THERE is a great difference throughout the land, something
unmistakable, and you cannot say that it is undefinable, you know at
once what it is. Vodka has disappeared. Beer has gone. Wines are sold
at the chemists’ only on presentation of a medical certificate endorsed
by the police. So far from relaxing, the liquor prohibition vigilance
has been increased, and districts to which the Tsar’s original _ukase_
did not apply, such as Russian Central Asia, have been taken in. You
see smart officers sitting down to a bottle of _citro_, and it is
rather a surprise that they do not grumble. Male complexions generally
are becoming less red.
As a result of over two years’ temperance, violent crime has
practically disappeared from whole countrysides, and when occasionally
some brutality has occurred, the police have managed to bring to book
not only the direct offender, but also the person who was secretly
brewing the liquor. The spirit of peace has come into the industrial
or mining village on the Sunday and Saint’s Day, where formerly there
were often scenes of outrageous public hooliganism on the part of whole
populations. Money has increased in the pockets of the poor. There
is a higher standard of living; butter is being spread on the black
bread. Peasant families are enjoying the eggs which formerly they would
have sold for the money to buy drink. One of the reasons given for the
shortage of food supplies in the great towns is that owing to the fact
that the peasants find nothing on which to spend their money they
will not sell their produce. Formerly they could buy vodka. Infant
mortality is already very much on the decrease. On the whole, children
seem better cared for, though Russian peasants are always inclined
to be rather careless of these gifts of God. There is an outbreak of
“fashions” in the village, and if you ask your cook or serving-maid she
will tell you how cottons are being cut this year, though the details
seem to have little reference to _modes de Paris_. There is a popular
joke that the peasant women make a mistake in the word they employ for
fine dresses. “Just look at the _snariadi_ (shells) I am wearing,” when
they mean to use the word nariadi, a townspeople’s word for Sunday best.
There would also be much new reading in the village but for the fact
that for the peasant there is as yet a dearth of printed matter.
Children are sent to cry out to passing trains for newspapers, and one
finds the wisps of old papers in one’s carriage and throws them on to
the wind. They are eagerly picked up.
It is noticeable that the people are more active, less sluggish,
particularly in the towns. There is an unwonted amount of energy in
play. The suppression of vodka is good, but it would be absurd to say
that the energies unleashed are entirely on the side of good. The
old Adam can express itself in many ways. The wrong impulse merely
prevented is not excised, it breaks out in another place. There is more
gambling, more unrestrained sexual sin. I suppose no Tsar’s _ukase_
could clean up the Nevsky Prospect or Tverskaya, or stop love affairs
with other men’s wives. But even if it could the sinful impulse would
break out somewhere else with perhaps greater vigour.
I have been over thousands of miles of Russia this year, in town and
in village, in the melancholy north and in the passionate south, and
I can give authentic witness. There is no noticeable leak of vodka.
Except in Archangel city, I saw no drunken man anywhere. There they
were drunk with English whisky obtained from the boats in the harbour.
The pilot taking boats out always expects a bottle of whisky as well as
his three-rouble tip. All manner of people are, as a British captain
expressed it, “bumming around for whisky.” I believe it is now probable
that ships bound for Archangel will only be allowed to take a limited
supply in future. Poor thirsty Russians, one can easily understand the
wiles of those who think they can get it at Archangel!
_Shinkarstvo_, or illicit distilling and sale, has, it is true, broken
out, as M. Kokofstef predicted when opposing the local option measure
before the war. Alcoholic substitutes are prepared and sold in small
quantities. There were several hundred prosecutions during the past
year. But the police seem to have the suppression of this _shinkarstvo_
well in hand.
Some incurables have taken to methylated spirit, eau de Cologne,
furniture polish, and some have died in consequence.
My impression is that enforced temperance in alcoholic drink is going
to be permanent in Russia--at least as far as the Tsar’s reign is
concerned. National sobriety is one of the ideals of the Tsar. It
is not a temporary measure. Licences may be granted after the war
on certain conditions, and the rich may have their wines again. But
popular drinking is not likely to be reestablished unless some business
Government should ever get into power having big alcoholic interests.
But business governments are not likely there.
The chief gain to Russia from a military point of view must undoubtedly
be held to be the great increase of efficiency in the nation. Their
warm sociality always betrayed them heretofore. In Russian character
and temperament the elimination of strong drink has not had the effect
which it might be expected to have if introduced in this country. Here
our efficiency, which is becoming higher than before, would probably be
little affected by prohibition, but personal character and outlook on
life would be changed beyond doubt.
I have had to answer publicly several letters on the subject of Russian
Prohibition and I append one letter and answer as perhaps helpful
generally. I am constantly asked to refute false statements concerning
the sale of alcoholic liquor in Russia, but as replies take time to
write I feel that the many temperance societies might well establish
vigilance committees to correct false statements. A reference to the
Russian Consul-General in London on the subjects generally elicits a
simple confirmation of what I write on the matter.
_To the Editor of The Times._
“SIR,--In your issue of the 8th inst. Mr. Stephen Graham
writes: ‘No wine or beer ... is obtainable in Russia except
clandestinely, as at Archangel.’
“Mr. Graham’s knowledge of Russia is admittedly unique; he may be able
to explain, therefore, what is a puzzle to those who are interested in
the subject.
“I take from your Russian Section of October 28 the following excerpts:
“_Page 6._--‘The Imperial Duma, while generally prohibiting the
consumption of liquors containing alcohol, adopted an indulgent
attitude towards grape wine. On July 14 (27), 1915, the Government
imposed upon grape wine a small excise at the rate of 1 rouble 60
copeck per vedro. In the case of grape wine, consumption amounts to
40,000,000 vedros (120,000,000 gallons).’
* * * * *
“Then, again, referring to mild beer:
* * * * *
“‘This drink is supposed to contain not more than 1-1/2 per cent. of
alcohol, although it is manufactured almost without Excise inspection
and might easily be made stronger. The breweries are earning big
profits from the sale of this beverage, bigger even than their former
profits from beer; the State itself gets nothing.’
* * * * *
“Again, in the Returns of State Revenue, page 14, there is given as
receipts in 1916 from Liquor Excise, 41,322,000 roubles in 1916, as
against 18,084,000 roubles in 1915.
“Again, on page 15.--‘Profits of Liquor Monopoly, 503,904,000 roubles
in 1916, as compared with 30,718,000 roubles in 1915.’
“Can Mr. Graham reconcile the total prohibition which he affirms now
obtains in Russia with these excerpts, or are there some errors in the
figures which can be explained?
“Yours faithfully,
“H---- S. K----”
“----,
“_November 9_.”
The following answer was given:
_To the Editor The Times._
“SIR,--It is quite profitable to consider Mr. K----’s letter
because of the blurred notion of Russian temperance reform which is
prevalent in this country. It is most important that whatever opinion
we may hold regarding enforced temperance or other questions, we
should yet keep a clear picture of the current life of our Allies.
“I am now just six weeks back in England after a four months’ journey
in which I visited places so wide apart in the Russian Empire as
Ekaterina, in the far north, and villages of the Central Caucasian
range, in the south; and I stayed a while in Petrograd and Moscow,
Rostof, Orel, and other considerable cities, and I can say by the
evidence of my eyes that intoxicating liquor has disappeared. The only
drunken men I saw were in Archangel. Officers to-day sit down to talk
over a bottle of _citro_. In the restaurants you are given _kvas_, a
sort of fruity ginger-beer, which in truth is not allowed to have more
than 1-1/2 per cent. of alcohol, and is in no sense a beer.
“The article in the Russian Section is by the Petrograd Correspondent
of _The Times_, and consists chiefly of extracts from an article by
the Russian Professor Migulin. I find the phrase in the translation
is ‘malt beverage,’ and not ‘mild beer,’ as Mr. K---- puts it; and
I think it refers to a beverage something like birch beer as sold
in America, a sort of empty symbol of beer taken not because it is
pleasant but because one must order something with one’s meals. It has
no alcoholic reality, is sold in bottles, and is of a standardised
taste and quality.
“As regards wine, it must be remembered that in the Caucasus, in
Transcaucasia, and in Russian Central Asia there are wine industries,
wine is the local popular drink, not tea as in Russia proper. This
wine is usually kept in skins and sold in pots. There is also a
bottling industry, but the export of this wine from these remote parts
of the Empire to Russia proper has been prohibited except in cases of
specially guaranteed orders.
“I believe British and American and other foreign subjects are
allowed to purchase wine for their private use on the presentation of
a certificate. Professor Migulin appears to be advocating a State
monopoly in the sale of wine on the ground that ‘only on condition
of a State monopoly would it be safe to allow the free circulation
of grape-wine; otherwise under the guise of wine vodka will again
make its appearance.’ For the phrase ‘grape wine’ read ‘grape juice.’
Professor Migulin’s figures are apparently incorrect--the population
of Russia is not consuming a gallon of grape-juice per head in
addition to what it drinks in the way of _citro_, _kvas_, _narzan_,
birch beer, etc.
“As regards the revenue returns, may I make the following remarks:
“1. Although the sale of alcohol in the form of drink has been
abolished, the manufacture continues in perhaps larger quantities.
“Enormous quantities have been exported to France for use in the
manufacture of high explosives, and I do not need to say more than
that on the head of the extensive industrial uses of alcohol.
“2. In the figures of profits of liquor monopoly are included (_a_)
debts recovered; (_b_) sums brought in after the winding-up of big
shops where the accounts were not simple; (_c_) sale of vodka in
Russian Central Asia and Transcaucasia (lately prohibited in both
these districts also); (_d_) sale abroad; (_e_) the sale in Government
shops of Caucasian mineral waters, now very extensive.
“3. Under the heading Liquor Excise is included the tax on mineral
waters, grape-juice, etc., tax on real wine in Central Asia and
Transcaucasia, on wine specially supplied for foreign consumption, on
wines allotted to chemists for medical purposes, etc.
“4. The great increase in the returns is due to the tax on
non-alcoholic drinks and Government sales.
“5. In these revenue returns the classification and nomenclature is
not scientific, and the primary intention is to give a rough guide to
the figures of the Budget.
“I hope these remarks do something to clear away the doubt in the minds
of students of figures and papers. For the rest I can only reiterate
the evidence of my eyes--Russia is without spirits, beer, or wine, and,
if I may add it, she does not feel in any way persecuted or tyrannised
over because of it.
“Your obedient servant,
“STEPHEN GRAHAM.”