The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-04
VICTIMS OF VODKA.
Most of the Russian Peasants
are Slaves to Drink.
What an American Correspond
ent Saw in Russia.

Undoubtedly the lower strata of the
Russian population arc the drunkencst
people under the sun, Looking back
over our road, as the thought occurs
to me, says Thomas Stevens in 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 pandemonium,
from the shouting and singing of roys-
tering moujiks (peasants) filled with
vodka Gan alcoholic beverage made out
of rye. l have seen gangs of gray
haired old men, sce-sawing, flinging
their arms about and making fools of
themselves generally in the sight Of
the whole village, yet not attracting to
themselves so much as the curious or
reproachful gaze of q single woman.
On Sunday all the men seemed to
be drinking and carousing and all the
women were sitting in little circles in
front of the hcus;s 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-
ence of the women to it was the sad
flcst of all.
Sometimes, but not often, were
drunken women. Near one village we
met a crowd of drunken men and
women, as merry and picturesque a
set of subjects as Bacchus himself
coald 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, Us 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, with red we'll in the ascend
ancy. Arriving at the little old di-
lapidated inn by the wayside the
merry makers, one and all, removed
their caps and crossed themselves de-
voutly, then proceeding OH their way
struck up another bacchanalian re-
frain.
Soon we reached tho groggcry. 1t
was cheap lo5 house, rooted with
tin, and with little porch at the door.
On the porch stood an old moujik
with a gallon demijohn of vodka, from
which hc was filling glasses holding
about q 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 insuffi-
cicnt to cover his nakedness, his house
may be tumbling about his head, his
family may be upon the verge of star
vation, but the improvidcnt 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 a
fearful discount. lie 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
patcrnal government that had dciv-
cred him from scrfdom, a wcakling
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 a little
sclf-rc!iance by hard 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 logged. From twenty
to thirty stripes may be administered,
and fine of five korccks goes with
every stroke.
Keep or of White Sidewalks.
If a man wants to avoid being pros