The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-11-23
By JULIA BLANsHARD

F
 By JULIA BLANSHARD
 fstalr writer Tor NEA Service and Iiic Democrat, Sent to Soviet
 lsussia Especially for This ScrIcs) }. gfcopyright, 1881, NEA Service Incl
 When you travel in Russia, you should travel as the Russians do, Isliteral translation of the third Eclass ,zhostky." It describes quite accurately the board shelf on
 which you sleep when you travel lin a third class carriage.
 r There are two other choices for you besides "hard," the costly Wagon Tits which afford you luxu- lious, spacious compartments, with scmi- private wash rooms; and 3.-soft" ("myakhkt"). or second- class cars, which have upholstered compartments that can be made into presentable beds with disin- fected sheets. pillow slips and blan- kets by paying the train guard, f.proydnik," three rubles ($1.5O. Travelling third Is a distinctive sexperience for an American, as l discovered when occupied my Wooden shelf for eight days cross ing Siberia from China. These third class cars have no enclosed eompartments. A corridor runs down one side of each car and al right angles to 1t, across the car' sections of wooden seats are nulit, exactly like wide pantry shelves. in tiers of three on either side or the windows, with each shelf Tar enough above the one below 1t to inflow even a tall adult to sit erect: N During the day the pantry-sheit ,neighbors on the second and top hunks may descend to sit on the lowest shelf. But when night comes everybody has his own pare wooden shelf to stretch out ana sleep on, unless the train IS so crowded that several must huddie together on one seat. sitting up.
 All Russia travels hard" In fact, after you have passed a cou- sple of stations and seen the hordes of drably dressed and heavily laden peasants who. surge into the traln' you may conclude that all Russia is travelling, and on your tram. When you travel hard in Russia you do not take your clothes OIL You might lose the clothes.
 Leaving ~sOScOW TOT thc V o'S' my next-shelf neighbor. 8 stenog- rapher, took off her new pale gray kid shoes, tied them onto her De'. so no one could steal them, puiieo her coat over her and lay down 10 sleep. having put her stockinged feet inside her food basket to keep them warm.
 I The Red soldier on the shelf over inc pu. his new kodak, his pride and joy and the envy of the whole train, under his head for pillow. On the shelf under me a fat peas ant woman and her little girl slept. one heading one way, the other the other, with dirty, gray wool en comforter completely covering them both. head and all.
 Men and women stagger under their burdens, bearing one or all four of the different kinds of Rus sian baggage, burlap, bundles, Das- kets. boxes and babies. saw one three-year- child bent half dou- bie with a food bag on his back and the family teapot in his hand
 When morning comes, some or these odd-looking bundles are opened to reveal black bread. saul sage, cheese, hard-boiled eggs. tea. all wrapped up in shirts, towels, baby clothes or right in with the family bed clothes. Real democ- recy holds sway. You take your place in the line for the toilet, you take your turn standing in the corridor looking out the windows and when the train stops you rush for a good place in the line in front of the "kipstock." the hot-water faucet which all Russian stations keep steaming for the great na- tional drink, tea.
 When you travel 'as the Russians do you learn to avoid the diner Russian diners are not so attrac- tive and much more expensive than our American diners. Table clothes are nearly always dingy. Walters look exactly like the train guards with khaki suits and caps that have the Communist sickle and