Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-09-12
THE RUSSIANS home LIE
Nine Tenths of the Population
Live in Villages.
HOUSEKEEPING IS SIMPLE

1 nee rtauuel Sntft Ouc8toe q
Troussrs.-5eIIeves in Thorough
Cleanliness for Sunday.
Probably nine out Of ten persons
who have travelled In Russia, II asked
70 describe the Russian home would
speak nrst OF the Lighthouse Of the
Russian village. Nine-tenths Of Rus
sia's population live In villages. The
log house Is the most truly represen-
tatiye habitation in Russia.
Sunk a few feet below the level Of
the ground. II faces the village street
Even In the newly settled agricultural
communities In Slberia-now . land Of
| promise to the Russians-the isolated
farmhouse. a mile, perhaps, from
neighbors. is unknown. The farmers
houses are all In a village facing 3
single village street. The houses are
! rough and implanted. Even the pros
| porous farmer does not abandon his
log house. His door and window
frames may be painted in white, OF
green. II he is well-to-do. but that is
the only outward display be makes.
The logs that compose the house are
always peeled. and generally hewn;
and the chinks are Allied In winter
with plaster or moss. The street In
front il unpayed. and often In spring
very muddy. Behind the house is q
garden. where flowers and vegetables
are raised In the hot Russian sum-
mer. which is very much like the sum-
mer In New England.
The Russian housewife is generally
fond OF flowers. and fills the windows
Of her dwelling with them AS the
Russian house is always kept warm,
the plants AFFORD in winter a fresh
and delightful contrast to the white
cold Of the snow-covered country and
the icy village street
The poorer Russian log house has
but one room. as q rule. which con-
tains bed. bench running half
way round the room, cupboard and
shelves, and by far the most impor-
tant article Of furniture. a great brick
stove. surmounted by a capacious
oven.
The stove and oven are there no
matter how meager the other furnish-
ings. In the long winter the Rus
sian keeps his house very warm. and
all the year round he uses the oven
once week for taking a bath
The Russian bath Is familiar In
principle TO all the world. Steam Is
its base. The Russian at home gets
up q good are In his stove on Satur-
day. and gets into the oven for his
weekly steaming. The heat would
sunocate any other man, but he finds
II very comforting. When dripping
and as red as a lobster, he gets out
and rubs down with snow, or II he Is
robust rolls in q snowbank.
This process purifies him for Sun
day. as he believes he should be very
clean when he goes to church. Even
the most graceless citizens among
the Russians are good churchmen.
They attend to their religious duties
IN q way that sets an example for
some OF their critics. Many of their
everyday customs have a religious
Significance. The wearing of beard
IL in strict accordance with the teach
ings of the church.
The Russian peasant at home is not
much given to studying appearances.
He still wears his red flannel shirt
outside his trousers. There is q pro-
verb in Russia that the man who tucks
In his shirt ceases to be honest. Be
that as II may, the shirt outside the
trousers is not always a talisman
against sins Of both omission and COM
mission. notably those Of Ananias.
The peasant costume Is simple. The
trousers. often Of cotton. are tucked
into high boots. The kaftan, or over
coat. is OF brown cloth. home made.
In winter q sheepskin jacket is worn
under It.
The wife OF q peasant wears print
gowns. and so does his little girls. the
latter In summer being innocent Of
other garment. The chubby and rosy
checked. fiaxen-haired children play
around the farm in red tunics, ever
with q pious medal Of st. Vladimir or
st. Paul around their necks.
Housekeeping among the peasants
Is simple. though the women are hard
workers, often helping in the fields
in addition to doing their homework.
The most important, domestic arti-
Gle in Russian house is the samovar
literally 4self-bofler"-in which the
family tea Is made. All Russians are
great tea drinkers, and all tea is made
In samovars. The samovar is a big
brass vessel with a tube down the
center. in which live Goals are placed
TO heat water for making the tea.
Russian cookery is wholesome, and
In the main palatable. Beef, pork.
fowls and fish are staples, as with
us. Bread is made from rye, and is
dark brown. being known as black
bread. Soup is much eaten The
most distinctly national soup, which is
eaten by all classes. especially by the
peasants. Is called "shchee." It Is
made from beef. cabbage. parsley and
carrots. and seasoned with salt and
pepper. Poor people make 1t with.
out the beef. Another popular soup
is 'borsch." This is made after the
following recipe: Boil separately q
piece Of beef and some greens. either
spinach. scrrel or the leaves of beet
root. Rub the green's through a sieve,
and put them into the beef broth,
which must also have been previously