Year: 1875

bage for soup once week which, wher


made, smells like 'emptyings.' They


probably do not get meat three times


year. This explains how Russia is able


to keep up large standing army at


comparatively small expense.


As preliminary to dinners they have


what they call sdccnoski, which means


literally a little something to eat before


you Begin Then follow succinct dc


scriptions of different national dishes.


Mr.. Jewell said society is rlgidly divid


ed into castles or grades, and there is very


little chance for those of the lower tc


rise into a higher one. Only three per


sons who have ever engaged in trade are


invited to the palace, and they are


wealthy bankers. II Is a rule for gentle
men To bow first to ladies upon mcetsng
them. Ignorance of this caused mt


some embarrassment.


The servants are very docile, but each
will do only one kind of work. The fel


low who washes windows will not bring
up wood. Therefore. it is impossib bic to
keep house without large establishments
Mrs. Jewell, on going to housekeeping
provided comfortable beds for all the
servants, but the housekeeper in short
time called for more. On investigation
it was found that the nWecks, despising
such luxuries, had sold them off and
were sleeping on the floor, as was theiI
wont. The only time the servants take
off their boots is once a fortnight to
grease their feet. The lower classes are
very fond of their native liquor, roeski
but, unlike whisky, 1t does not make
them bel,igerent, but more good natured
So that the drunker they arc the more
affectionate, and, sallying into the street
they fall to hugging and kissing the first
man or woman they meet-their own
wives or somebody else's. / never saw
such thing as q row or a street fight in
Russia


One great obstacle to the material
prosperity of the country is the religion,
which everyone knows is that of the
Greek Church. This has sirtyjour fete
or holy days in the year on which no man
can work. As hey usually get drunk,
however, which takes them al least half
a day to get over, they have only four
and half working days in the week.
Hence the productive capacity is about
% per cent less there than in England
or here; and Russia can never compete
successfully with either country in man
ufactures so long as this state of affairs
continues.


No lady can safely walk out unat-
tended in daytime, and it is not consid-
cred proper for young lady to go with
out either her father, mother or escort
But his daughters were not disposed to
submit to such straitlaced ideas, but
used to go out sightseeing or shopping
alone, as at home. Being Americans,
any amount of independence would be
tolerated.; the people only held up their
hands in amaZement and let them pass
unmolested. At balls, when gentle
man dances with young lazy instead
of being allowed to lead ner TO seat
and indulge in that chat which forms
one of the chief attractions of our ball
rooms, he is compelled to relinquish her
hand, and she betakes herself immedi-
ately to her mothers side "to recover"
as an English sportsman would say, while
the beaux stand wistfully gazing from
across the room.


Most of the marriages take place i'm
after Lent. There is no such
thing as divorce known in the Greek
Church, for high or low. Mr. Jewell here
gave some very interesting facts con-
ceIning the Government and the relation
of the governed and the governors, with
a few remarks upon the Emperor, of
whom he said: 1.-THE Emperor is man
of very progressive ideas. He is also
very humane, and, if when walking in
the summer-garden (so-called apparently
because it is never used in summer), a
woman can throw herself in his way and
petition him to pardon some convicted
relative, she is pretty sure to gain her
cause, for he finds it very hard to resist a
woman's prayer"


Mr. Jewell thinks the regard the
Russians entertain for US is based upon
the fact that we never antagonize, and
as there is no prospect of rivalry with
this vast, fertile Empire he thinks the
friendship will be permanent.


In conclusion, Mr.. Jewell said st.
Petersburg is a very good place in winter
for those who have the entree to all that
is going on socially, but to one who has
not il is pretty dull. There are lectures
no concerts or anything of the kind, no
halls to hold them in if they wished
There are few literary societies in
which limited number of questions are
discussed. There are no public opinions,
and the papers do not discuss the public
affairs of Russia, though they may the
war in Ashantee or Arkansas. There
are no schools, no churches, as we know
them, and there is nothing gregarious
about their religion leading to pleasant
intercourse as with us. There is no
middle class; everybody either lives like
a prince or works like aslave.


Then, with few graceful congratula-
tions that we are American and not Rus
sian, Mr.. Jewell closed his very interest
ing sketch.