Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-05-16
THE COLD in RUSSIA.
RAeal Consequences to Creatnres and HI
mAn Beings.

RAenl Consequences to Creat1res and H0-
man Beings.
The cold in St Petersburg. says .
correspondent, is at times too intense
for any outdoor amusement Last
year. for example. q brilliant fete on
the ice had to be put of three or four
times in succession owing to the cold.
the thermometer registering NO less
than Is to rs degrees below zero
Fahrenheit). It is on days like these
that one realizes what a northern win
Ter is generally supposed to be. when
all schools are closed. the university
unvisited by professors and students.
and the churches literally empty.
Generally speaking. when the cold is
so intense as Is to Is degrees there
Is little or no wind. This is fortunate
tor those unhappy people whom duty
or misfortune obliges to be out Of doors.
for on a day like that the faintest
breeze that ever spread its wings
would prove sharper than a razor's
blade. and mayhap quite as dangerous.
As a rule, however. the day is calm,
the air perfectly still, and the vault
of heaven of delightful blue. At such
times have occasionally seen and
more frequently heard of birds in tho
air suddenly stopping in their fight
and dropping down like stones rigid
and cold to the earth below. have
also come across a far more painful
sight-men and horses whose earthly
career had been similarly put an end to.
This is often the case with car-drivers.
OF course. the carmen often drop off
asleep during the weary hours Of the
night while waiting for the fare that
never comes, and when the thermom-
eter is at 25 degrees below zero, sleep
invariably merges into death. Well
meant efforts are perseveringly made to
keep these unfortunate men from being
MORALLY frozen. Immense fires. for ex-
ample, like the funereal pyres of old. are
lighted in all the frequented streets, and
kept burning night and day, the red
glow of the coal and wood fire forming
charming contrast to the white,
glistening sheet of snow, especially
when twilight. the parent of dim en-
chantments." heralds in the night.
But. in spite of all precautions, every
winter large number of izvoscht-
schiks are found frozen in their dros-
chkys by shivering policemen-them-
l,,< e., 80
door.
Naturally people try to keep within
doors when the mercury gets below 20
degrees, for. in spite of their Northern
climate, educated Russians are incom-
parably more sensitive to the cold than
we are. This. of course, is the newt
able result of the enervating training
they receive. Brought up. as they are.
in houses built with a special eye to
warmth, and in rooms heated by Cy-
clopean stoves, which maintain tenn
perature varying from 60 degrees to n
degrees Fahrenheit. once they sally
forth from these hot houses in winter
they are wrapped up in furs, goats.
hair kerchiefs and other articles of ap-
parel to such an extent that their own
mothers would not recognize them.
There is, however. one absurd idea in
connection with Russian winter, set
afloat. believe, by De Maistre. which
should be exploded once for all al
lude to the alleged frequency with
which a perfect stranger, generally a
peasant. will side up to an unsuspect-
ing passer-by, and. snatching up a
handful of fine snow. will set to work
without a word of warning ard scrub |
his cheeks and rub and pull his nose
till they have changed their white col |
or for ruddier hue, which would be |
very embarrassing if it only lasted.
Now, l have spent many winters in
this country. and had favorable oppor-
tunities for observing exciting Incl
deRts of this kind, If they occurred.
yet have never once seen any thing |
answering the description. or met a
man who had Chicago Tribune
Some Washington ladies adopted
an original method of making their