The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-12-14
CT USTOMs or THE RUSSIANS.
Few Important Changes Have Ta-
ken Place I'm Twenty-Five Years.

| ditions, Is the Russia of to-day. u Is
true that there has been progress.
| but It has been on the old lines.
There has been continuity and
| evolution, but nowhere radical
changes and new departures.
"The marriages of the Russia
peasantry are arranged under the
influence OF economic rather than
sentimental considerations" says
| Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace. "In
| this, as in other respects, the Rus
| sian peasantry are, as class, oX-
tremely practical and matter-of-
| fact In their conceptions and habits,
and are not inclined to indulge In
| sublime, ethereal sentiments of any
| kind. The wife is taken as help
mate, or in plain language a worker,
| rather than a companion, and the
mother-in-law leaves her but very
| little time for idle dreaming.
I'm the primitive system of agri-
culture in Russia, the natural labor
unit consists OF man, a woman and
n horse. Therefore, when a boy be-
comes an able-bodied laborer, he
ought to be provided with the two
accessories necessary to complete
the labor unit To procure the horse
is the duty of the head of the house,
and it is the duty of the female big
one to secure the wife.
when a youth arrives at the
age of | 8 he is informed that he
should marry at once and n wife is
selected for him. The horses and
brides are not selected because of
their beauty, but for their physical
strength and capacity for work, The
bride takes nothing with her as
dowry except her trousseau, but she
brings with her a pair of strong
arms
"As a rule the peasants do not re-
spect the priests. While they have a
great reverence for the religious
ceremonies, they do not respect the
priests. This is due to the fact that
many of the priests extort money
from the peasants, refusing to per-
form the rites, baptism or burial.
One can hear them saying: The
priest takes from the living and the
dead
THE peasant household is a
primitive labor association, of
which the members have all things
in common. When a home is bro
ken all the adult male members
share equally
THE Mir, or Village Community, is
worry much tba poacapt household
"A labor association-on a larger
scale. In both cases there is a COM
mon responsibility-in one case for
all the debts, and in the other for all
the taxes and communal obligations.
There is Village Elder, who is the
ruler, and all important communal
affairs are regulated by the Village
Assembly. The households compos-
ing a commune farm independently
pay into the common treasury GER
tain fixed sums.
They cannot NOW hay or plow
the field until the Village Assembly
has passed a resolution on the sub
ject. II q peasant becomes a drunk
ard, every family in the village has
permanently leave the village with
out the consent of the Commune,
and this consent will not be given
until the applicant gives satisfactory
security for his actual and future
liabilities, which includes taxes and
dues for passport while he is away
If a peasant wishes to go away to
work he cannot do so until he has
permission, which serves as a pass
port during his absence, and he may
be recalled at any moment by COM
munal decree.
Until in 1903 there was a COM
mon responsibility for taxes, but this
was abolished by the Emperor on
the advice OF NJ. Witte. The allot-
ment of land Is one of the most i'm
portant events in the Commune, and
often the allotment proves to be
burden, instead OF a blessing, be-
cause 1t entails responsibilities and
obligations.
Woman, as woman, does not re-
ceive much consideration among the
peasants, but a particular woman,
Sutll do lHc Hedu Vi uOuSeHOlu, Is
entitled to speak, and speak freely
on all subjects directly affecting the
household under her care.
'The towns of Russia, as a rule,
are Insignificant. This Is to be at
tributed mainly to two causes-the
abundance OF land tended to prevent
the development of industry, and the
peasants who learn trades are not
permitted to settle in towns perma-
nently,
Russian commercial morality Is
carried on very much on the same
principle as English horse trading.
II man wishes to buy or sell he
must trust his own knowledge and
acuteness, and II he gets the worst
of bargain or let's himself be de-
ceived he has no one but himself to
blame.
''The majority of the people OF
Russia belong to the Russian Ortho-