The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-10
COARSE LIFEor RUSSIAN PEASANTS
Four or Five Families Sometimes
Occupy the same Hut.

Occupy the same Hut
From the Chicago Chronicle.
An Englishman Ia the government OF
Smolensk. Russia. thus writes OF the
peasants OF chat country;
The Russian village consists OF from
hueen TO forty log cabins. each twenty
1--WE 60 thirty feet square, and about seven
feet high to the square. They are heated
by large brick stove about six fee<
square In the center Of the hut. and on
the three sides OF the stove there arc
wood benches about three feet from the
noor. on these tho Russian sleeps. and
under this bed. or bench. the pig sleeps
and the hens roost. The only other fur
niture In table about three feet square
ana plank on the aide OF the hut 20 ste
upon. In one corner you will see tho
store OF onions ana potatoes and over
head are sheep and calf skins being dried
and prepared ready 20 make the winter
coat. In one OF these huts three. four or
ave families huddle together The VIII
layers work che land together. blowing.
sowing. tiiling and reaping and moving
Ia body. and they divide che produce,
not equally. Their iocks Craze IN ons
lot and are attended by herders, usually
q couple OF boys and girla. They have
plots Of ground for cahbagcs and potatoes
and some villages have few fruit trees
AlitFHt l@7HFf fAHhtH anu AUH
crops they raise IN this district are hay.
rye Cthe staple food OF the peosantsl. bar
ley, uaiilet and oats. fax, beans and peas,
There r. either a windmill or a horse mill
in most villages 90 grind the rye.
''The whole Of the peasants work lies
In attending 90 his cattle and land. cut
ting his wood Tor fuel and cnrtinE any
surplus he may have 20 the nearest town
TO sell. 50 that he may Re able 20 buy
- h. taats
rlow. spade. AK. saw or stew pot OF iron.
the only cooking utsnsil most OF them
have. In addition he may buy q little
tea. sugar. tobacco. gin or rome saited
herrinRs. a piece Of gaudy cotton print
for a Sunday dress for his wife or print
handkerchief for her head. These ara
about all the things the peasant wishes
for that he does not produce himself
They spin and weave by hand their
own wool and fax and make their own
clothing out of the cloth. Their feet hey
covtr with strips or the home mlde cloth.
and they make sandals from birch bark.
lie IL thought q rich peasant who can
afford a pair OF leather boots for sunday
and HOLIDAYS. Hts winter'eo consists %
home-cured or tanned skins OF sheeo or
cali and his dress IN winter consists or
a shirt. a coat Of skin. = pair of home
srun trouners rags for his feet and n
skin cap They make their own wooden
carts and slsdEes some Of them have
iron hoops on their cart wheels and that
a OIL the iron on them; many have not
even that. The whole OF the fuel Is wood
and the artificial light IL furnished BY a
pine stick or spill ne and stuck IN
crevice Of the hut. when burnt out 70 b.
replaced by another.
''Thev seldom get meat ara their food
& mostly rye bread cabbage and ofi0n
and potato soup. Fat bacon and niliet
porridae and skinned milk. The butter
they make they sell IN the towns. Few
OF them can read or write. and Few can
tell the time from watch or clock.
Many villages htsvs no clock or watch at
oil The peopl@ ars about in tho same
stage OF civilization that the English nt-
talnad In the seventeenth century. al
though, OF course they are rapidly be-
Ing transformed by means Of the rail-
way Another thirty years " II complete
" change TIE tenor Of their lives. and the
change will increase thslr wants and in
this way find markets % absorb the goods
which their own mills and workshops
produce. or course. there Il no oDenlng
for foreign textile goods, because the pro-
tectlve tariff are too heavy N these tar
ITS were abolished the Russian mills
would get their machinery for . per cent.
less money. ana this Is no little item
wien the interest on money ranges from
10 II Der cent"