncle Sxm's Offl-ia! P.ulle' r, eonducted by the Georee Creel P. ;rrnu of Information, is a new publication printed by the Government Printing Office. The first Issue came out on May 10, 1917. It has eight or more

j pages, and over eighty thousand copies

are printed each evening. During a single month, the government print shop, aside from all other

The names on the various war committees are those of men who in private life command bigger salaries or receive bigger Incomes than $100,000. They are prototypes of Herbert C. Hoover, and the story of his energy, ability and sacrifice is a household tale here and abroad. The list of names of big men who are working for Uncle Sam in his hour of need is growing longer each day, and it has been stated that it resembles a series of pages from "Who's Who." Virtually all of the men have made real sacrifices, cither in homo life, money, business interests or personal comfort, to go to Washington. There are no heroics About it. Off

hand, the average citizen could not

rou.tme work of tne various depart- ! name ten of f hem. Most of them will

i ments. Congress and the bureaus. ' never get. their names In the news-

printed twenty-five million registra- j papers, except for a passing mention

but history will show how big a part

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tion cards, together with eighteen million certificates of registration, blanks, vouchers, telegrams, instructions, etc,

they played in the struggle to "make, the world safe for democracy." V