﻿592 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  a* 
  

   S 
  ° 
  

  

  w 
  o 
  

  

  S 
  * 
  

  

  blankets, 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  hidden 
  by 
  

   his 
  orderly. 
  

  

  The 
  government 
  is 
  struggling 
  pitifully 
  

   to 
  maintain 
  the 
  schools 
  and 
  other 
  civil 
  

   functions 
  provided 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  constitu- 
  

   tion. 
  Without 
  resources, 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  

   realize 
  high 
  ambitions. 
  However, 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  is 
  done. 
  

  

  One 
  institution 
  in 
  Chita 
  was 
  a 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  creche 
  located 
  in 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  church. 
  

   A 
  dozen 
  volunteer 
  nurses 
  cared 
  for 
  nearly 
  

   a 
  hundred 
  babies 
  and 
  children 
  from 
  9 
  to 
  5 
  

   o'clock 
  daily, 
  while 
  their 
  mothers 
  worked. 
  

  

  PROPAGANDA 
  IS 
  THE 
  GRIPPING 
  FORCE 
  

  

  Propaganda 
  is 
  the 
  gripping 
  force 
  of 
  

   the 
  government. 
  Every 
  employee 
  or 
  sol- 
  

   dier 
  gets 
  a 
  free 
  newspaper, 
  and 
  a 
  Russian 
  

   newspaper 
  is 
  always 
  more 
  enthusiastic 
  

   for 
  its 
  country 
  and 
  some 
  particular 
  local 
  

   party 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  news. 
  

  

  Gaudy 
  but 
  artistic 
  lithographs 
  appeal 
  

   to 
  the 
  large 
  illiterate 
  population, 
  their 
  

   tone 
  in 
  recent 
  months 
  having 
  changed 
  

   from 
  appeals 
  for 
  soldiers 
  to 
  exhortations 
  

   to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  shops 
  and 
  fields, 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vantages 
  of 
  schooling, 
  and 
  advice 
  on 
  fly- 
  

   swatting 
  or 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  wolves, 
  

   boll-weevil, 
  and 
  other 
  pests. 
  

  

  In 
  each 
  city 
  is 
  a 
  reading-room, 
  and 
  the 
  

   demand 
  for 
  books 
  on 
  industry, 
  electricity, 
  

   mechanics, 
  metallurgy, 
  medicine, 
  agricul- 
  

   ture, 
  and 
  other 
  useful 
  sciences 
  largely 
  

   exceeds 
  the 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  well- 
  

   thumbed 
  copies. 
  

  

  Outside, 
  a 
  more 
  systematic 
  world-wide 
  

   propaganda 
  is 
  busy 
  painting 
  a 
  dark 
  pic- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  Siberia, 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  am- 
  

   bitions 
  of 
  other 
  powerful 
  interests. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fictitious 
  stories 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   orders 
  in 
  Siberia, 
  embellished 
  with 
  a 
  

   wealth 
  of 
  detail, 
  originate 
  with 
  a 
  men- 
  

   dacious 
  publicity 
  bureau, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  military 
  expedition 
  in 
  Vladivostok. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  goaded 
  to 
  frenzied 
  activity 
  when 
  

   the 
  American 
  mission 
  was 
  in 
  Chita 
  last 
  

   summer, 
  long 
  stories 
  being 
  printed 
  in 
  the 
  

   subsidized 
  newspapers 
  of 
  China 
  and 
  

   Japan 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  Europe 
  and 
  America 
  

   by 
  press 
  associations, 
  of 
  uprisings 
  in 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  cities, 
  mutiny 
  of 
  the 
  army, 
  and 
  the 
  

   burning 
  of 
  Chita 
  with 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  gov- 
  

   ernment 
  officials 
  on 
  the 
  pyre. 
  Loafing 
  in 
  

   the 
  shade 
  or 
  swimming 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  

   vigorous 
  activity 
  of 
  Siberia 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   and 
  Chita 
  was 
  as 
  peaceful 
  as 
  any 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  village 
  in 
  midsummer. 
  

  

  

  