1074 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



ing for some distance along the street 

 await an opportunity to enter^ A net of 

 real pearl envelopes the head of the 

 mother and her person is adorned with 

 many valuable jewels. 



Here for centuries have the rich, the 

 poor, the well, the sick, and all sorts and 

 conditions of people paid their fervent 

 homage. As a tender token of their de- 

 votion they have deposited a kiss upon 

 the hands of both the mother and child 

 until the pictures of the hands have dis- 

 appeared, hidden by a dark thick crust 

 of dried kisses. In their earnest piety 

 the worshipers acted in full sympathy 

 with the little verse : 



"Though deadly germs in kisses hide, 

 E'en at the price the cost is small; 



'Tis better to have kissed and died 

 Than never to have kissed at all." 



The Greek Church of Russia is di- 

 vided into many sects, and the Tsar is the 

 acknowledged head of the main or ortho- 

 dox body. The priests as seen by tour- 

 ists appear a dignified splendid lot of 

 men. They wear broad-brimmed hats 

 and coats of dark brown, the skirts of 

 which reach to the ankles, while a gilt 

 cross hangs from a chain encircling the 

 neck. With their full beards and hair 

 hanging over their shoulders and reach- 

 ing nearly to the waist, they closely re- 

 semble the Russian conception of Christ. 



In one line of religious activity, viz., 

 the spread of the gospel, the Russian 

 government leads the world. Its rail- 

 roads and steamboats make no charge 

 for the transportation of the Bible to 

 any part of the realm. Yet religious lib- 

 erty counts for but little in that country. 



THE GREAT DERBY RACES 



Not only are horse-cars still a popular 

 means of conveyance in Moscow, but 

 there is a line of cars without tracks 

 which appears to receive its full share 

 of patronage, although the cobblestone 

 pavement and the small wheels of the 

 car must form a most uncomfortable 

 combination. 



The cabbies of the "four seaters" and 

 some of the droskies present a warm 

 proposition in the hot July days with 

 coats padded to the thickness of pillows. 



This is another indication of caste, for 

 the rule seems to be, the thicker the pads 

 the more stylish the turnout (see page 

 1064). 



Fortunately for us, the Great Derby 

 races occurred during our stay in Mos- 

 cow. During these annual races the ho- 

 tels are thronged with Russians of the 

 higher class, who make quite a display of 

 their large diamonds and elegant gowns. 



We were interested observers of their 

 manner of greeting. The men kiss each 

 other on the cheek, but only kiss "my 

 lady's hand or wrist." This manner of 

 salutation indicates that we have made 

 some progress homeward, having left be- 

 hind us Japan, where three bows made 

 from the hips like a jack-knife answer 

 the proprieties ; and China, where a man 

 shows his kindly sentiments by cordially . 

 shaking his own hand. 



The cash SLakes for the races amount 

 to 38,000 roubles, about $19,000.00. The 

 lines of conveyances hurrying to the 

 track are miles in length and form a lively 

 and brilliant procession. Some of these 

 equipages seem royal in their appoint- 

 ments. Especially so are the handsome 

 carriages drawn by three large horses, 

 the center animal wearing the arch-shaped 

 yoke (douga) over the collar, the sub- 

 stantial Russian harness, almost entirely 

 covered with metal, being polished to the 

 brilliancy of a mirror, and the horses go- 

 ing on a full run (see page 1069). 



The horses are raced under the saddle 

 over a turf track. It is interesting to 

 note that a majority of the drivers are 

 American jockeys. 



In front of the grandstand refresh- 

 ments are served on small tables, and as 

 the horses swing around the last quarter 

 those occupying seats at the tables mount 

 their chairs to gain a sight of the finish, 

 over the heads of those standing at the 

 rail near the track, about ten feet distant. 



A careful observer would have noticed 

 a tallish man, apparently absorbed in the 

 result of the race, take a position directly 

 in front of one of those couples. At first 

 glance one might think he was about to 

 witness one of those mysterious tragedies 

 so common in Russian history from the 

 looks of the dark object which is poking 

 its glassy eye at the couple, from under 



