Salt Lake Telegram | 1917-10-28 | Page 6 | World's Most Hideous Building Built as Memorial to Czar Russell Ridicules Big Pile

i Worlds World's Most Hideous Hideous' Building Built as to Czar Russell Ridicules Big Pile By Charles E Edward Russell Member of Telegram staff who spent three months in Russia with the Official I cial American commission As soon as Czar Alexander II had been buried with enormous pomp and his successor started off with still greater what I may call the old Russian system proceeded to take revenge for his killing I swipe the word system from Irom Tom Lawson I mean b by it the whole outfit of imperial semi- semi imperial and scarcely imperial parasites no-goods no and the like that fattened on autocracy and thought it the grandest thing hing ever The persons that killed the czar had rudely his pr cious bunch in the enjoyment of their good thing and such lowly cattle must be taught that they couldn't revolt without a a. fearful penalty being exacted So the obedient police machine went to work and dragged out the victims and the farcical court machine machine machine ma ma- chine swept them away in droves to the gallows and Siberia Siberia after after they had been horribly tortured of course Fiendish torture was was ii H regular part of ot the proceeding in inthe inthe inthe the case of anybody concerned ina in ina ina a violent outbreak against again t the system SPIES TRIPLED The outfit of spies and eaves eaves- eavesdroppers eavesdroppers droppers was tripled the new government went to the extreme of repressive measures All the have had a strange taste for cruelty they like it as other men like wine They seem to have compared tl the taste of different kinds of cruelty as some men compare the products of different different different dif dif- ferent vineyards The new czar a man mah of huge burly build and coarse habits was one of the worst of his vile tribe Under him the gallows was busy and the road to Siberia heavily traveled Having started these pious salutary salutary salutary salu salu- tary works the system now proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- to erect to the memory of the dead czar a mo most t extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary nary monument called the expiatory expiatory expiatory tory chapel In the sense that expiatory expiator means penalty and penance the name was aptly chosen The thing cost more than of the peasants' peasants hard earned money and nobody has ever been able to looK at it without a shudder It U is the most elaborately an and ingeniously hideous building in inthe inthe inthe the world Architects usually put forth their skill to create something something something some some- thing of beauty The man that built this blot upon the landscape must have lain awake nights trying trying try try- ing to devise new stunts stunts' in ness The design is a Jumble of oriental oriental oriental ori ori- minarets and towers done in tiles and the most amazing and incongruous colors bright blue and green blue green and yellow blue and red until the eye waters in protest against the physical pain of looking at the thing The walls are red and white adorned with great pictures s in Jn mosaic In th the interior everything everything every thing is mosaic including a gi gigantic gigantic gigantic gi- gi gantic madonna done on the east wall at a stagg staggering rIng cost ON SITE OF EXPLOSION The building stands on the spot where the bomb exploded and a apiece apiece apiece piece of the original pavement of the street is with railings I It shows the dent made ia is the stones stoned by the fatal explosion Great as the original cost of the seems it has been far tar ex exceeded exceeded exceeded ex- ex by the value of the toY y toj-y offerings in gold and silver sUver that the cities clUes and towns of Russia Russia Russia Rus Rus- sia were compelled to bring in The system having forced a revolt revolt revolt re re- volt upon the people was now forcing its Us victims to expiate their rebellion And still some of us seem to thing th that t when a condition so monstrous came finally 11 t bo be overthrown thrown there should have been no confusion or uncertainty I but all should have proceeded in order Among the wild extravagances extravagance the chapel contains paid contains paid for with the peoples people's money money money-is is a wonderful wonder wonder- ful chandelier which reminds me that chandeliers were a specialty or seemed to be of the old When in doubt how to waste money put it into a chandelier seemed to be the motto I A conspicuous feature of tho winter palace is Its which are said to be unequaled in inthe inthe inthe I the world for cost and beauty There was one in the parlor of the suite we occupied that 1200 pieces of cutglass and re required required required re- re months to construct Yet I compared with some of the others ours so much of a suite In the great ballroom are chandeliers chandeliers chandeliers chande chande- I liers said to have cost each which is equivalent to about days' days work by the average R Russian workingman as conditions conditions conditions condi condi- were before the revolution There are so many pieces of glass in these contrivances and and the pieces are woven together in such complicated designs that at a distance they look like gigantic blossoms of crystal I ARTISTIC BUT USELESS I There is no question that these things are wonderful products of the skill and artistic sense of I man but they have not been used an average of once in two years since they were constructed constructed- I One of the elaborate suites for royal visitors has been occupied I but once in seventy-five seventy years All Alt that time year in and year out I it has been maintained at a huge I expense The paintings on till the walls of this suite cost I and are worth far more than that now All these years they have I hung there waiting for the eyes of some half-crazy half European monarch to fall upon them and not one has so much as glanced at I them I told you rou the story of a madhouse You can judge now whether I was right Years Veal'S came and went and the royal beds were made and the floors polished and the priceless furniture wiped and dusted and th the silken hangings replaced for tor guests that never appeared generation generation generation gen gen- after generation But at last a use has been found for the huge asylum and the tho halls that have been empty so long be begin begin begin be- be I gin to resound with busy feet feet feet- I and next that I must tell you about I