Show I W es of the Russian Peasant A People Misery i Steeped H in f BY FREDERIC J HASKIN HASKIN I J I Young Wives Must Mu t Work Ready for a Holiday An Aged Peasant Couple Coupler Coupler o r r c g I 1 fl t g 4 f k 3 8 l 4 t 4 4 k a c d 14 c k r 1 z S j p 4 f t tt s t St t bu 1111 l of r f th WOES oes nes of the Russian pea PE jit t class is a along long le of or horror horer that I th IOk ef f Tite history his ry The tI upon tb s hapless seem Sm s m to ne ha nave almost almo t I 1 form fonn of torture We Vre read reau of an ant t u lent noW man who once gave aae a I friend frIey serfs 4 j rf ent nt and ex x j Te ess feelings of e c commiseration for the i heartaches that mut have ba I from such an aT extensive transfer trans of hu human human i if f man chattel chattI only to be cut short h b by byth i the th RUl an patriot exclaiming DOBl Dott ot wate all tsi n Thiet Is enough grief I abroad in the land today to crush us usall usall usall all if w were w re nol not already aCly in hi I Only lat l it week my iny neighbors daughter dau dauer er wa taken ken to t pr Dron because the M could not be b paid The girl gil s little more than child but when the brutes are a e through t with her het she he I erme back ruined or more sli J TV wi ill 11 uever be b permitted p d to return t turn to itT tT I ic I the things aHe hs has endured endur d Our Oui Ouima Ourma ma t teu call us s VI nd tell t lI the out outside side Ede world orld that we e are devils because I Iw vo we w kill kUl our oppressors ors ni and i i ibur bur hur i t property pi but tout f our wrongs TOn romr i IV SC I our UI sets act would not lie be beju ju juTe ff so o Stingy I 1 T i does tines no not nM require extensive ie in 7 sli I to 10 prove that the condition of or oft tr t is ls indeed lamentable H Hs Ht He s ra way s had to pay three thre Und Linda It if taxation taxat on and now his hi burden burdel has been increased on account of the war var The Russian Ruan government only ghe vea a soldier or the widow of or oi oz that has ha been hen killed in mn T They might a well w H have D tb ing rg Is tt it at al aU strange that revolution I a amr 11 ll t 1 s 1 mr Tr c on 1 f r it r T c 11 3 I r L f j C it itC t C 4 Farm Scene in i n Russia The taxes are so 90 o much in excess of o ohis his j oTei of production that the peas pea i In ha no u to buy land lind and anti while the law lav la W flows do lOft not compel him to farm Mrm according to the old communal plan that tb t system m is in u ue e in n many places because the arc aro a o to lo inako a L change By this th s a Certain quantity of ot land Is hi proportioned i a U district and th the government ns as asS 1 s iS g S taxes upon u on it to the iv lJ wc r of ot inhabitants The rho amount of ot ortha that tha each family shall work ork is Iii isby isI I 1 by b the people themselves Each f ily works independently but con contributes contributes tributes to the community treasury treasur the theE theS E S eim which is agreed a reed to be Its ita it Just por poe portion portion tion Although each ch one works his ov own n tract of o land there is a close re relationship relation relationship lation because all are jointly re ron pun ble for the taxes All matters or of importance such as RS when to begin to t plow the or to reap the harvest ire are determined by b the village assembly is composed of the heads of households If some young man turns out to be bf a drunkard or develops d eloPH into a spendthrift his neighbors have bave a aright rIght to complain because their inter Interests Interests ests are directly involved For the same samp reason reas n no resident can move away from a community without the consent of his neighbors which will certainly not be given unless he cnn show how se security security security for the future payment a ment of his share sha le of the taxes Faults of Old System Farming Fanning been so unprofitable in Russia of late that there JH JR a great deal dea of or absenteeism among amon the peasant who ho find that they can make more money In the cities As long as the ab absentee entee remits his part art att of ot the th ta eR to the village elders of his native place he ho is to A work ork wherever he pleases and stay away as long as he sees foS fit The absentee who JH Is reported 10 iO it be hA prosperous pros porous may have hae his hiE assess assessment ment of taxes raised for fot no other pur purpose roe pose po e than to give gie the members of the i V lunge a jubilee at his expense e Still Another iother fault of the application of thi this system s stem Is the Imposition of or the land landlords landlords lords who sometimes manipulate the th taxes in such a way wa that the young men cannot afford to go away from home In the course of oC time a congestion congestIon congestion tion occurs and laborers become so nu numerous numerous numerous that the scale of wages falls fahl to the bare living point Countless obstacles result from the apportionment of land according to the number of Inhabitants Sometimes the government does do s not make a revision 1 for many years In fact the last one was made in 1899 and there have been only eleven since 1719 the Intervals varying from six to years ears The revision re islon list merely shows the num number number number ber in each family and the taxes are often otten out of all an proportion to the earn ern earning ing power of a household For instance in tance take two families on the list each of which shows five male mala members Nu Numerically Numerically they should receive a like amount of o land but Investigation may show that one consists of ot a robust fath father father er or and four tour strong trong sons eons while the other othar may be composed of a widow and five little boys The resources S of these two groups are naturally very remote The Theman Theman man with his grown sons BOns and grand grandchildren grandchildren children in all likelihood will not have enough land lan Ian l I while the widow 1 do and her children will be unable to t wok worle bar har b r proportion and ba bC be unable pay the th taxes ther thereon on The rule is In Invariably Inv Invariably variably v followed that the tho taxes tu es must be paid upon any apportionment al in ef tf effect feet no matter ml how hw hoy unequal it may be beor beor beor or what a hardship It may prove to those thOMe holding boldinI it Another thing which makes the allotment Is the fact that the government collects th the same an amount of or taxes from all 1111 H land laud whether I the Ute soil soils s good or 01 bad The Village Parliament Many ran spirited scenes occur when one of these thee village parliaments holds a i meeting to determine how ho much laud land each family shall shaH work A witness to toone toone toone one of or these assemblies reports the con conversation conversation I by which two cases were set settled settled tied Ivan Lyan is being asked how many shares of or communal land he will take and replies in a slow cautious way I 1 have two sons and there Is my myself m myself self so I will take three shares or somewhat t less lass it if it is your pleasure Less exclaims an influential mem member member member ber you talk nonsense Your two sons eons are already old enough to help you and soon they can get married and so bring you two new female labor laborers laborers laborer ers er erTo To this Ivan han replies My eldest son always works in Moscow orosco and the other often leaves m during the summer Hummer But they both send end or bring money and when they get married the wives will remain with you Is I the answer God knows what will be answers Ivan han who knows if it they will marry The times have changed so that young people will wm not always do as their par parents parents parents wish and often when they get married they want ant to have houses of their own Three shares will be heavy enough for me meNo meNo meNo No no you ou must take talce at least four The old cannot take shares ac at according according cording to the number of their chil children children child dren d ren He Ito is a rich says a voice in the crowd lay on him five dye souls that tha t is to say sa give him five shares of ot land and the taxes on it 0 Five souls I cannot By B God I can cannot cannot cannot not Very well you shall Rhall have four tour says the leader to Ivan and then turn turning turning turnIng ing to the crowd Shall it be so Four four tour murmurs the crowd and the question is settled A Woman at Court After fter Ivans case one of the old wives is called Her Hr husband Is disabled and although she has three boys only on one of them is old enough to do field work Although there th re are four tour males in her family it is certain that she cannot meet the tile obligation of ot four shares and she stoutly disputes the proposal to make her accept even three portions Do you ou hear bear that ye yo orthodox ap appealing appealing appealing pealing to the crowd they want to tolay tolay tolay lay upon me three souls Was such mch a athing athing athing thing ever hoard heard of Since St S1 Peters day my nn husband has been bedridden He cannot put a foot to the ground He Is worse than a n dead man because he ho must have food You talk t nonsense says a neigh neighbor neighbor bor he was in the girt gin shop last Jast week And you retorts the tilo woman fly Ing Into in to a 11 passion at the suggestion that her ber husband what did you do o ol last l parish rote fete o put but get t drunk drun and i pd beat orr r v it ur Lr t 1 I I it roused the whole j niage with her het shrieking etc etcHer Her torrent of invective is cut short ov uy by an old man sternly saying to her herou Iou ou must take at least two and a hair half shares sharps and the fixes her por portion portion tion lion at that amount One of the sad things about the life of the Russian peasant is the fact that ho lie t an never afford good food and f fn 11 cannot eat what he has hns on account lount of the rules of the church In countries the religious fasts are to the inhabitants be because ause cause they can secure plenty plent of fruit nd vegetables eg and are therefore ben bee benefited bent t fitt d by occasionally doing without meat But the Russian peasant pea can never procure as much flesh tiesh h sis as a he re requires requires requires quires and only such sucil vegetables as sour I ancl an cucumbers He seldom ees sees arv an kind of fruit The Hungry Peasant About th only time of year ear when he gets all an he wants to eat Is on fete days and during the harvest After Arter these occasions his rations are arp exceed ugly ngi short holt He must fast during seven weeks in Lent for almost three weeks in June from the first of November un until until til tit Christmas and on all Wednesdays and Fridays during the remainder of ot 1 the year Even eggs egge and milk are ta tabooed tabooed tabooed booed under the church chur h rules during this time and in the absence of animal I food and vegetables this proves a great hardship The pity of it is that al 81 although although though he is denied substantial food tood so much of the time there is never any objection abjection to his hi drinking liquor and It ItIs itI ItIs Is I not strange that he learns to depend stimulants and becomes an ine in I br LIate brate ate The peasant pea ant knows little about the virtue of medicine and has absolutely no rio faith In any remedy that is offered him unless it tastes bad and end is given In doses While I Id big these simpleminded rd ed d folk will rely upon medicine to alle alleviate alleviate fate their small Ills they resort to the rites of superstition in any serious at af fl fIction especially an epidemic An Art In Instance Instance stance tance 5 of this was reported when the raged In a 8 certain district While hile there had been no ease case in one particular village the inhabitants feared that it would soon oon arrive and took extraordinary precaution to ward wardt ard ardt t off ot otOne One dark lark night when Ihen the male mem members members bers of the community were all sup supposed supposed posed to be asleep a body of maidens attired only in their night gowns met by uy agreement a The company formed a marched a 8 girl holding an Fol Following Following lowing her came a number of strong procession at the head 11 po d of or which young companions dragging a plow by means of a long rope The procession circled the village turning up a fur furrow furrow furrow row entirely around It the idea being that the disease could not possibly cross the magical barrier constructed under such mystic circumstances Many of the men doubtless knew what the girls were about but lUt made no attempt to interfere with the solemn ceremony remony c A Bogus Saint It Is easy to impose upon the peas peasants peasants peasants ants by appeals to their superstitious sentiment This occurred when a strange woman entered one of the tho houses es of a village and began talking freely w with ith the family Although the visitor was unknown to any member of the household it soon developed that she had an intimate knowledge ot of all aU their affairs as well as those of their neighbors The callei aIler told them that she was a saint and they readily be bp believed her herThe herThe herThe The news soon spread throughout the community In II short time Ume all aU the homes were deserted because every everyone ever everone everyone one wanted to see the supernatural guest After all had as assembled the till stranger told them that if It they would wait a re few minutes she would bring brin another saint with ith whom they were better acquainted Alive AUve with curios curiosity curiosIty ity tt they waited VaLUed patiently for hours hour but she did not return It developed that the professed proCessed saint was the worst kind of a fraud nothing more than the accomplice of a band of horse thieves thieve who had driven away nil all the animals during the U absence of the people from their heir t homes God Made the Trees The peasants are not accustomed a to tn stealing from each other which If Is If shown by the fact that they always alway leave their houses unlocked and un us unprotected protected protect while they the are laboring in inthe inthe inthe the fields Although they the respect ouch each e ch others property they cannot resist the tb temptation to pick up pieces of Iron bits of rope and such little odds o ds and ends as they find lying around the premises of 01 their landlord They in instinctively instinctively instinctively feel that anything they can get from him hint is so 80 much legitimate le gain Even En the most religious among amon them think nothing of stealing wood from the landlords forest Although their comprehension is painfully dull dun they understand Injustice but can only feebly express their resentment t tat at the unequal law la which gives their master the th title to the treasures of o nature which are necessary to the comfort of all When they the are cold old there Is no way out of their extremity except to steal firewood and if caught cau ht in the act art they enter the simple but somewhat extenuating plea that God GOO planted the trees and arid watered them theu FREDERIC FREDERI J HASKIN HASKI |