Photograph by Elisabeth Randolph Shirley 



TIFXIS: CAUCASUS 



No other country has so many races and nationalities within compact dominions as 

 Russia. Occupying more than half of Europe and nearly two-fifths of Asia, its sweep in- 

 cludes the cradle of the Aryan race to the lands where Oriental civilization appears to have 

 had its birth. Slav, Lithuanian, Latin, Iranian, Armenian, Finn, Samoyed, Turko-Tartar, 

 Tunguz, Mongols, Georgians, Yukaghirs, and Chukchis are all to be found living on native 

 heath within the great republic's borders. 



how he looked ; and finally my dream to 

 know about astronomy was realized, and 

 the third year after I learned to read the 

 same student, a good boy, in prison now, 

 sent me the first books on astronomy, and 

 since then," he said abruptly, "I have, 

 learned something-. I went twice by foot 

 to Nizhni Novgorod. I worked five years 

 to collect money to buy a lens to construct 

 a telescope, and I succeeded. I have it 

 now on my roof, and I tell you it is won- 

 derful!" 



And the next week we visited this man, 

 entered his simple log house where, in 

 one room, he lived, with his wife and 

 four children, and in another room were 

 shelves of books and his shoemaking im- 

 plements. In one corner of the house 

 there were a few steps leading to a kind 

 of primitive tower, where we saw a not 

 less primitive telescope. 



In every town where I went I always 

 found people of that kind, not having 

 means to educate themselves — the gov- 

 ernment not only not providing them 



means of education, but hindering in 

 every way — yet they were striving, suf- 

 fering, and persisting in their strivings, 

 and working and achieving things that 

 would seem almost impossible, under the 

 circumstances, to achieve. 



Russians in general read a great deal. 

 They love books, and the average Russian 

 is accustomed not only to take books from 

 the library but to buy them for his home, 

 to talk to his friend about the book he has 

 just read, and always wants to share a 

 book with some one and to discuss it, to 

 dispute over it. 



RUSSIANS LOVE TO TALK 



Speaking of "discussions" or "dis- 

 putes," the following is a very character- 

 istic trait among Russians : When a man 

 invites you to have tea with him in the 

 afternoon, he writes you a note, saying: 

 "Please come and have a cup of tea with 

 me ; we are going to dispute." 



It has many times been observed by 

 foreigners who come in contact with the 



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