New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-24
TIE .1TERAGE RCSSI1N.
From The london Telr1rdph.

From The London IftfTrnph.
As for the Russians being " barbarians." and 10 q
great extent incurably baTbar0us that il position
susceptible Of great deal Of argument from many
different points of view The most familiar. most
al cdpfGnum and perhaps the most unjust theory is
that even the better educated and refined Of Rus
slams are at the very best only coated wsth thin
veneer Of civilization. The great master OF cynical
trrsencss in expression Prince Bismarck, has lent
the immense weight of his celebrity and his reputo
for farreaching saglcity IN Judging me characters
of mankind to the veneerng" aud barbarian"
hypothesis in his famous dctum, The Russian IL
capital fellow till he tucks his shirt in To under
stand the tremendous force of this merciess resume
Of the MnscoYite character one must nave lived 10
Russia Ivan lyanoyich, the m0uJik-peaSant
drosehEy driyrr mechanic porter; .l l1IIGoFe,
red cotton One-Outside his other garments
All those familiar with Russian humanity know
Ivan Iyanoyich to be-, on the whole, capital fell
low lie is frank, brave, generous, aitectlonate
idoatrous rites of that RussO-Greek Church which
some Anglican Rtuaists are insane enough to think
can without much difficulty, be brought INTO com
munion with the Church Of England. lie Il crassly
ignorant: but he has the utmost reverence for tho
Oices Of the Church, aud does not think the worse
OF his pope or priest when IN his village, he y oc-
casonnlly called upon TO assist III carrying homo
from the damshop The ecclrsastic dead drunk, ona
strctcher. Ivan himself gets tpsy whenever he has
the chance Of doing 40 but he J; the Dest-hn'niea
Of s0ts. and too much beer or vodka scarcely ever
makes him riotOus or pngnacious. lnebrlefy tho
rather incites him 10 the shedding OF mandn tears,
OF To an excess, OF pety in expectoratng TO the right
Truthful he can scarcely be said TO be. lie has
been too recently slave 70 be able 70 undcrstahd
the moral culpabily Of telling lie but he II pass.
ing honest. He IL. in fine, good wool capable OK
being seasoned and fashioned To many useful pnr.
poses, and be Is IN particular, industrious pailehs
and Submissive He is not very inyentye, but no
has cnriulI,ly strong Initiative facnlty, almost
Chinese in its concentration and laD0rl0us iety 10
the thing TO he initiated. Thence he can be tanghs
Ia be an admirable cabinefmaker, an inlayer. On
EVANGELIST, a pottery painter ami work, IN nrtaa
sinararly his womarknd are the most skilul oi en-,
brni,lcrers He is very dOmestcated and very iona
of his children. although he occasionally thrashes
his Wife OF strong liquor. as have hintod I've IS
passonatcly fond otherws" he Is content to iSeoh
the simplest and cOarresi fare. hite bread ne SCI
dom tastes: ." brick tea is. after corr brandy.
his fayorito beverage; half picked ogurtsl.
or dwarf cucumbcrs, enter largely mo
his diet and with bad drainage, help TO give MN
typhus and the cholera; and he can sleep anywhere
The top of u stove is his most chosen rcstlngp place
lutte Indifferent "a 10 bed-clothes There IS
no Drawer soldier than Ivan lvanovch when he rs
drawn for he CONSUMPTION, and cropped ana shayeu,
and put into hoddcn-gray gaDerdine, WIN q
spiked helmet on his head ami rifle III ms hai,,'
dress him M In CANDY livery, powder his head,
AMI pat ,ilkcn hose on his big calves, and he WIZ
make as stalwart aud as obedicnt a lacquey. Put
him on the box of droschky, scdge OF carriage.
accoutre him in blue catian, with SASH r"uh'i w
waist and "A fur cap on his head, and let HIM hoi
the rcins squarcly, and h. VIII drive yon through
the snowy "perSpeciiyes of 81 Petersburg Or honis
and hours-ayc, and wait Unmurmurlngly outside
the house where You are visiting or The rrSaurahs
al which YOU dining, say from eight IN the even
inc until two or three III tIt MORNING.
As "A hack-Istvostchik. he SYSTEMATICALLY over
charge, his farcs-,oes not the shopkoeper IN the
GoStinnoi Dvor do the same i-but he Is go0d-hl-
morcdy cNtortOnate. is easily beaten down ana IS
never insocnt. His reproachcs rarely extend he.
yond mild remonstrance. Have you no fear OF
Heavens wrath ?. an Istvostchik asked me one day
during hi, last journey. because reillse, to dis-
bnIsc IN additional 10 kOpccks Another lail tho
fare which had given Him on the cushion OF his
,lrlge buried his face in his hands and pretended 70
bubber like IA child while thirl-a rare hnnorlst
ba regard
the fyc-and-twcnty kopeck piece which | had
handed him. bestowed il upon beggar who was
shiycrng in his rags on the steps Of the porieo OF
expression of interrogation in his eyebrows seemed
10 ask me whether had meant the money Tor hum.
self or for the mendcant in tatteTs. lie got the best
of me "all round" for had not only. for his was-
gishness sake, 10 yield To bis demand for more k0-
pecks but to fee the beggar into the bargain.