Life In Russia

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31167, 17 September 1966, Page 14

Life In Russia

Sir,—ln reply to “Student” I only visited Moscow and was there primarily to study mathematics. However, from walking round the town, its shops, museums, and parks, from visits to the opera and circus, from riding the buses and metro and from conversation with friends, I gained the impression that their society is now approaching the affluent stage. I noticed that many Russian tourists from the provinces carried cine

cameras. The children raced round the parks on tricycles and gorged themselves on ice cream and pop in typically degenerate Western style. Russian men were generally better dressed than I was; the women were decidedly feminine. Some slums still remain, but these are now small islands in a sea of urban development. I think my general impression agrees with that of most reasonably impartial recent visitors, e.g.. Van der Post, who travelled widely and records his experiences in “Journey Into Russia.”—Yours, etc., DEREK LAWDEN. September 16, 1966. Sir,—-As a recent visitor to Russia as the guest of the Soviet trade unions, I should like to support Professor Lawden’s opinions reported in "The Press" of September 15. Indeed “Moscow is developing into an affluent society,” and not only Moscow but the whole of the Soviet Union. The Russian people are well clad, well housed, well fed, well educated, and their houses, shops, hotels, factories, polyclinics and streets are clean and well kept.— Yours, etc., MARGARET COLLIER. September 16, 1966.

Sir,—Over a period of years I have heard varied criticism of the U.S.S.R. by possibly unbiased travellers, but have had to wait till now to find a person who found everything wrong and out of tune and could only concede grudgingly the unimportant assertion that “Soviet womenfolk had attractive hair.' To concede this significant point in no wise attributes this feature to socialism’s progress. The growth and expansion of innumerable economic, social, cultural, material and scientific projects has been authenticated by many people and sources. The futile efforts to “undiscover America” are increasingly discernible.—Yours, etc., D.H.C. September 16, 1966.