Peace; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
The Foundling Hospital is another of the public institution of which the
people are justly proud. Though Russian, it is under German supervision.
The place is extremely large; this is necessary, for it is never without
5,000 or 6,000 children. The principal buildings are in St. Petersburg,
where the children are kept a few weeks. They are then sent to the
peasantry in the country, where they remain until they are six years
old. The girls return to St. Petersburg, while there is a branch for the
boys at Gatshina. The building at St. Petersburg is much more of a
palace than a foundling home. The main building is composed of what was
formerly the palace of Prince Bohinski and Count Rasumoffski.
When the children are grown they are relieved from all obligations
toward the institution. The boys are easily provided with positions in
the trades' and imperial factories; the girls are given positions as
teachers and governesses.
Though St. Petersburg has fewer churches than Moscow, it has churches of
all denominations and every style of architecture. Here are seen
Grecian, Byzantine, old Russian, new European architecture and what not.
The handsomest of these is St. Isaac's Church. The church is large and
imposing without. Inside it has many handsome decorations, costly
pictures of saints and gold crosses.
The roof is supported by granite monoliths from Finland, buried for
centuries in deep swamps. They are crowned with capitals of bronze and
support the enormous beam of a frieze formed of six polished blocks. But
the cupola is the crowning glory to all this splendor. It is made of
copper and overlaid with gold that glitters like the sun on a mountain.
The Russian capital is most attractive on a pleasant summer evening. The
scene presented by the Exchange, the university buildings, the Academy
of Arts, the Corps de Cadets and the Academy of Sciences, surrounded as
they are with well-kept greensward and splendid flower beds, present an
inviting appearance. The river is lined with sailing craft of nearly
every description, devoted to pleasure. It has several fine steam yachts
which are used by members of the club for making trips up the gulf. On a
summer's evening as one sits on the balcony of the English Club or
strolls up the quay, listening to the band in the garden of the Summer
Palace, the swift-moving passengers in their gayly trimmed barks made a
pretty sight against the splendid buildings and gilded spires of the
churches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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