South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-05-15
By WILLIAM c. GARNER.
written for the United Press.

NEW YORK. May Il. - How do
the women in Russia dress? Are
there any fappers? Is Pussi4 wet
or dry? What are the people in
the famine zones living on? Is it
possible for a man 20 carry carfare
in Russian rubles?
Several hundred questions asked
since I landed in the United States
after a two months journey Through
Russia, indicate tat tie answers TO
the above questions are of sharper
interest here than politics or the
pI aspect of peace Or war
The dress Of the women is maize
shift. There is not set or fixed style
IA hats. in dresses or in shoes. silk
sccCkings are vc-y rare They are
2 acticaily never w.ru n the street
ard only by small percentage Of
the woman who attends the opera
;he ballet. The skirts come TO within
eight or 10 inches of the ground. as
contrasted with the IS or 20 inches
that seems the vogue in New York.
where skirts are shorter than in
either Berlin or London.
The flappeds seem 20 be a dis
tinct American type. There is not a
trace of her kind in Russia and only
very slight trace in Germany, Bel
gium and England.
Russia Is Changing.
But Russia IS changing. Three
months ago the crowd that Slightly
attended the Russian ballet or opera
in Moscow and IN Petrograd was
just as If il had been taken from
the passerby on TIE street. There
was practically no attempt at even
ing dress. Not more than a dozen
men in the whole house would be IN
evening clothes. One month ago a
number Of men and women dressed
for the evening. One month ago the
main feature OF their evening garb
equal OF the women who attended
theaters fashionably in New York
the finest Of the furs were ermine,
sable and silver fox.
If tea counted Russia n 'Pht be
called the wettest country in the
world. Every home mas rs "a movar
AID the samovar seems to he going
endlessly and the folks always
drinking cup after cup or glass after
glass OF hot tea-except in the ia
mines zones where they drank glass
after glass Of tea substitUte-some-
thing 10 color the water and take
away the ordinary rat taste OF boiled
water. The tea substitute was tree
bark. ground grass CT other things
OF that nature.
The only sealed vodka in Russia
IS the preprohibit.cn distillat'cn. But
IN many places throughout the coun-
thy the home brewers make raw
sce very strong colorless drink. It's
rase is nearly always the alcohol
II ON the potato. It's strength and
inspiring quality NAV be Judged from
ne fact that once when the gasoline
supply at Ufa, on the Asian border
ran out, the potato alcohol was used
20 run the American Relief Admin
.-;ratiOa's service automobile and IL
ran e.
But it almost TOOK n pair OF spec
ial policemen TO watch the two Rus
sian chauffeurs. who no So ..er vas
the stuff issued. started a little pri-
vate bar FOR their friends. But
vodka and its potato alcoFc! substi-
tute are not g--ora " u''d Z the
sense that v hisllv ard gins are used
in England. Insofar as strong liquor
Is concerned Russia is 95 per cent
dry" Stores which are now spring
ing into being rapidly display mod
est stocks OF wine-chiehy red. The
wine that is not prewar is imported
little by little from the Caucasus.
The Russian Famine.
The Russian famine is coming un-