Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-03-17
Chr family Circle.
About Russian Children.

tlc w vi tlC COIl "lIltcIS, ttlU OIlN
the slrcng, healthy ones live. | am talk
inc. of course, of the children of poor peo-
pie, for the richer children are taken bet
ter care of, and more often grow up
When the peasant children are babies.
they have Il cross OF image hung round
their nrckS, which is n,vrr taken off again
till they die. wen for washing. They
don't wash very much on week days, en-
cept on Saturday, when they have a hot
bath quite regularly. for every house has Il
bath built in it or just outside. Still,
before every meal they wash their hands,
as people do in more eastern countries.
Perhaps, As they all sleep in some of the
clothes they Wear by day. they would feel
cold if they took them off to wash; any
how, they never do eNcepi for these Satur-
day boiling>. Their parents are generally
very fond of them, bat they let them run
about quite wild in and out of the cold air
and the sitting room, without any teach
ing or correction.
though the peoples holidays come very
ut Il game something like hooky; and the
girls get together and amu>e Themselves
by singing their plaintive. sad Russian
StlNS- VII ' VI lIG tfl> III liz
~neighboring churches are set ringing mer-
rilv lust rs the clock finishes striking
twelve, and when the proper hell-ringer>
are tired, then the boys crowd into the
belfllcs and ring all through Easter day.
You know how they color eggs for that
day. and everybody gives them to every
sometimes it is not Il pleasant custom. for
.,,l - an1- -l;1 l, .,,- g. H..
he master of Il house, with their clean lit
tie faces, he has to kiss all his workmcn.
even if he has many hundreds under his
charge. Then. surprising they are SO
grimy. emuttv and cindery. he has to let
them come up to him. First he see, them
draw Il dusty sleeve across their sooty
mouths, then they dive down into their
pockets and bring out Il painted egg. then.
taking off their hats. they bow and smile
politely, and think their master is quite
pleased and grntiticl by their attention.
Besides. this custom helps them to show
their gratitude for all the acts of kindness
which perhaps their master or mistress
had long since forgotten.
English children are fonl Of eating APP
plies or other fruit long before they are
ripe. bat the Russian, would think they
Slltt4U N'!ltlHIN - tlit Nil'itit IL lil'N
did ANYTHING of the Kind. and they never
touch one until Il day called "Appie Day"
when the priests pronounce 4 solemn bless
ING on tie ripcncd fruit. No matter
whether it is the town or the country. TIN.
same thing is always done; and when
"Orance Day" comes. then apple eating
comes to an end. In the villages there is
Il fixed dry for beginning to hlthe in tn,
rivers and lakes; and another fixed day
for beginning to shoot the wild ducks.
which. to lie sure, is much ike OR wait
ing till the proper season to shoot ~tmr.
Their food is not particularly nice.
should think, being generally nothing but
black bread and cabbage soup, and their
soup is called "qlas-," which is tcrmrn-
talion of black bread and water.
The houses in which these healthy but
ignorant little children live are almost
always ugly. dreary wooden ones. without
any pretty gardens, or tlulchel roof. o!
flowers. OF colors of any sort. The Rus
sian summers are very hot although they
are 50 short, therefore one side of the
house is used when the sun shines brightly
and lhev want shade. and the o.hcr side
is used when the cold weather sets in.
The room in which the great stove stands
is used only Is a kitchen iii warm weather.
but in winter it is living-room. sleeping
room and Kitchen all in one. The Younger
chll,iIcn climb NJ TO sleeping -bcrtlS.
which are hung. like hammockS, about
eighteen inches from the ceiling: whilst
the f;tllirr, mother and elder members of
the family arrange their ml:tIeS>r> on the
top of the hiwc stove itself. lUu don't
see much furniture in these wrrtchcd
homes only Il liable, and Il large wooden
bench tiNcd to the walls of HE room, some
pictures Of the saints htngin@ in tie cor
ner>, and always Il large, brightly painted
trunk, in which all the family treasures
are kept. and which is bound round and
round with iron hoops. If the children
ever peep inside they find near the top Il
loaf or two of cake, some tea and sugar.
and Il few other small things, then lower
down are some towels bor,lcrei with laccS.
of which they think Il great deal, and still
lower is their mothers best holiday dress.
and the ornaments which came to her
from her grandmother. Don't vou think
the little girls NUT like very much to
wake up On Il fine morning, and stand bv
whilst their mother dresses herself for a
holiday? First, she puts on Il lower bo /
ice over Il white chcmiSrt;c which coneS
up to the throat and has full sleeves, then
she puts on Il long, and perhaps brightly
stri ped pctticolt, afterwards she wind, her
hair around her head. and hides il under ::
vel fastened Ivy Il sort of velvet crown:
and besides all this. she wears ON her neck
many rows OF amber and garnet beads.
In winter they have to wrap up II great
deal, and the children haze to Wear flannel
stockings bound around and around their
legs to clumsy boots which are rather
turned up IT the toes. and sherpskin coats
with the wool turned inside, and Il fur cap
on their heads with flap, over their ears.
When they are Messed in this way. they
would often like to 90 with their fathers to
shoot little brown ~salles, or bears, or
wolves, but it would not be quite saf. for
them, so they are left in their funny beds
while their elders go hunting.
A fine moonlight night has to be chosen
for this sport, when the wolves cannot be
seen from Il great distance. The sports
men set OFT in :: great sledoe, whilst a
smaller one goes before in which are two
men. one of whom holds the reins, while
the other carries Il live PIG in his arms; al
the bottom of this slc,lge is another PIC
tied up in Il bag. Behind the larger slelge
trails Il rope, about thirty yards long. with
Il WiSp of hay ut the end of it, which
dances about like somothin. alive over the
uneven snow. Away the two slcdgcs ga
iop, over the plains near the Villages; then
the man in the first slcdge pinctes the
poor pigs ear, and the pig cries out so
loud that the echoes repeat his cries till
they are heard far and near in the frosty
air. The wolves hear the shriekS, and
come out Of the distance like shadows
bounding lOnT the SDOrt>mpn- see their
thin forms more and more plainly against
the white snow, and all get greatly ex-
cited.
Still the man goes on pinching the pigs
ear, lest if he stopped screaming the
wolves would all run of At last a wolf
Sees the wisp of hay and ru>hes upon it,
followed by the others, whilst the distant
night air sounds and sounds again with
their short, yelping bark, and the squeals
the unfortunate pig. Sometimes the