St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-29


the garden spot of South Dakota, and
Hutchinson county. now combination
of what used to be Armstrong and
Hutchinson counties, has for dozen
years or more been we'll settled, self
supporting portion of the state. Mine
host. M. X. Bowen, who lives in very
comfortable two-story double brown
stone house built by good masOns fif-
teen years ago,is q son OF Hiram Bowen,
well known editor of Central Ohio
thirty years ago and later postmaster of
GAINESVILLE, Wis, 'all very nice people,
as we Eastern people say.
The settlers throughout South Da-
kota are variously made up of Ameri-
cans, English. Irish and butterflies,
Russians. followers Of the martyr. Jacob
Hutter. These latter are really German
Russians, whose fathers were induced
to settle IN Russia in order to escape
Austrian oppression, Turkish cruelty
and forced German military service, and
when the czar wanted to use them for
fighting services they came in COM
munitieS to this Northwestern region,
where they live in brotherhoods or
societies, after the manner of the early
Christians, and in loyalty to their own
convictions OF duty on this head. As
rule they are a quiet. honest, indus
trlous people; hardy, strong and used
to prlVation. The women work in the
fields beside the men, and do most
of the domestic chores in addition.
They are very valuable set of animals,
many of them quite as handsome as the
powdered and painted ladies that prom
enade Chestnut street of a Saturday
afternoon. visited the larger of these
communities on two occasions, and
.l,Hr
sauer kraut, etc. These socieues of
Russians vary in total numbers from
100 to 200 souls. They all live in few
large two-story buildings. divided into
different family apartments. Family
ties are strictly observed, but all other
property is held in common, and all
members of the society eat together in
one large room, except the preachers,
who dine alone. They are very re-
lgiouS, have an informal service for
worship every evening a little after
shutdown, and seem to be as happy as
the days are long.
There are exceptions to every rule.
Mine hostess told me of wicked Rus
sian. in the neighbOrhOOd, who whipp, d
his wife regularly and frequently as he
said his prayers, and that the wife bore
1t quietly until some good American
woman advised her to strike back and
have her lord arrested in the bargain,
with the result, it seems, that the whip
pings have ceased, and that husband
and wife, under our American laws of
equality, are now living peacefully-for
a time.
In the East newspapers poke all sorts
of fun at the marriage brokers and the
anxious spinsterS who advertise for
husbands. All that such newspapers
need is to broaden their horizons.
While West an old neighbor told me of
a couple of excellent married men
whom l knew in the neighborhood ten
years ago. A few years later they lost
their wives and each in turn advertised
for new domestic companions. OF
course they were successful in
a sense. To-day they have
new wives. new families. and one of the
men, L am told. is so completely changed
by this and other operations that where
as he used to be very pious. had visions
and dreamed dreams and used to pray
in meeting, etc., he now drives thriv-
ing business OH short measures, false
weights and cold-blooded lying, after
the manner of the most approved mill
iOnaires of our Eastern cities. So Da-
kota is keeping abreast of the age, and
certain kinds of wives were always
useful.