Christianity and Patriotism
numbers of towns and villages at a great distance on either side of it. Subscription lists were opened everywhere for the expenses of these celebrations. Many towns sent deputations to our ambassador in Paris, with petitions that the Russian sailors should visit those towns, if only for one day or even for one hour. The municipal councils of all the towns in which it was ordained that our sailors should stay, allotted vast sums of money—more than 100,000 roubles—for the organization of various celebrations and festivities, and proclaimed their readiness to spend even larger sums if necessary, that the reception and festivities might be as magnificent as possible.
In Paris itself, apart from the sums voted for this purpose by the municipal council, a large sum of money was collected from private subscriptions by a private committee, also, for the organization of festivities, and the French Government assigned more than 100,000 roubles to Ministers and other officials for their expenses in fêting their Russian visitors. In many towns in which our sailors did not put in an appearance at all, it was nevertheless decided to organize all sorts of festivities on the 1st of October in honour of Russia. A number of towns and provinces decided to send special deputations to Toulon or to Paris, to welcome their Russian visitors, and to take them presents as souvenirs of France, or to send them. addresses and telegrams of welcome. It was everywhere decided to reckon the 1st of October as a national holiday, and to set free the pupils of all educational establishments from their studies for that day, and in Paris for two days. It was decided to remit all fines incurred by officials in the lower ranks in order that they might remember the 1st of October with gratitude as a day of rejoicing for France.
