Calls Russians Likeable; Have Better
Manners And Are Neater Than We
T»__ •_ _ 1!1___J 11__ I
Russians are likeable and they
' have better manners and are neat
er than were, reports Harrison
Salisbury, correspondent. Explain
ing why Russians seem to hold
Q their liquor better and how they
love to telephone, he writes in
Redbook Magazine for April.
“Russians don’t walk like
Americans. Russians can always
tell an American, no matter how
he is dressed, because of his gait.
They can tell an Englishman, too.
The difference is this. We walk
with a natural, free-swinging
stride—fairly long steps, our legs
a swinging at the hips and our
® arms moving in rhythm. We swag
ger a little. The Russian takes
shorter steps. He walks at a jerky
uneven pace, and his arms do not
swing in stride.
“The reason for this, as nearly
■as I could figure out, is that the
average peasant of central Russia
is considerably shorter than the
average American. He has shorter
legs, and usually a thick, sturdy
H body with powerful hips.
“No Russian would whistle on
the street It isn’t polite. This
seems a trivial matter, but I think
that is is out just such triviality
that a nation’s way of doing things
is constructed. And when enough
of these differences accumulate,
you may have a gulf of misunder
standing whicn is hard to bridge.
The way people drink or sing has
a lot of bearing cn the way they
§ get along.
“Whistling, singing—even hum
ming—on the streets is bad man
ners in Russia and I suspect the
Russian aversion to whistling is
> borrowed from the Orient, where
the Arabs, the Persians and the
Indians regard the habit as very
vulgar.
“That doesn’t mean the Rus
sians do not sing in public. They
do—but in groups and in organ
| ized fashion. They know their
songs.
‘The Russians are a very formal
people. Russia is a peasant coun
try. Until recent times, all but a
few Russians lived on the land,
unschooled, and often in poverty
They had the rough-and-readj
manners which were natura Ito
their way of life ,the kind of man
ners you associate with the fron
tier people of Kentucky or Mis
souri.
“Social etiquette has more oi
less been imposed upon the Rus
sians from the top. The most fa
mous example of this was given
by Peter the Great, who camt
back from western Europe and
insisted on the boyar’s shaving ofl
their beards. This was a symbolic
act, designed to dramatize Peter’s
campaign to westernize his "back
ward country.
■A “Peter issued the first Russian
book of etiquette. The imprint oi
Peter’s etiquette, like so many
other things of Peter’s is plain tc
be seen in Russia today.
“In the Red Army I saw the
closest parallel to Peter’s rules of
etiquette. The Red Army officer
'is not allowed to carry parcels un
der his arm on the street. He is
not allowed to wear his valinki,
or felt boots, when he is in Mos
• cow or any other big city. If he is
walking with a woman, he must
not hold her arm or put his arm
around her waist. When he goes
to the theater, he must purchase
tickets in accordance with his
rank. Generals for example may
sit in the first six rows or in a
box—tut not farther back. Col
onels may sit within the first
twenty rows, but not farther back,
and so on. Even at the front, Red
Army men saluted religiously. *
" “ Frankly,’ a Russian told me,
you Americans have very few
manners.’ The Russians think we
are sloppy. They made me self
conscious about combing my hair,
The Russians are a clean people.
They keep themselves clean and
often enough under difficult cir
cumstances.
“Children are the great Russian
indulgence. There are probably
, * even more spoiled youngsters ir
Russia than in the United States
Russian mothers, like mothers
everywhere, delight in dressing ui
their little girls with gay hair rib
bons and feminine dresses. Rus
sian children exe not only seen
but heard. Russian youngsters are
just as movie crazy as American
kids. Russian kids, like American
kids, are crazy about ice cream.
One of the great postwar events
was the reappearance on the
streets of Eskimo Pies, a delicacy
introduced from America not long
before the war and a favorite of
young Russia.
“The favorite Russian dance is
the American r'ox-trot—the “Bos
ton,’ as they call it, for what rea
son I have no idea. The fox-trol
and American jazz swept Russia
abouL ten years ago. Now the ball
rooms of the big Moscow hotels
have two orchestras — a string
group to play the traditional
waltzes and mazurkas, and ar
American-style jazz band. On<
curious thing to American eyes
Russian young men often danci
together, even though there art
girls at hand This is done withou
the slightest self-consciousness.
Despite the legends there is m
evidence to prove that Russian;
hold their liquor better than any
one else. After they have quaffei
sufficient vodka, they get tight
Actually, the secret of Soviet in
vincibility is very simple. Eacl
foreign guest is flanked by twi
Soviet hosts. The man on you
right offers a toast. You drink it
Then the man on your left pro
posea one. You drink it. Then ;
wandering Russian taps you 01
the shoulder and drinks a thin
toast with you. By that time th
man on the right is ready agair
And so on. Only a very steady for
cign player at the game of do adn.
can get by without at least thre
drinks to every one imbibed b
his hosts.
“Russians love to telephone an
seldom write letters. Like mos
European telephone systems, th
Russian system does not wor
very well — especially since th
war. If you can quickly complet
one out of three balls, you ar
scoring high. Compared to th
United States, not many Russia
homes or apartments have tel<
phones. But that doesn’t stop th
Russians, I have seen them queu
up at a tiny country post office a
one A. M., waiting by murky car
■ III ■ ■ W I —111 w I ■ I > ^
R i 8 B110n mm® m s n I hi MS
IS Ml tin
[fw<THE MERCHANDISE MART
Here’s a bottle holder that is so
variously adjustable as to hold the
hottle in position no matter how the
baby lies or which way he turns.
1 This bottle holder is safe, sanitary
i and scientifically designed. The ex
tension arm, adjustable to any
[ length, turns on a'ball socket. The
holder at the end clamps securely
and easily around any size bottle
and turns to any position. The whole
1 unit is readily attached to buggy,
> bassinette, high-chair, crib or play
f pen, wherever baby may be.
dlelight for their turn to put ii
1 a call.
i
i “But letters, written communi
5 cations and orders are anothei
thing. Being a typical American
I wrote a good many letters whili
1 I was a correspondent in Moscow
' Mostly, these were letters to of
f ficials concerning various busines
, matters. I received, I believe, tw<
: replies in writing. I got one o
these only when I insisted tha
® the response be placed on record
e “The reason for this is largel;
e mechanical and technological. Ou
e business offices are filled witl
e light machinery. Russia does no
a have such apparatus. If an offic
- has no typewriter it is an ex
e ception and a typewriter is Iikel
e to be the only piece of office ma
t chinery it has. Few offices in Rus
- sia have even so simple a mechan
ism as a pencil sharpener. Even
pencils are precious tools in Rus
sia.”
NOTICE OF
ADMINISTRATION
Having quajified as Administra
tor of the estate of Adeline J.
Bryant, deceased, late of Halifax
County, North Carolina, this is
to notify all persons having claims
against said estate to exhibit same
to the undersigned at Roanoke
Rapids, North Carolina, on or be
fore the 4th day of April, 1947,
or this notice will be pleaded in
bar of their recovery. All persons
indebted to said estate will please
make immediate payment to the
undersigned.
This the 27th day of March,
1946.
W. 3. ALLSBROOK
Administrator of the Estate of
Adeline J. Bryant, Deceased. 5-9-ch
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