The Muscovites

[From the Chicago Tribune.] It is aeserted tliat thero are no castos in Russia, and it is tme that therc nre no impassable barriers intervening betwcen the lowest and the highest social grades. The peasant may beoome an equal of the Prince, and be acknowledged as sueh without reserve, whilc the possessor of the oldest and noblest pedigree in Kussian heraldry may rank with the humblest inhabitant of the empire. There is no special respect feit by the peo]3le for titles or anoestry. It is chiefly officia] position which elevates one above another in the public estimation. The Ozar is the head of the nation and tl. e soui'ce of power, and they who stand nearest him, beariiig the largest share of the burdens and honors of his administration, occupy the ñrst circles of the aristoeracy, There may be those among them who trace their immediate origin to obscnre progenitors ; but talent, education and the favor of the Emperor make the accident of birth a matter of light account in the balance. Peter the Great converted the Bxissian aristocracy into servants of the state, and they who showed themselves most efficiënt were advanced to the highest positionft. It i'iattered nothing to him how nobly or obscurely bom were the men who proved intelligent and skilift)! coadjutors. líe was capable of descending to the level of an artisan or a nawy and working side by side with him at any essential thongh menial labor, and he wisely lifted up to the highest rank.from whatever plane they chauced to occupy, men who were fitted by nature and cultiu4e to associate with him in the labors of the Government. Servants of the state the aristocracy have contintied to the present time, but with a greater despee of freedom in their service than the tyrannical Peter was content to allow them. The división of the offlcers of the civil and military service into fourteen distinct ranks or classes - a división which was instituted by Peter the Great - still obtains, and advancement from the lower to the higher grades is generally secured by regular progression. Any person possessing intellectual qualiftcations is eligible to a place in the public service, and his rise depends upon his own ability or the approval of the Èmperor. The law of priniogeniture does not prevail m Bussia. The titles of noble parents are borne by all the children from their infancy, and at their death the family possessions are equally divided among the sons and daughters. This praotice produces continued mutations in the ranks of the nobility, multiplying titles indefinitely, and at the same time diminishing the means for sustaining them. Here is found one of the fruitful reasons why there is so little dignity attached to noble lineage. The only genuine Bussian title, according to Wallace, is that of Prince, ! which is borne by the descendants of I certain ancient houses, and has been bestowed by the imperial power upon f j teen families in the course oí a couple of centuries. Peter the Great introduced the titles of Goimt and Baron, since j which time the former has been bestowúd upon sixty-seven families, and the latter upon only ten. The wealth of the nobles aad landowners was seriously reduced by the emancipation of the serfs. Each proprietor lost by that act not only his alavés, but one-half his land, which passed to tlie serfs as tlieir just share of tlie estáte. The wealth and the fashion ot Russia congrégate in St. Petersburg and Mosoow. A few weeks in the summer may be spent by the Innded proprietors on their country estates, but the remainder of the year flnds theni domiciled in tlie mansione and palaces of the great capitals, where the amusernents of the picasure-loving classes flourish in unrivaled splendor. The opera, the ballet, and the theater are munificently supported by Government and by private patronage, and their representations are of the highest order of excellence. In none of the metropolitan cities of Europc is there more culture, and refinement, and elegance to be met with in polite society than in the two chief towns of ïtussia. The upper classes dweil in an atmosphere of luxury, and sedulously cultívate the inanners and the accomplishments common to a high-bred aristocracy. Particular attention is paid to music and the languages as attainments which give special advantages in the commerce of society. Children are placed at the earliest age in tlie care of French nurses and English governesses, in order tliat the speech of these cliosen nationalities may become as familiar to thein as their own. Fruits are plentiful the year round. In the short, hot summer those of the warm températe zone ripen readilyonthe steppes of Southern Eussia, storing in their heart the sweet, spicy flavors distilled from the ordent sunbeams. The fruits of torrid countries are imported or are reared in hot-houses, and with flowers are profusely used in the desserts of lavish entertainments. Vegetables are also abundantly reared by ai-tificial heat to supply the cuisine in winter. Oigars are a luxury which must be enjoyed within doors, as it is forbidden to smoke them on the streets in all Russian towns. The Greek Glmrch, with its imposing ritual, is the religión of the state, and ediflees reared for tlie accommodation of its worship lift their myriad spires and pointed domes heavenward in every city and villagc in the empire. The imperial family and a lnrge portion of the inhabitants profess its faith and attend with more or less regularity its ceremonials ; but the spirit of unbelief that is rife in the age has spread wide among the reading classes. Keligious as well as political " Nihilism " has liosts of followers, and to what extent they will go with it in its rejection of time-honored ci-eeds and custorns cannot now be predicted.