HOUSEKEEPING IN RUSSIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5115, 24 November 1894, Page 3

HOUSEKEEPING IN RUSSIA.

(Detroit Free Press.)

An American — - the circumstances of whose life compel her to live in "Russia — writes :

The housekeeping here is very expressive of the real character of the people. When I first came all., my preconceived ideas seemed to be quite upßet. The first dinner we went to was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. . Such flowers, such gold and silver plate, such exquisite porcelains and such beautiful service. The table was a great square of oak as black as ink and as polished .as marble. Very wisoly they had not hid its beauty under a cloth. Its only covering was two strips of splendid old altar lace laid along each edge under the plates. Up the middle of the table marched twelve candlesticks, two and two, and these were of that lovely Venetian glass which has the milky green of shallow sea water thickly powdered with gold duat. They were made in those fantastic dragon shapes of which tbe Venice glassworkers are so fond, and the shades were of a delicate gold filigree, hardly heavier than cobwebs, set over pale violet silk. There were thirty or forty tiny gold vases set about the table everywhere, filled with white and purple double violets— jußt careless little clusters with loog loose stemß, and a few leaves. At each plate stood a small forest of wine glasßen, each one a goin of the Venetian factories, making a charming mass of translucent colour, milky greea amethyst and gold. All the forks and spoons and knives were works of art, with handles of gold, of carved ivory, of porcelain or of the beautiful Russian enamels and cisele work.

Everything one touched or handled or used in any way was a delight to the eye, and the many men who served ua simply moved like shadows.

The women were the most beautiful, high bred creatures I ever saw — such grace, 3uch charm, such ease, and the fluency with which they slipped from one tongue to another without apparently knowing any difference as to facility — in English, German, French or Russian — fairly took away one's breath. And then Buch gowns and jewels ! I have never seen women, co well dressed anywhere outside of America. The men weren't quite so nice. They had heavy faces, and brushed their hair straight up like a scrubbing brush in that odious continental fashion, but they were quite as brilliant an 4 accomplished as tho women, and the effect of the whole was of tha last perfection of civilization, luxury and high breeding. We came away enchanted and saying, " Isn't it just like a pert little provincial mind to judge ft whole nation without knowing anythiug about them ? "

At firßt it was all like that— everything was bo picturesque, co graceful and luxurious that wo congratulated oureelves on being obliged to live in Eussia. We caw only the pleasant side— tho outaide of life. Finally we grey? very tired of living in a hotel acd concluded we would rent a furnished house for the season.

There waa one which had taken my fancy greatly. It was occupied by people we knew and waa particularly picturesque. The owners were rich people, and they had furnished it ia a semi - oriental fancy, which pleased me tremendously. Since Russian influence has become paramount in Persia the beßt of the Persian looms confine themselves to supplying the Eussiaa market, and the walls of this house were hung throughout with the moat beautiful rug 3 I had_ ever eeen. It made the moat charming picture when one went in out of the bitter cold to have a cup of afternoon tea there, and was ushered into this great drawing-room, hung with these gorgeous mosaics of colour, wide low divans all round the room, more splendid rugs under foot, the samovar steaming on a pearl inlaid table, low lights making a soft, iich gloom, and a faint amell of incense mingled with the perfume of the heaps of hot-house flowers. So that when I heard these acquaintances wore going to Pari3 aad wanted to let their house aa it stood I said at once I would take it, without the precaution of examining it. The day after they left I went over from the hotel to have a look about and oee if there were any little rearrangements I wanted made beforemoving in, and to order a thorough house cleaning. To my amazement I found no bed chambers.

• ' But where did the family sleep ?" I asked of the -woman left in charge. " Oh, no place in particular," ebe replied, quite as if that were a matter of course; "wherever they happened to be when they were sleepy. Sometimes in the drawing-room, sometimes here ; there are divans everywhere, you see."

" But didn't they take off their clotheß ?" I gesped in horror. "Generally 5 but one doesn't need a bed chamber for that. One just^ ring 3 for a servant to bring some negligee or nightdresß, and the same servant takes away the clothes one drops off and fetches & duret to spread over one." That waß enough. That drawing-room had lost all its charms for me. Inquiry developed that when one woke up in these haphazard beds in the morning one called a servant, who came with & breakfast tray, and one ate where one had slept. Investigation showed that in the midst of all this luxury and beauty the commonest necessities and conveniences were wanting. With a sinking heart I made out a list as long as my arm of what it would ba necessary tr> purchase to make the house a possible a?'ode for an American. Then I took up subject of housecleaning and BuggesteOsthat nil the rugs had better come ' dowi^ from the walls and be thoroughly cleaned and shaken before being hung again. The servant was very dubioua. They had not bee- taken, down for years. "All the more need for it then," said I," and lifted one corner only to drop it again with a cry of disgust. Behind thOße glowing colours and rich designs were peacefully dwelling untold thousands of beetles, roaches and creeping things not to be named. I gave one swift glance under the divans, and picking up my skirts fled for my life. Apparently for years when the rooms had been swept everything had Bimply been pushed under the convenient hiding place of the divana, and my haaty inspection showed an indescribable collection of dust, hair, moldy crusts, dirty gloves, combs, broken glass, pins, handkerchiefs — any and everything that would ordinarily be found in an American ash can.

I finally realised that the whole incident was very characteristic of Euseian civilisation. They are people who nay, " Give ua the luxuries of life and we won't ask for the necessities."