The great mass of the Russian people, she explained, were peasants and suffered under the rule of the czars. Under the czars life was cheap. While attempts to raise living standards and confer benefits upon the people appear small when judged by Western standards, they appear much greater in the eyes of the Russians, who appreciate the change in attitude upon the part of the government since the time of the czars. Efforts are being made to alleviate poor housing conditions in the cities. One apartment house per day is being constructed in Moscow.
Crowded conditions remain, however.
You and I would call it the worst kind of slum living. Among the remarkable results produced by the discipline in a compulsive society, she pointed out, are exceptionally clean apartment houses and streets. People are taught not to litter them up and don't. She told of observing man lighting cigarettes and, when they were finished, carefully placing the burnt match back in the box. And much of their science, of course, is far advanced, due to a heavy concentration in that field.