The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-06-12
ADJUSTMENTS IN RUSSIA,
'IE'fILLINc" IS A FASCINATING
~ SPORT OF THE PEOPLE.

c 10 FASCINATING
- SPORT OF THE PEOPLE.
inc Skating Is Not So Good, Owing tn ,bo
ioar ice-Russians Are Very Fond nr
Music--Games In the Open Air--Tbro,,.-
ing Ihiek Wooden Clubs at Uprlghts.
The aristocracy amuse tbemqo,voo
fre,ry much in the same way as our own.
1hey shoot, they loaf and play cards in
taelr clubs, they butcher pigeons ont
81 traps, they have their race meetinos
they dance much aud well, some baye
yachts OF their own Many Of them
Keep English grooms, and their Enc
Ash-when they speak it-for this rea.
son smacks somewhat of the stable
enough they are not usually aware that
TINS IS the case If Russian aristo-
srat has succeeded in making himself
look like an Englishman, and behaves
like one, he is happy
Ot winter sports-in which. how.
ever, but small minority Of the Rus
sian youth care to take part-there are
skating, ice-yachting, snow-shoeinq
and lce-hilling. The skating ought,
naturally, to be very good in Russia
As a matter Of fact the ice is generally
dead and lacking in that elasticity and
spring which are characteristic Of our
English ice. 1t is too thick for elastic
lily, though the surface is beautifully
Kept and scientifically treated with a
view to skating wherever a space is
Hooded or an acre or two Of the Neya's
broad bosom is reclaimed to make a
skating ground. Some of the Russian
amateurs skate maryelously, as also do
many Of the English aud other foreign
residents. Ice yachting is confined
almost entirely to these latter, the ma
yves not having as yet awakened to
the merits Of this fine pastime.
Ice-hilling, however, at fair time
that is, during the carnival week pre-
ceding the "long fast or Lent-is
much practiced by the people. This is
q kind Of cross between the switchback
and tobogganing, and is an exceedingly
p2P4laF amusement among the English
residents of St. Petersburg, who sup
port an lie Hill Club of their own and
repair to it weekly during the winter in
order to amuse themselves by diving
he''uion8 DOWN 'he ice slopes, and to
be amused by the attempts of novices
- ioiioT 'nol iI eA"nlpie. may assure
ny ny ie''uIi' 'LitO lce.l'lIllil8 Is al once
'le i, lnoaV "We-lnSplIln5 TO beginners
anu 'l9 Lloa si charming OF an sports 70
:no eApeiV 'n"' 'ne lllnu Oh man can
lnl e
'o IlI -Snoellls' "8@li' IS me ana il,
ne''L'llul tScrea'lon' II Is 'Ie SKI ,
l'.liii5 u NoI%ay' n SHIt Is ogloF9' anu
HAetsh p ae'iceo ~ an Eng llsliltell hiio
ar9 lol Iuna'o enough 10 De lAVf2u !, a.
70 us lasclnaVlolS' ~ is 700 uii1e''iO
"na reg 'iIeS 700 n Ill'li eAeLS'2 n iy1
eN9I, ioi 9uI8 i'"Ssl'' '''.' 'ii'' III
uoieuU lnuiII"o'i' III 1onae'i uencc'
'"i ,G ~ ugl' 'L1 '"oN a-lo
IIo l'"5S I3 aIo " 'le'' u 9-lo wig
people, any Olo oJ'lns mt5I pe very
gQoo 70 leoso yHeIl ctl.ical teS,o :,
MANY oI 'ue lHet,te9 "re lnlPoIla'' ,
I,i''' - lue oy s'5 I"y' 'uo PiPef II !
tile fecslP'' Oh ''5 'Hea'Ie SO Pio'scJgu
90 nov 3'lni''g lls eAPeno !, III
paying ion goou aF''S'5' TIe'her oPer-
ade OF Gianl"Ac' tAe russians are
most loTish
NealIy every hnsslah IS natural
musician, aud cannot only sung N tune
but can take part 10y ear me man
with the balalelka OF garmonka IS al
ways sure OF an admirlng audience,
whether IN town or village; and there
IS not tiny hamlet IN the Empire but
resolves itself on holidays INTO par OF
choral socletes-one Tor male and one
for female voices-whieh either parade
up and down the village street sing
ing, without, OF course, either eondue-
tor or accompaniment, or sit IN rows
upon the benches outside the nuts, oc-
cupied in a similar manner.
Occasionally, but very rarely, you
may see a party Of husslan children
or young men ana women playing z, IN
tho other ia n spacies of ninepins. or