The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-23
RUSSIANS At HOME
UnfIatteriRE Account of PecuIiari
ties OF Manners and Dress.

UHfiaTteriRE Account of PecUfiarf-
ties of Manners and Dress
The Russian. as you ind him in Siberia
has many good qualities. Above all, he is
hospitable This prompts him when Civ
iLg you a glass Of wine to spill it on the
table cloth That indicates his Hberauty
To be careful and watch the pouring so
that It comes within an eighth of an inch
from the rim Of the glass would mean
syinginess, and such thought is abhor-
rent.
But commission needs to be sent the
length and breadth Of the Russian Empire
to teach the people, officials as well as
ordinary folk. what are the table manners
OF Western nations Said a mzn to Ele in
restaurant the other day: 4 know at a
glance you could not be a Russian, be
cause you were using your knife and fork
in civilized way"
You know how the player of a kettle
drum holds the stiCks-that in the right
hand is a sort of grip. ard that in the
left with the palm turned up and held by
the two first fingers A Russian holds his
knife and fork in the same way. He gets
a piece Of meat on the end OF the fork
and with it sticking up in the air bites
while poking vegetables into his mouth
with his knife There are no mustard
spoons. so he dives his knife into the
mustard pot. Personally, I am regarded
as an extraordinary being because 1
won't use seTviette that evidently six
other. people have used.
It takes time for Britisher to conform
TO the meal hours of the Russian There
are no bacon and eggs for Drea kfast In
deed, there is no breakfast at all % You
have glass of tea or two glasses of tea
with slices Of lemon in it, aad that serves
till ., 3, or 3 o'clock when you have din
ner- Before dinner it is usual to have a
sekusk. In case you should have no ap-
petite. there is a side table laden with
twenty dainties. You have a glass of
vodki, and toss it down your throat at
one swallow. IL you are an old hand you
viii have two, four or six vodkies- which
put you into the best Of good humor. but
unfit you for anything but gossip the rest
Of the afternoon
Then you pick up a fork lying about
never washed or wiped from one DAYS
end to the other-stick it into & sardine
OF a slice of onion, or a little bit r
cheese, or some caviare, and you eat. Yoi
have Just enough Of these to provoke an
appetite, and when it is provoked YOU sit
down to dinner In the afternoon or even
ing you viii drink many glasses of tea.
which is, I admit an enjoyable OCCUPATION.
Between ~ O'Clock and midnight You
have supper, really another dinner, and
about O'Clock in the morning you think
OF going to bed.
To do things in the proper way and be
correct and Western is, of course. the
ambition Of Ir1utsk. So there is quite a
social code The old miIIienaires. who for
forty years found Irkutsk society-such
as it was before the coming of the rail-
way-quite satisfied with an old shirt and
pair of creased top boots are now "out OF
it, A millionaire only becomes a gen
tIeman when he tucks in his shirt and
wears his trousers outside and not inside
his boots. It is etiquette to put on a
black coat between the hours of 10 in the
morning and noon No matter how sui
try the evening IS. il you go for the usual
promenade and do not wear a black over
coat you proclaim you are unacQuainted
with the ways of good society--London
News.