Evening journal., 1920-08-09
RUSSIAN COINS
LATEST RIDDLE
When Is a Rouble Not a
Rouble? Answer, When
There's a Hole in 1t
HOLD UP BILLS
TO THE LIGHT

BARANAOWICH White Russia, July
20 lBy Mail They recite the con
undrum this way in White Russia:
| Question, When is a paper rouble not
a rouble? Answer. When 1t has a
Roubles with tiny pinholes worn
through in the center by creasing do
not pass muster I'm White Russia
shopkeepers will take them at the
rate OF 30 10 40 kOpecks, hoping TO
pass them In change when the buyer
Is not looking or else 10 send them
10 Warsaw or Berlin. where people
who buy the rublos for speculative
purposes are not aware Of the dimin-
ished value Of porous currency
Nobody knows the exact origin OF
The discrimination against roubles
with holes. Some blame il on the
moujiks. others blame II on the money
changers and Spectators. Probably
both parties are entitled TO bear the
responsibility The Russian mouiik,
whether he finds himself in soviet
territory or in the liberated" areas.
has manifested a superstitous affec-
ton for roubles printed with the
aegis Of the Car He regards such
roubles as the only currency that is.
and has refused 10 do business with
olher money And since he controls
Lhe food supply he has been able to
get his way.
The result Of the mouiik's ideas has
been 10 keep in circulation the cur
rency Of a defunct government. which
has practically no chance OF being re-
deemed until an Bolshevik regime
is soildly established at Moscow and
Petrograd. In White Russia the Poles
who occupy and administer the terri
tory, offered 10 take up roubles at the
rate Of a rOuble a mark. but the all
powerful mOuiik has refused 10 part
with his precious rOubles and now the
Cars paper is worth two and a half
times Polish paper.
The edict as 10 holeless roubles has
gone out from the cities and has had
The effect of automatically diminish
ing The value OF the m0uiik's hOards.
When the mOuiik comes 10 town 10
do some shopping the man behind the
counter holds up the bills 10 the
light. scanning them for holes. As a
rule. the mouiik find sihat his money
has lost half its value by being creas-
ed up in his pocket The mouiik
grumbles. but he really isn't suffer
ing many hardships these days and
can afford 30 let the city man cheat
him a little
The time was when the mouiik was
so poor that he couldn't afford 10 be
cheated. but that was Just the time he
was most exploited. The city people
would exploit his ignorance Of values
and his naive tastes. He would work
the hardest Of the lot and at the end
Of the year would find himself In rags
and in debt. Now all this is changed
The mouiik wears better clothes than
the town dweller He also wears
leather shoes In place OF the sandals
which in the old days he used to
carry in his hands and put on his feet
when he reached the outskirts OF
| town
For the first time In their history
the peasant women and their daugh-
iers are wearing hats instead OF
shaws Their dress TODAY is not as
bizarre or as picturesque as 10 used
10 be. 10 is approaching bourgeois
standards The wedding professions
in front OF the churches. for instance
lack much Of the prcwar color, wher
The mixture OF red green and whit,
shawls and home embroidered blouse,
gave very rcsplendent effect
| All this is part Of The same tale, the
tale Of rOubles with holes. or. as one
might translate the phrase with poetl,
license, the tale OF dollars and dough-
nuts.