Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-01
RUSSIAN PEASANT INDUSTRIES.
Where All Clothing and House Furniture
 Are Made at Home.
ISpecial Correspondence.

residence of some years in America, feel that short description of the cottage in dustries of Russia may interest western readers.
 These so called cottage industries derive their name from the fact that in the hum ble homes of the moujiks, the lowliest of the czar's subjects, all kinds of beautiful fabrics are woven and embroidered. These poor, untutOred peasants, regarded as bur den bearers in their native land and held by foreigners to be simply stolid, patient class of people, almost incapable of emo tion of any kind, arc yet among the most artistic of the worlds workers.
 Strange to say, the moro r. mote found these people from the commercial centers the moro perfect the work they turned out. In thickly populated districts the influx of machine made work naturally appreciates the value of that made by hand and results in comparative decadencc in its quality.
 Viatka is about as large as the state of New York and is especially noted for its skilled workers. Judging from the excel lcncc of tho material used and the time spent on the work, ono would suppose 1t to be q costly luxury. On the contrary, the small sum asked by the poor peas ant seems so pitiably inadequate that the visitor wonders at the nonmercenary char acter of the people. The degree of prosper ity which they enjoy is probably attributa- ble to their immunity from that greatest of all terrOrs to the poor-landlordis1n While Viatka is situated in an out of the way part of Russia, it is almost wholly without nobility or landed estate gentry, the entire province being absolutely under the control of the crown, and therefore en- joys q more liberal form of government. It is really q case of bureaucracy versus the peasantry. This province is known as the ''moujiks' realm.' The soil is fairly good, and the pcasantry are very much at tached to it. While they look upon agrl- culture as their chief employment, in no part of the land art there more varied and interesting occupations carried on or greater skill displayed.
 The peasantry do not conf1ne themselves to the production of merely ornamental things. The range of these industries in cludes every need of the household and farm, every branch of the simpler crafts and not a few of the higher trades Tho winter hero is long, lasting from October till April, with the weather intensely cold necessarily contining tho inhabitants to their homes tho greater part of the time. It is then that men and women, boys and girls, arc busy at work in the warm log cabin and the rude shanty workshop. Orig inally it was the custom for the peas
 
 clothing as well as furniture and utensils of every description. Any surplus left over was disposed of by salc. Such idy1lic con- ditions, however, no longer exist, and at tho present time the peasant labors for rev onuo only. Tho various kinds of work have for generations been specialized that is, certain industries have become hereditary and traditional with certain families, and even with whole villages, which accounts for tho high grade of per lection attained Somc families or villages become workers in iron, others in hides and tanning and still others in furs, wood, e;c. Then come tho higher crafts, which give scope to technical skill and not infre- qucntly artistic talent. All these fields of labor arc open to both sexes. In addition the women weave linen, spin wool and do plain and fancy knitting.
 In one nest of villages I found one or moro lacemakcrs in every homo. Some of the work which I handled was beautiful in design and of the most delicate texture. Most of tho patterns haVe been handed down through many generations from memory, with only occasional changes. l also found somo very unique examples of cross stitch embroidery, with drawn work almost as fine as lacc. Tho former is em- ployCd ill the ornamCntation of towels and aprons and at one time was ! in mak- ing Wido borders for table bed linen. Before the need of money became so abso- lutc among the poasantry such things were accessories of every humble home, and mother and daughter vied with each other ill the preparation of tho latter s trousscau. Examples of this work may be met with in the paintings by Makovsky and other famous Russian artists, who de lighted in the portrayal of rural life. But this and liD6rod work alwova ho h od for tho ordering, and indeed it is one oi | tho cottage industries which tho people oi tho empire would like to seo revived. You will havo Somo idea of the importance oi | this class of work when l tell you that in several of tho museums throughout the country saw towel exhibitions which rep resented tho history of tho industry from its inception.
 Tho women of Little Russia arc more | expert in the art of decorative embroidery than their sisters of Russia proper. Their work is more heavily embroidered, and they uso much gaycr colors, similar tC those employed by tho women of Walla chia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Then there l is tho heavy tapestry work, which Is fast | becoming a lost art, specimens of which al | tho present time arc considered rare anti | quarian finds. Yet a16thcr industry which | finds 6 ready market is wood carving l This the people execute most beautifully, l in the oriental Byzantine designs, for use in tho ornamcntation of the national ar | chitccture. But it would be impossible tc | giyo detailed description of tho various omployments of thcso talented people. | Next WIG turn to tho government of Oren berg, which is situated on the steppes The speciality of the women here is tho | knitting of thOso filmy, almost impOndora | blc shawlS, three of which can be draWI through a wedding ring at onco. These articles arc knitted out of the wool of { certain breed of Angora goats which were originally imported from Tibet readily adapting themselves to their new environ mcnts and multiplying very rapidly | Beautiful as arc these shawls, some per sons prefer the warmer gray of those knit ted by the women of Pcnza from hand spun wool known as goats down." They certainly equal the Indian "chuddor" il softness and Hghtness.
 | Of the so called "alien races, who GvI mostly along the banks of the Volga, th' Mordvins, tho Schua, tho Tchercmiss, es pecially the latter, aro virtual heathens Tho women are gentle, shy and most do mestio and are industrious and skillfu workers. Tho stout, twilled homespun which they weave arc almost indestructi ble fabrics and arc very handsome. Thei embroidcries arc elaborate and tasteful il color, usually wrought in subdued tint of rare perfection, having the peculiarit. of being aliko on both sides. The Tcher emiss woman literally makes with he own hands-and that includes spinning and wcaving-ovcry article worn by her self and the men of her family. In forme times the same might have been said O every thrifty peasant housewife.
 PAULA SMIRNOFF. l Dr Mary Putnam .TaeOhf.