Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-08-22

arc OIdNtS ~ III lllhs
What an American Correspond
ent Saw in Russia.
Undoubtedly the lower strata of the
Russian population are the drunkenest
people under the sun, Looking back
over our road, as the thought occurs
to me, says Thomas Stevens i'm a letter
from Russia to the New York World,
remember no village, save Volosovo,
in which drunken people were not
very much In evidence. At every
wayside traklir where we stayed over
night the fore part of the night would
be more or less of pandcmonium.
from the shouting and singing of rows
tering moujiks (peasants) filled with
vodka Gan alcoholic beverage made out
of rye. l have seen gangs of gray
haired old men, scc-sawing, finginp
their arms about and making fools of
themselves generally in the sight of
the whole village, yet not attracting to
themselves so much as tho curious or
reproachful gaze of single woman.
On Sunday all the men seemed TO
be drinking and carousing and all the
women we.e sitting in little circles in
front of the houses gossiping. The
one sex seemed 10 be absolutely OBJ
livious of the proceedings or even the
presence of the other. The drunken
ness was sad enough, but the indiffer-
cnce of the women to it was the sad
dcst of all.
Sometimes, but not often, were
drunken women. Near one village we
met crowd of drunken men and
women, as merry and picturesque a
set of subjects as Bacchus himself
cO"ld wish.
Hand in hand they reeled along and
sang; now and then they stopped to
dance and to express their joy in wild
laughter. They halted and sung for
us a melodious bacchanalian song, well
worth listening to, as we rode past.
The men were in red shirts, black vel
vet trousers and top boots. The
women were in all the colors of the
rainbow, a well in The ascend
ancy. II The little old di-
IL. .;,las i ].
merry makers, one and ali, removed
their caps and crossed themselves de-
voutly, then proceeding OH their way
struck up another bacchanalian re-
frain.
Soon we reached the groggery. 1t
was cheap 10, house, rooted with
tin, and with little porch at the door.
On the porch stood an old moujik
with gallon demijohn of vodka, from
which he was filling glasses holding
about third of pint. He seemed
to be treating the crowd. One of
these portions costs 10 copecks, or
about eight cents. The best vodka is
made from rye, the worst from pota-
toes. A moujik can get bowling
drunk for Is cents.
On Sundays and holy days the vodka
shop is the rallying point OF the male
population. His rags may be INSULT
cient to cover his nakedncss, his house
may ls,. Is .tqllmbling about hi head, his
family may be upon the verge of STAR
vation, but the improvident moujik
hands out his last kopcck for the
vodka. then runs in debt. lie pledges
his growing crops, his horse, his only
COW, engages his labor in advance at
fearful discount. He becomes insol-
vent and is unable to pay his share of
the Mrs taxes.
Thus far, my informant said, the
government had been inclined to deal
len emily with him. If unable to pay
his direct taxes, it was because he had
drank vodka, and had thereby paid
them several times over. So reasoned
a paternal government that had deliy-
cred him from serfdom, a weakling
to be nursed and borne with patiently.
So had it borne with him for twenty
nine years, wavering between the duty
of teaching him the lesson of little
sclf-reliaa@e by hare. experience and a
reluctance to resort to extremes. Be-
ginning with the present year, how
ever, the moujik who fails to pay his
taxes is to be fogged. From twenty
to thirty stripes may be administered,
and a fine of five kopeck goes, With
every stroke.