| Show A BRIGHT MARK OF RUSSIAN PROGRESS A RAILROAD is to be extended across the russian empire this will be a great undertaking its effects too must pr prove ove of a vast and striking character not only will it open a field for the investment of many millions of money betit but it will furnish employment to an army of laborers and serve to develop russia in many directions it will tend to civilize much of the country which bs i now in distribute commodities and cm comforts forts now inaccessible to rural districts prepare the way for the spread of intelligence and bring the rude rade empire of the north in line with the more advanced nations odthe of the world of course this immense enterprise could not be undertaken in that country by private capital independent of the government russia itself has projected the undertaking in this the empire shows more wisdom and more disposition to come into harmony with the progress of the age aga than has been expected for siberia that almost to j the ordinary student stu dent and traveler will be traversed by the railroad and the whistle of the locomotive will carry a sound of hope to the captives immured in her wilds aud and mines A railroad now auls luns from st 4 petersburg via moscow to samara this is a town on the eastern bank of the volga which is there i spanned by an iron bridge the new extension has already been carried to ufa three hundred miles further east the plan is to con ti dinue nue the line across siberia to vlad istock on the japan sea which is distant from st petersburg no less than miles if this project is realized russia will have the longest line of railroad in the world the distance is at least twice that from new york to san francisco the very conception of the scheme is an indication of vigorous intelligence and the work itself will be an evidence of push and progress for which modern russia has not heretofore been given credit when asia is intersected with railroads its barbarism oarb arism will be sure to give way vast tracts that are now unknown will be thrown open to colonizers and capitalists and the way will be prepared for that unity of nations which is in the pro gramme for the worlds world a drama of the latter days speed the road through bussian |
