The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-21

formed. was told, the bed of the family in
the winter time, This family included sew
eral married sons and daughters and il had
IN addition TO the old folks about u chill
dren and grandchildren. In some way or
another they all packed themselves in on
this ledge at night and they huddled to-
gether upon the log floor below in the day.
time. The whole space in the room was
not much larger than that of one OF six
room house occupied by an American day
lRbOrer, and It's furniture consisted of four
rude stoves. some benches which ran
around the walls and rude table on which
the family ale their meals. There were no
pictures on the walls and no plaster nor
paper. In one corner hung a rude paint
ing OF the Virgin. with a little candle burn
ing before ii, and | noted that while | was
present one OF the girls looked at this and
crossed herself. On one of the benz lay
a sheepskin coat. and | saw one garment
hanging from the wall. Ii there were any
other clothes belonging to the family they
may have been stored in box, which | saw
in the room outside, but they were not in
sight.
The Russian peasant requires but small
wardrobe. He puts on one suit and wears
u out, sticking to 1t night and day.
Neither sex has any use for nightshirts,
and all the family sleep in the same clothes
that they wear "a the daytime. They know
nothing of bed-clothing or the luxury of
more like sheep than like men. Young girls
and young men, married and single, babies
and grandm0thers, all crowd in together,
and the animal heat of the whole added
to that OF the stove must give them warmth.
Their winter clothing IS made up largely OF
sheepskns with the wool turned inward,
and the people seems TO stand the heat and
cold equally well. Their clothes cost them
but little. The men wear calico pantaioons
In the summer and they have red calico
into fah -
pantalooDs The latter are held up by
string around the waist and often turned
In at the legs below the knee, being
wrapped about with the rags which form the
stockings of peasant Russia These rags are
wrap ed about the feet and over the ankles
and around the lower part of the calves.
Ii the Russian is rich enough he pulls
pair of high boots over them, and into the
tops Of these he stuffs his pantaoons. II
be Is poor. as is the case with ninety-nine
huDdredths of his kind he wears felt boots
In the winter and low slippers In the sum-
mer. These slippers are of woven grass or
bark. They are made without heels and
are worn by all. The peasant girls, in fact,
wear the same kind OF footgear as the boys
and the belle of one of the Russian villages
never know the delights of barber-pole
stockings. AID her carriers do not cost her g
shilling in lifetime.
Neither sex wears any underclOthDg, and
a great step will have been made when you
can make these people believe that such
items as drawers and undersnirts are among
the absolute necessities of life. AS it is
their needs are 50 small that they have not
the incentives to work to satisfy them that
We have, and man's whole summer outfit
would not cost as much as an American
farmer spends for a coat Their headgear
is as cheap as the rest of their clothes, and
the men all wear cRps-when they wear
anything-and the women tie I'D their
heads in bright-cOored hand erchiefs, fas-
teniDg these by knotting them under the
chin. No Russian peasant girl ever dreams
of buying or wearing corsets or STAYS
and her entire outfit at this time of the
year consists Of this handkerchief for her
head, Mother Hubbard gown of white
cotton or red or blue calico which reaches
almost to her ankles and an apron which is
gathered in and cut low at the neck, and