Photograph by C. S. Alden 

 RUSSIAN PEASANTS AT THE FAIR: NIZHNI-NOVGOROD 



Situated on the River Volga, the great artery of Russian trade, Nizhni-Novgorod is 

 world-famous for its fair, held each year from July 29 to September 10, during which time 

 the value of goods sold and ordered sometimes amounts to nearly $200,000,000. Cotton, 

 woolen, linen and silk stuffs, furs, iron ware, pottery, salt, fish, wines, teas, and leather are 

 important articles of barter. As the capital of the government of the same name, the city 

 ordinarily has a population of 100,000, but during the fair it is visited by 400,000 people 

 from all parts of Russia and many points in Asia. The importance of the trading center 

 dates almost from its founding, in 1221, as a barrier against the inroads of the Mordvins 

 and Bulgarians. 



fluence on the people, and under the able 

 and devoted leadership of such men as 

 Prince Lvoff, President of the Associa- 

 tion of Zemstvo Committees, and other 

 patriots, they have, more than anything 

 else, contributed toward the present 

 changes in Russia. 



The Liberal element, under the leader- 

 ship of men like Paul Milyukoff, now 

 Minister for Foreign Affairs ; Alexander 

 Guchkoff, President of the Third Duma, 

 and a small group of far-seeing men, has 

 had to contend, on the one hand, with 

 the old regime, the dynasty, and the bu- 

 reaucracy, and on the other with that far 

 larger number of men and women who 

 in their desire for a new and free gov- 

 ernment have not stopped at any means 

 to attain their ends, and whose preaching 

 and carrying out of the doctrines of an- 



archy and terrorism have retarded by so 

 many years the establishment of free and 

 representative government throughout 

 the length and breadth of the great Rus- 

 sian Empire. 



Russia's "strength 



"What will be the result of the revolu- 

 tion on the present war? That is the 

 question now uppermost in the minds not 

 only of Allied statesmen, but of every 

 one in the United States as well. Cer- 

 tainly, in a general way, this is not diffi- 

 cult of answer. 



If the new leaders can succeed in bring- 

 ing actively to their side, without foolish 

 opposition from the more radical ele- 

 ments, the vast majority of the people and 

 the rank and file of the army, they will 

 have no trouble in bringing, or rather 



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