﻿582 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  OFFICIAL 
  TYPHOID 
  DISTRIBUTER 
  AT 
  VERKHNE-UDINSK 
  

  

  Convenience 
  is 
  more 
  important 
  than 
  hygiene 
  to 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  drive 
  their 
  horses 
  into 
  the 
  

   muddy 
  Selenga 
  River, 
  on 
  the 
  border 
  between 
  Soviet 
  Russia 
  and 
  the 
  Far 
  Eastern 
  Republic, 
  

   and 
  fill 
  the 
  city 
  water-carts. 
  

  

  rough 
  boards 
  where 
  once 
  were 
  mirrors, 
  

   doors 
  nailed 
  shut 
  or 
  broken 
  off, 
  and 
  the 
  

   floors 
  splintered 
  from 
  being 
  used 
  as 
  chop- 
  

   ping 
  blocks. 
  The 
  proletariat 
  seems 
  to 
  

   relish 
  a 
  martyrdom 
  to 
  darkness 
  and 
  dirt. 
  

  

  The 
  lettering 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  showed 
  

   that 
  one 
  car 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  de 
  luxe 
  

   Moscow-Petrograd 
  Express. 
  The 
  only 
  

   repainting 
  had 
  been 
  to 
  daub 
  over 
  the 
  

   Russian 
  Imperial 
  eagle 
  and 
  stencil 
  "D. 
  

   V. 
  R.," 
  the 
  initials 
  of 
  the 
  Far 
  Eastern 
  

   Republic, 
  in 
  white 
  paint. 
  

  

  On 
  those 
  cars 
  which 
  come 
  from 
  Soviet 
  

   Russia 
  the 
  initials 
  are 
  varied 
  to 
  the 
  equiv- 
  

   alent 
  of 
  "R. 
  S. 
  F. 
  S. 
  R.," 
  for 
  Russian 
  

   Socialistic 
  Federative 
  Soviet 
  Republic. 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  MOTION 
  PICTURES 
  USED 
  FOR 
  

   SOVIET 
  PROPAGANDA 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  car 
  was 
  seen 
  evidencing 
  paint- 
  

   ing, 
  a 
  propaganda 
  car 
  covered 
  with 
  lurid 
  

   colors 
  of 
  high-browed 
  giants 
  with 
  bulg- 
  

   ing 
  muscles, 
  singing 
  women, 
  and 
  waving 
  

   banners 
  with 
  admonitions 
  for 
  the 
  cause. 
  

   Attached 
  to 
  this 
  was 
  an 
  auditorium 
  lec- 
  

   ture 
  car, 
  the 
  strongest 
  attraction 
  of 
  which 
  

   was 
  a 
  movie 
  of 
  industrial 
  scenes 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  United 
  States 
  — 
  lumbering, 
  railroad 
  shops, 
  

   automobile 
  -making, 
  meat-packing, 
  and 
  

   other 
  activities. 
  

  

  Last 
  July 
  eleven 
  months 
  had 
  passed 
  

   since 
  the 
  railroad 
  employes 
  had 
  been 
  paid. 
  

   They 
  had 
  received 
  rations, 
  hardly 
  enough 
  

   to 
  keep 
  body 
  and 
  soul 
  together. 
  One 
  aged 
  

   inspector, 
  30 
  years 
  in 
  railroad 
  service, 
  

   tremblingly 
  showed 
  me 
  his 
  rations 
  for 
  a 
  

   five-day 
  trip 
  — 
  four 
  pounds 
  of 
  black 
  bread 
  

   and 
  a 
  pound 
  of 
  salt 
  dried 
  fish, 
  the 
  stench 
  

   alone 
  being 
  sufficient 
  to 
  quiet 
  the 
  most 
  

   voracious 
  appetite. 
  

  

  Despite 
  all 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  dangers 
  from 
  

   war 
  and 
  rickety 
  equipment, 
  they 
  have 
  

   kept 
  on 
  the 
  job, 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  shops 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  trains, 
  women 
  and 
  girls 
  in 
  ticket 
  

   offices 
  and 
  at 
  telegraph 
  keys. 
  For 
  some 
  

   it 
  was 
  force 
  of 
  habit, 
  others 
  had 
  nothing 
  

   else 
  to 
  do, 
  and 
  some 
  were 
  cajoled 
  into 
  it; 
  

   but, 
  without 
  shading 
  motives 
  too 
  closely, 
  

   it 
  showed 
  a 
  loyal 
  devotion. 
  Under 
  the 
  

   circumstances, 
  all 
  they 
  could 
  do 
  was 
  to 
  

   keep 
  the 
  trains 
  running 
  and 
  let 
  the 
  trim- 
  

   mings 
  go. 
  

  

  The 
  Far 
  Eastern 
  Republic 
  has 
  2,920 
  

   miles 
  of 
  railroad, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  1,100 
  

  

  