Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1892-11-09

Sil5iraiuia fres gress.
A Cholera breeding Place.

In no part of Europe are public baths
so accessible to the lower order OF people
as in Russia, and nowhere are baths in
such general use. But the attraction OF
the bath is not soap and water, but the
hot vapor for which the Russian has
such an affection, The bath itself is in
many cases a nest for loathsome disease
germs. The patronizers OF these institu-
tons very often have no use whatever
for the wasbwoman. This is true not
only of the very poor. OF on inmate of
one Of The gigantic apartment houses OF
st Petersburg, who was man of prop
eriy, tn Novoe Vrcmya casually re-
marked "IIe never has hi. linen wash
ed. WI enever he puts on a shiit he
puts it on for good, aud he wears it I'M
Ill it drops in shreds off his back.
As for sanitary preparation agains
cholera, the New York Times says the
Russian peasants would look upon this
as prufane interference with providence
II is said that they explain the outbreak
of the cholera as the result of machina-
tions of English enemies, who went visi-
ting the famine districts last year, and
who, under the preiense of distributing
aims 10 the hungry, bribed the Russian
physicians to work this spell upon the
People The proper proven atives to use
against cholera are the prayers of priests
and the counter spells Of lasses blowing
in the dead of the night. Sanitary pre-
cautions are not legitimate. Another
difficulty in the way Of sanitation is the
expense of it. 1t has been calculated by
experts that the the sanitation of a peas
ants hut would cost seven rubles (about
three dollars and seventy-fve cents, and
no Russian peasant would think of spar
ing such a sum for the purpose. The
sanitation of the cities and rivers would
involve a greater outlay than was caused
by the famine, and within year the
work would have to be done over again.
In describing The things which Rus
slams eat and drink Mr.. Lann says that
it requires great caution TO keep within
limits of decency of language and yet
give an adequate notion of the subject.
The foreign visitors to st. Petersburg or
Moscow who stroll down ''Guttou's
Row" will see men and women, boys and
girls, devouring hideous mes:es which
would be speedily destroyed by the SAM
tary officers of other countries. So much
for the food of the poor But it is said
that the manner Of preparing food in
"frst class" bakeries and butcher shops
would not bear relation in plain English.
Thus, it is said that in the preparation
Of the exquisite jams by The most re-
nowned Russian confeciionerS the seeds
are separated from eurrants, gooseberries,
etc, not by means of mechanical appa-
ratus but by the application OF human
lips, poor women being employed to do
the work. The facts as to The prepare
ton of the national drink (quaSS) are of
the same sort. Of course it is not neces-
sary to drink quass, but the water is said
TO be no better No city or han let in
Russia has drinking water pure enough
to meet the rtquirem his 1T the most toll
Grant sanitary engineer il more western
countries. In Baku, where the cholera
found favorable soil, Il semiofficial Rus
sian journal says that lin many yards
stand artificial ponds filled with water
carried thither in jars. In this water
the inhabitants are wont to perform
their daily additions, bathing every day.
They also use it 10 wash their fruits and
commodities, besides which they drink
it" In scientific treatise by DR.. Ko-
lokoloff on the waters of St. Petersburg
it is said that one of the rivers of the
capital receives daily from the city one.
seventh of its own bulk in impurities.