File:A rich merchant and his wife.jpg

Identifier: russia00dobsrich (find matches)
Title: Russia;
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Dobson, George Grove, Henry M Stewart, Hugh, 1884-1934 Haenen, F. de
Subjects: Soviet Union -- Description and travel
Publisher: London, A. and C. Black
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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, and must have with hera male or female servant. If by any chance a ladyhad to walk in the streets, she put on her oldestand shabbiest attire; hence, if you met a smartly-dressed person you were pretty safe in thinking itwas an actress or a demi-moudaine. However,the last few years have worked wonders, and nowthe fashionable streets are full of smartly-dressedladies promenading up and down, with the usualretinue of well-dressed men, for the Russians arevery gregarious and hate being alone anywhere.Their idea of enjoyment is a crowd. If you go fora walk you must form a party, and must all walkand talk together, or you are voted unsociable, ifnot rude. In another respect Moscow is quite Oriental, andthat is in its hospitality. In this respect it is quitedifferent from Petersburg. In Zabielins Historyof Moscow he alludes to this, and, with a note ofpride, says that the very first mention of Moscowwas old Prince Dolgoroukys invitation to hisneighbouring Prince to come to Moscow, where he
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A RICH MERCHANT AND HIS WIFE IMPRESSIONS OF MOSCOW 171 had prepared a strong feast, in 1147. This tradi-tional hospitaUty continues now. I still remembermy first experience of this. Just after I came toRussia, in the family in which I was staying, oneof the ladies had an imenina, or names-day —i.e.,it was the calendar day of the saint after whomshe was named, and in Moscow, at all events, the* names-day is looked on as far more importantthan the birthday. The guests arrived about12 noon, and shortly after we sat down to dinner.This lasted about four hours, and then immediatelytea was brought for the ladies and cognac andcigarettes for the men. Relays of fresh tea kepton arriving, with fruit and sweets, till about10 p.m., when supper was laid, and we ultimatelyrose from supper at about 4 a.m. That was cer-tainly for a names-day ; but if you have an intro-duction to a Russian house, you will be asked tocall any evening. When you arrrive you will beentertained with fruit, tea, sweets,

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