The river press., 1904-11-02
RUSSIA LIKE AMERICA.
Plains About Moscow Resem
BILE Kansas and Nebraska.
PEOPLE KINDLY AND DEMOCRATIC
Country Scenes Recalling New Eng
land and SSvcn,cy Pine Lands SIM
liar to GeorEia-NO SnObS In the
S1av I.and-Children of Nature.

liar to GeOrEla-NO SnObS In the
| slav I.and-Children of Nature.
1t is quite new light that is thrown
Oh the Russian character by Louisa
| Kimball in current issue OF the New
| York Evening POST
My first experiences in Russia, she
| says, We're much in the nature Of a
revelation. Here was an encourage Of
| country and people and life at first
sight astonshingly like America and
the Americans! The boundless level
stretches of woodland and wheat tfelds,
the great rivers and lakes seen from
our car windows, the ranchlike settle
| ments and small frontier towns ut
| which our train halted, transported me
on my first day in Russia to the
| prairies Of Iowa and Nebraska. When
we left the railroad at L, the wood
Ell built country town, and drove the
fifteen versts to my friends estate,
| among the chief impressions of my
first intimacy with the Russian coun-
try We're the miles Of swampy pine
AoAA\i, iNAi11li,Stl1l Va oGOlSil.
which ran the rough macadam road:
the newly cultivated fields, with piles
| OF stone by the roadway; American
field machines, and little villages of
| log built cottages, each with it's Ameri-
can yard AS we arrived at the SIM
pie SateWays and drove through the
lilac bordered avenue to an old fash
trees, with its flower beds, tennis
| court, apple orchards, and beyond,
farm buildings of New Englantl's gen
erous proportions, sensations strangely
familiar could not be quite crowded
out by the characteristic enthusiasm
| OF the Russian welcome that awaited
US, by tie barefoot peasant maids who
ran down the steps to unload our be-
lonSinSS ana by MY immediate intro
duction to tie steaminy samoyar and
to q bath With handful of snowy flax
for q sponge.
The lOvable Russian peasants inev-
itably came to be the object of my
| Warmest interest and study. 1t is true
that they are children of impulse, and
drunkenness is said to be an ut least
weekly custom among the men. But,
although one Of the villages was stu
ated within quarter of mile from
the house, l did not see more than
half dozen peasants under the intlu-
ence Of the baneful vodka during the
TWO months OF my visit. The village
school building would be model Of its
kind anyWhere-light, clean and airy,
with growing plants and all modern
appliances of maps and blackboards.
AS to the present relations between
these peasants and their former mas
ters, not even among the settlement
workers of our great cities have 1 seen
more ideal relations between rich and
poor. The greatest practical interest
Is shown by the members Of the pro-
prietary family in all that concerns the
welfare OF their peasants.
Above all, unfailing love, sympathy
and trust are both given and returned
In full measure between them Upon
the return home Of daughter Of the
house as a bride the peasants join the
family in the general welcome at the
entrance to the village, Offering their
homemade sweets and toasts in their
own home brewed wine. The intimate
thou is always exchanged between
them. as we'll as the whole category
OF caressing names, little SOUL" little
dove little mother" etc. with which
the Russian language abounds
This Close touch and freedom Of rela-
tons with the lower classes brings us
to one Of the salient characteristics Of
the S!aV nature Mindful Of the prob
able exceptions there must be to prove
the rule, one c;t', say in absolute truth
that a Russian snob is an impossibility
When the peasant girl becomes en-
gagged to be married and is about to
leave her fathers home her first duty
is to follow the time hOnored custom
OF throwing herself at her fathers feet
there to sob out her thanks for her past
life and beg forgiveness for all sLc
may have done amiss. High and low
alike show this spirit of really Christ
like humility.
Many other traits Of the peasants
chlldllke nature are rooted deep in the
heart of every son and daughter of
Rurk. Simplicity, unconsciousness and
frankness seem their chief character
istics, combined with the paradoxical
passionate intensity and insouciant
gayety of children. Yet above every
thing else, their extreme religious faith
stands supreme.
We are striving to return to nature
in our civilization; the Russian has
never left it. His simplicity and frank
ness bear the unconscious charm Of
some bright, resistless fountain burst
ing forth from the heart of nature.
AS we continue our observations of
the Russian character we are recalled
to our first impressions in again COM
ing across curiously American traits.
These are more external, to be sure,
and perhaps, like our own, greatly the
result Of large, new and developing
country. The American notes with a
thrill Of sympathy the Russians OPEN
handeClneSS the freedom with which