The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-12-14
How the Russians Dress.


Many of the illusions which the trav-
eler brings with him from his readings
are. indeed, somewhat rudely dispelled.
OF the " silken garments of the Bokhar-
rian or Persian" of the d" dangling tail
of the Chinaman," of the "pearlv teeth
of the Arabian" OF the " wild looking
savages and skintclad Esquimaux,n =
which writers of fifty years since de-
scribed as ordinary sights in the streets
of st. Petersburg or Moscow, you see
now as little as of the Cyclops of Ulys-
ses or the Lestrigons of Sir John Man.
deville- Even here, on the border of
Asia, Tartar, Armenians and Persians
are only distinguishable by their fur
caps a little higher or little lower,
turban-shape or miter-shaped. For the
quaintness of old Muscovite costume or
gorgeous Eastern finery, q man must
nowadays be referred to picture-books
or museums. The tendency of our age
is to Frenchify the very gorillas- The
only article that distinguishes the Rus
sian from any European, and especially
from an English crowd, is q head-gear,
for the cylinder or tall hat seems to be
held in adherence, and Is hardly ever
seen, even on foreign heads, in bureau
cratic and cosmopolitan st. Petersburg
NOT so much, probably, because the
crazy Emperor Paul waged war against
those hats and against shoestrings In
his uKases as because winter would for
bid their use under penalty of forfeit
ure of a mans cars for six months in
the year, and the habit of a half-year
sets the people here against the wear OF
our awkward, irrational and unbecom-
ing chimney-pot during the other half.
The Russian custom of the lower
classes consists of black or white cap,
with the brim drawn down on the brow
and shading the eyes; q long, loose,
shapeless dark-blue or brown greatcoat.
flowing down to the heels, and heavy
top boots up to the knee. From the
folds of the coat you may here and
there catch the sight of the red blouse
or of the broad red sash and black vel
vet breeches which were once popular;
but. as a rule. the black, long gaberdine
hides everything; and, batting the color
or tissue. the same garment, the same
medley of international rage. seems
equally to suit Russian or Tartar, Mos
lem or Christian, Gipsy or Jew. Mer
chants and brokers. and, other middle
class idlers who crowd the steps of the
exchange, wear the jacket and vide
awake hat now common to all Europe;
gentlemen of higher rank are either
in military or civilian uniform. and
these also throw over it their heavy
riding cloaks, regardless of the sitting
heat, Russian apparently never feel-
ing comfortable unless he is swathed in
loose drapery from hea<o to foot The
funny park-pie hats worn by the droski
drivers in st. Petersburg or Moscow
disappear as we come farther east, and
here the Isvoshthik buries his head and
half his face in his ugly black hanging
cap ike other men. The Russians are
as hirsute race as any Asiatic- Those
of the lower classes. whether out of an.
cient Muscovite pride or to spite the
shade of Peter the Great, the great
shaver, are bristling with such full, long
boards as might excite the envy of their
shaggiest Kalmuck or Sanojede fellow
subjects; some few have a name at the
back of the head down to the shoulders,
but for most of them the hair is clipped
in straight line BY the barber, prin
tive artist, who claps an earthen pot on
over the head and ears when they go to
him for shearing. and trims round
and round whatever protrudes from the
pot. Hair and beard are usually un-
kempt and tangled. a fit frame for the
face, where q coating of several weeks
dirt neutraiizes the color of the skin.-
London Times