RUSSIA IX EUROPE 
13 
.wife, boy, and two daughters, actually lived in the northern 
part of Russia on sixty-one dollars a year.” There are few rail- 
roads in Russia, no stage-coaches, few daily and weekly pa])ers, 
neither magazines nor books, for the peasantry can neither read 
nor write. They have little more knowledge of the nearest vil- 
lage than we have of the moon. 
We can scarce!}^ comprehend such a people or such a life and 
are not surprised to learn that they resort to cards and drink as 
the only relief from the dullness of the interminable winter. 
They never hurry, for time is not money. Among professional 
men and merchants in St. Petersburg business does not com- 
mence until after breakfast, at 11 or 12 o’clock; with dinner at 6 
o’clock, little time is left for work, but a long evening for cards. 
A t}"pical Russian village consists of two lines of houses, one 
on either side of the street, each house, built of pine logs, stand- 
ing alone, from ten to one hundred making a village ; each cabin 
is like its fellow except in size ; when you have seen one you 
have seen all. The floor is of earth ; the walls, rough logs, the 
crevices stuffed with moss, without paint — the type of houses in 
England in the time of Queen Elizabeth. At one end of the vil- 
lage is the cruciform church, of an oriental aspect, a dome gilded 
and painted in bright colors, surmounted by a gilt cross. We 
visited Rostoflf, the center of a large commerce with the interior of 
Russia, a city with a population of 50,000, at the mouth of the 
Don, inhabited by Russians and Cossacks. It has a large casino, 
containing a ball-room, gai'dens, billiaixl and refreshment rooms, 
where all grades of society assemble on Sunday to dance and 
hold parties of pleasure. We spent two hours here and took a 
drosky drive to the town about a mile distant. It is a long, dirty, 
.straggling, unkempt village, with broad streets, paved in the time 
of Peter tlie Great, apparently never repaired since his death ; the 
onl v difference in the streets is that some are worse than others ; a 
few large stores and a great market place, with bread enough for 
an army ; potatoes, quantities of beautiful-looking tomatoes, egg- 
plants, gra})es, and pears. The place looked as though it had 
considerable trade, l>ut is devoid of all interest. A\'e saw no new 
or fine buildings; only old and dilapidated houses. 
In Russia there is no nnddle class and little intercourse be- 
tween the officials, who are the highest clas.s — the nobles, who 
are the upper class — and the peasants. They live in a world as 
distinct as Europe and Asia. 'I'he ui)per class follow the customs 
