Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-02-22

to The extreme ignorance Of the laboanI
classes.
There are but
Few Country schools.
Their teachers receive one hundred ant
eighty to two hundred roubles for thI
years schooling, their services being for 81,
months only. But if we take into sceoun
the number ofRussiAn holidays in honor o.
al the saints that make up the heavenly
7 population, il Is surprising that the children
: learn ANYTHING at al. Russian holidays in
elude mere than one-third OF the year. Or
q holiday apeasant considers it no sin tc
get drunk or TO work for himself, but hi:
piety utterly forbids that he should work fol
wages on such days. The only way they
have Of celebrating q holiday is by drink
ing. Every village has its kabak or driak
ing house,
A FILTHY Den,
IKE nothing expressed by any English
word, where the smell Of liquor and sheep
| SKINS makes an atmosphere that only q Nus
sian peasant can breathe; and thIther on
holidays they flock to drink and torgettheir
woes II they cannot become merry. over
I taxed. iliterate, with no resources and little
hone for the future, where are they to look
for rest and recreation? Liquor seems the
only solaee allowed them, the only means oil
Forgetting Gr 8 while their utter misery. 10
religion they can find no comfort, no moral
support. To them the dogmas and rites oil
the Greek Church are uninteligible. A
dim idea Of God, Of Christ Of the Virgin
and Of saints they may have,
but 1t is q belief wholly passive
and accepted only with indifference.
The Village Church
is generally a brick building whitened out,
side and having a green roof-it is built
after the prevailing style OF Greek srchitec,
ture. the only sty,e admitted as q model by
the Russian Church. A shrine with painted
images separates the altar from the rest OF
the church assigned to the congregation.
No eeats are provided, with the exception
o. fan occasional chair for elderly and priyi-
legged persons among the gentry. The ser,
vice is conducted by the priest, with the
exception Of one or two men, who chant
the responses. The salary which
the priest receives from the Gov.
eminent seldom exceeds one hundred
rOublesa year, a house being provided for his
dwellings, together with about five dessiatins
Of land. So small a sum cannot supply his
wants, ard he naturally looks to the slim
purses Of his parishioners for an addition to
this scauty pay As to the integrity and
neral character Of the priests, the less said
the better. The Russian saying, "he has
priests eyes, means that he is greedy and
grssping. The priests observe scrupulously
all Lents, but most of them drink as much
as--Or even more than-the peasants. For
all ceremonies performed at the call of
their Pensioners, such as christening.
weddings. funerals, they expect an extra
Zee. often refusing to oticiste unless paid
in advance.
Scanty Food.
Tie food Of the peasant is extremely
scanIy, consisting Of rye bread, sour milk,
potatoes. ,uruips, cabbages and coarse peas,
with the occasional addition Of mutton
when a sheep is killed. The custom OF
sailing pork is found only in the south Of
Russia, aud pigs are so lean that no fat
could possibly be found on their ribs.
Sometimes, toward spring, the rye falls
short, and ground bark is mixed with the
-four.
As a race the Russians are strong and
hardy. Diphtheria and syphilis are their
worst foes, the one caused By filth, the other
by immortality. During the winter months
many Of the men leave the villages seeking
work in the cities. The women weave and
sew.
Pairs
are held occasionally during the summer
months. | went TO one OF them. A num-
Der OF booths were built along the village
streets and the wares offered for sale we're
few and of the simplest kinds. | saw
cucumbers piled on the ground, stacks Of
mint, gingerbread. caramels, and other
sweets, among which | noticed particularly
a kind Of sugared bean pods. But these
were all articles Of luxury. Several carts
were loaded with rude ear,hen Jars and pots
used for milk and cabbage porridge, which
is a fayorite Russian dish. Sheepskin coats,
printed cotton cloth Of the brightest colors,
caps, belts, glass beads-or which the wo-
men are extremely toud-shoes made of
the bark OF trees, etc, etc, were all sold at
this fair. Leather shoes are seldom worn
by the peasants. Women are often seen
walking to Church B"arsfooted
with a pair Of shoes slung over their shout
ders. They put them on at the church
doors, and after the service carry them home
as thew were brought. Bright colors pre-.
dominate in their dresses. Men wear col
Ored cotton trousers, tucked into boots or
tied ct the ankles. shirts ofeottou or wooden
stulIs as bright in color as those worn by
ne women, and in winter, coats or ulsters Of
rough wool or ~Sheepskiu, secured with q belt
at the waist. Women wear bright cOlOred
skirts with shculderstraps which they
tie under the arms, white chemjsettes
with pulled sleeves, aud haudkerchiet5
on their heads. On holidays the
Fayorite Head.dress
is in the shape Of a crown, often decorated
with artificial flowers. This head-dress is
lett open at the back on the heads Of girls,
but entirely conceals the hair Of married
women Young and old women are alike
fond Of colored glass beads which they wear
in several rows around their necks. Expo
sure and hard work soon mar their faces
and women Of thirty appear to be fifty. The
children are almost iaXen haired.
The principal Preventlyes oil Improvement
in methods OF agriculture are the severity Of
the climate and the difficulties in reaching
markets. Thus the peasants alternate be.
tween a poor harvest and consequent hun
ger, and a good harvest with the impossi-
bility Of selling the grain. Often through
the
Bad Management
of the railroads -four aceumulates and
spoils at the depots. Last season, in con.
sequence of a cold summer, quantities Of
rye and wheat did no. have time to ripeu
and could only be used for the cattle. Three
centuries of slavery and the previous domln.
ion Of the Tartars, have left indelible traces
on their manners and customs. When
meeting people belonging to the upper
classes the peasants invariably take off their
hats aud make low bow. But few among
-. -. -. it'll