Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-10-18


ans aud to great extent incurably
harhuous. that ia position susceptible
d great deal OF argument from many
points Of view. The most familiar, most
ad capiandum, and perhaps the most
unjust ia DRY is that even the better.
educated auI refined Of Russians are a,
the best only coated with thin neer
81 civilization The great master Of
cynical terseucss IN expression, Psnce
Bismarck, has lent the immense weight
II his celebrity aud his rcpute for TAR.
reaching sagar.iy in judging the chsrac.
tcrs Of mankind to the veneering" aud
" barbarian" hypothesis in his f,ntou,
dictum "The Russian is a capital fel.
low till he tucks his shirt in. To mn.
d.rs'aud the tremendous force Of this
mercilcss resume Of the Mu.coyite char
nctar Que must have lived in Russin.
Ivan Ivuovich the moujik peasant,
druschky-driyer, mechanic. porter. la
horyr or what not--wears his shirt
usually a red cotton ostsde his
other garments. All those familiar tn
Russian humanity know Ivan Ivauovich
to be, On tho whole, "capital fellow"
He is frank, brave, generous, affection
ate and docile He is a fervent devotee
Of the grossly idolatrous rites Of the
Russo Greek Church which some Angli.
can ritualists are insane enough to think
can, without much difficulty, be brought
into communion with the Church Of En-
gland. He is grossly ignorant; but he
hns the most reverence for the offices Of
the church, and does not think the worse
of his Pope or priest when. in his vii
lage, he is occasionally called upon to
assist in carving home from the dram
shop the ecolesiastic dead drunk, ON
stretcher. Ivan himself gets tipsy when.
ever he has the chance of doing so but
he is the best natured of sots, and too
much beer or vodka scarcely ever makes
him riotous or pugnacious. 1nebriety
rather incites him to the shedding of
msudlin tears, or to an eIcssS of piety
in eXpectorating to the right and left III
order to exercise the devil
Truthful he can scarcely be said to be.
He has been too recently slave to be
able to understand the moral culpability
of telling a lie, but he is passing honest.
He is, in fine, good wood, capable Of
being seasoned and fashioned to many
useful purposes, aud he is in particular
industrious, patient and submissive. He
is not very inventive, but he has cur
iously strong initiative faculty, almost
! Chinese in its concentration and labor.
iuus fidelity to the thing TO be initiated.
| Thence he can be taught to be an adj
-lirable cabinet-maker an inlayer, an
enamelist. pottery painter, and a
worker in metals. Similarly, his woman
! kind are the most skllful of embroider-
ers. He is very domesticated, and very
fond of his children although he occa-
sionally thrashes his wife. OF strong
liquor. as have. limited, he is passion
ately fond otherwise he is coptent to
live on the simplest and coarsest fare.
White bread he seldom tastes "brick
tea" is, after corn brady, his fsvorite
beverage lf-pickled ogurtsi, or dwarf
cucumbers, enter largely into his diet
and, with bad drainage, help to give him
typhus and the cholera; and he can
sleep anywhere-the top of a stove is
his most chosen resting place-quite in
diff at as to bed-clothes. There is no
drawer soldier than Ivan Ivanovich when
nc is drawn for the CONSUMPTION, and
crapt and shaven, and put into hoddon-
gray gaberdine, with spiked helmet on
his head and a rifle in his hand. Dress
him up in a CANDY livery, powder his
head, and put silken hose on his big
calves, and he will make as stalwart and
MS obedient lackey. Put him on the
Sox of droschky, sledge or carriage,
.ccouter him in blue caitan, with a
.iash round his waist and fur cap on
his head, and let him hold the reins
squarely, and he will drive you through
the snowy perspectives' OF st. Peters
burg for hours and hours-aye, and wait
unmurmuringly outside the house where
you arc visiting, or the reatauran! II
Which you are dining, say from in tia
evening until or 3 in the morning.
| s-