Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-05-06
@ BE l'outb's fripuh.
| Russian Manners.

Inc nuSSlan VI the lower OFueFS
S any thing but an inviting person-
lge, at first sight. The name by
which they have been designated, in
their own language, time out Of mind
describes them precisely. 1t i$l
tselornot nWoa, "the dirty people, 7
or, as we might more freely render it,
''the Great Unwashed.p An indi-
yidual of this class is called a majik
He is usually Of middle stature, with
small light eyes, level cheeks, and
flat nose, Of which the tip is turned
up so as to display the somewhat ex-
panded nostril. His pride and glory
is his beard, which he wears as long
and shaggy as nature will allow
The back Of the head is shaved close
ly; and as he wears nothing about
his neck, his head stands distin city
away from his body. His idea OF
the beauty of the human head, as
seen from behind, seems to be to
make it resemble, as nearly as may
be, turnip. He is always noisy
and never clean; and when wrapped
in his sheepskin mantle, or sultan OF
blue cloth, reaching to his knees,
might easily enough, be taken for a
bandit. As he seldom thinks Of
changing his inner garments more
than once a week, and his outer raj
ment lasts hal his lifetime, and
is never laid asi de during the night,
and never washed, he constantly al-
fords evidence Of his presence any
thing but agreeable to the organ OF
smell. But a closer acquaintance
will bring to light many traits Of
character which belle his rude exte-
rior; and will show him to be at bot
tom a good-natured, merry, friendly
fellow. His most striking character
Ilstlc IS plablllty, and deXtenty. Ii
he does not possess the power Of
originating, he has wonderful facul-
ty Of copying the ideas Of others, and
of yielding himself up to carry out
the conceptions ofany onewho wishes
to use him for the accomplishment Of
his ends. There is an old Grecian
myth which says that the Teutonic
race was framed, in the depths Of
time out of the hard, unyielding
granite The original material Of
the Russian race must have been
Indian rubber, so easily are they com
pressed into any form, and SO readily
do they resume their own, when the
pressure is removed. The raw, IN
trained mgik is drafted into the ar
my, and in a few weeks attains a pre-
cision Of movement more like an au-
tomaton than human being He
becomes trader, and the Jews them
selves cannot match him in cunning
and artifice.
The muyik is a thorough good
tempered fellow. Address him kind
~, and his face unbends at once, and
you viii find that he takes a sincere
delight in doing you a kindness. In
no capitol of Europe are the tempta-
tons to crime against the person SO
numerous as in st. Petersburg, with
its broad lonely streets, unlighted at
night, and scantily patrolled; but in
no capitol are crimes Of SO rare occur
renee.
But the myk has two faults.
He is thorough rogue and great
drunkard. He will cheat and guz-
zle from sheer love for the practices;
and without the least apparent feel
ing that there is any thing out of the
way in so doing. Butin his cups he
is the same good-natured fellow
The Irishman or Scotchman when
drunk is quarrelsome and pugna-
cious; the German or Englishman
stupid and brutal; the Spaniard OF
Italian revengeful and treacherous.-
The first stages of drunkenness in
the mgyk are manifested by loquaci-
ty. The drunken he is the more gay
pnd genial does be grow; till at last
be is ready to- throw himself on the
heck of his worst enemy and ex-
change embraces with him. When
the last stage has been reached, and
he starts for bis home, he does not
reel, but marches straight on, till
some accidental obstruction trips him
up into the lhire, where he lies IN
noticed and unmolested till a police
man takes charge Of him. This mis-
adventure is turned to public adj
for by an old custom every
person, male on female, of what grade
tax en- Up drunk in the street
by the police, is obliged the next day