The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-05-03
Russian SerfdOm.


In this northern part of Russia, a very
large portion of the land-perhaps as much
as one. to the State. The
peasants living on this land had no mas
tiers. and were governed by q specia'
branch of the Imperial administration
In o certain sense they were serfs, f..
they were not allowed to change their
official dOmicile, but practically they en-.
jOyed a very large amount of liberty. By
paying small sum for passport they
could leave their villages for an indefinite
length of time, and 80 long as they paid
regularly their taxes and dues they were
in little danger of being mOlested. Many
of them, though officially inscribed in
their native villages, lived permanently in
the towns, and not few of them succeeded
in amassing large fortunes.
OF the remaining land, considerable
portion belonged to rich mobiles, who
rarely or never visited their estates. and
left the management of them either to
the selfs themselves or to a steward, who
acted according to code of instructions.
On these estates the position of the serfs
was very similar to that of the State peas
ants. They had their communal land
which they distributed among themselves
as they thought fit, and enjoyed the re-
mainder of the arabic land in return for a
fixed yearly rent. Solneproprietcrs, how
ever, lived on their estates and farmcd on
their own account, and here the condition
of the serfs was somewhat different. A
considerable number Of these, perhaps as
many as 10 per cent, were, properly
speaking, not scrfs at all, but, rather, do
nestle slaves, who fulfilled the functions
Of coachmen, grooms, gardeners, game
keepers, cooks, lackeys, and the like.
Their wives and daughters acted as
nurses, domestic servants, ladies' maids
and seamstresses. If the master organ
lied private theater or orchestra, the
actors or musicians were drawn from
this class. These serfs lived in the man.
sion or immediate vicinity, possessed no
land, except perhaps q little plot for a
kitchen garden, and were fed and clothed
by the master. Their number was gen.
orally out of all proportion to the amount
of work they had to perform, and conse-
quently they were always imbded with
an hereditary spirit of Incidence, and
performed lazily and carelessly what
they had to do. On the other hand, they
were often sincerely attached to the fam
lily they served, and occasionally proved
by acts their fidelity and attachment.
How the distinction between serfs and
slaves gradually disappeared, and how
the latter term fell into disuse, need not
here relate; but must assert, in the in.
terests of truth, that the class of serfs
above mentioned, though they were Off.
cially and popularity called courtyard
people," were to all intents and purposes
domestic slaves. Down to the commence.
ment of the present century the Russian
newspapers contained advertisements OF
this kind-I take the examples almost al
random from the Moscow Gazette of 1901
"To be sold, three coachmen, we'll.
trained and handsome; and two girls, the
one eighteen and the other fifteen years OF
age, both of them good looking and well
acquainted with various kinds of handi-
work. In the same house there are fol
sale two hair-dres.ers; the one twenty.
one years of age, can read, write, play on
musical instrument, and act as hunts.
man the other can dress ladies' and gen.
tlemen's hair. In the same house are
sold pianos and organs" A little farther
On-a first-rate clerk, a carver, and a
lackey are offered for sale, and the reason
assigned is superabundance of the arti
cles in question (za szlishest0n). In some
instances it seems as if the serfs and the
cattle were intentionally put in the same
category, as in the following: =" In this
house one can buy a coachman and &
Dutch cow" The style of these adver
tisements and the frequent occurrences Of
the same address show plainly that there
was at that time regular class of slave
dealers. The humane Alexander l. pro
hibited public advertisements of this kind
but he did not put down the custom which
they represented; and his successor
Nicholas, took no active measures for its
repression. Thus until the commence
ment of the present reign-that is to say
until about twenty years ago-the practices
was continued under a more or less dis
guiscd form. Middle-aged people have
often told me that in their youth they knew
proprietors who habitually caused young
domestic serfs to be taught trades, in order
afterward to sell them or let them out fo
Lire. 1t was from such proprietors tina
the theaters obtained large number O
their best actors. Very different was tn
position of the serfs properly s0-called
They lived in villages, possessed house
and gardens of their own, TILED the com
munal land for their own benefit, enjoyet
certain amount of self government, ant
were rarely sold except as part of the estate
-Mackenzie Wallace's Russia.