Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-13
RUSSIAN HOSPITALITY.
spending the Evening" ia Trying
Ordeal for the Average Strength.

What brand of hospitality is the most
exacting? An Englishman who has just
returned from some years in st. Peters
burg declares that Russian hospitality
demands more from its recipients in some
ways at least. than any other. The de-
mand would seem to be mainly of a
liquid nature. Here is his description of
the way you spend the evening" in n
Russian house. "You no sooner make
your appearance than your host drags
you to his den and makes you take n
drink. You find all the other men there
taking their pick of the bottles ranged
on the hosts private sdeboard and help
ing themselves to n stiff one every few
minutes. If you are wise and diplomatic
you will dodge as many of the ante
prandial drinks as possible with a view
to your conduct later on. But you have
got to be very skillful about this. Most
Russian hosts have way of regarding
1t as sort of reflection upon their stock
of liquors. if not, indeed, on their own
drinking habits. If their non-Russan
guests begin to fight shy 1t doesn't spoil
their hunger rs it does ours. The more
n Russian drinks the more he wants to
eat. That and the climate are, l take It.
the salvation of that nation of heavy
drinkers.
you sit down to dinner at o'clock and
it lasts till .. The array of courses Is
staggering, and there is wine. IL would
seem, for every dish. let alone every
course. Men and women drink cham
ragne like water, and the air is such that
it does them as little harm. Between
every two three courses the cigarettes
arc passed round, to the women rs well
as to the men, and everybody smokes
and chatteTsi After dinner you so to the
theater, where boxes have been engaged.
That's part of spending the evening.
You may smoke all you want to in the
boxes, and by 10 o'clock the drinking
business begins again. Your hosts cab
met of liqueurs-a portable affair designed
for theater use-has preceded him to the
box. with ice tank and SYMPTOMS complete
The women as rule take champagne,
but the men choose the liqueurs Thus
smoking and drinking pretty necessarily.
you watch the performance. walking
about the boxes and chatterins between
acts until midnight, when the snow coiiieS
to an end.
Does that end the evening? Not at all.
You return with your host and hostess
to their home, where you find an elabor-
ate supper served and waiting You 10
yonr best to do justice to it, and toward
2 A. M. an adjournment is made to the
drawing room for an hour or so or music.
The Russian women play and sing mag
nificently, but you are expected to Keep
on drinking while listening, TO them BY
this time you are about ready to go home.
But that would be discourteous. Spend
ing the evening is by no means over yet.
Card tables are brought out, and every
body plays-French games for the most
part, perhaps couple OF Russian ones,
and once In while poker-and every
body CANDLES You drink necessarily
while playing and MUNICH caviare sand
witches. At last-it is now A. M.-thc
evening Is spent. You may so home IL
you wish. If not you signify your desire
to sleep at your hosts house. and you
find your room all prepared. lie is hon
ored by your preference, but when you
come to some hours later you feel that
all you ever did in your college days was
child's play by the side of quiet even
ing with Russian household. London
Chronicle.