SOME ODD THINGS IN RUSSIA
IN his own country the Czar is almost worshipped by the people, and when
his coronation takes place, crowds of loyal Russians flock to Moscow,
the former in hopes of obtaining a glimpse of their beloved ruler, or at
least of seeing portions of the grand procession, the beautiful
decorations and the gay festivities which always form part of the
jubilant occasion.
For centuries the great white Czars have been crowned in the
Cathedral of the Assumption,
which, though not large, is magnificent, and is the most important
building in all Russia. The structure stands, surrounded by many other
sacred edifices, in an enclosure known as the Kremlin, situated in the
centre of the city of Moscow. Its white walls support a vaulted roof of
soft, dull green crowned with golden cupolas, each cupola surmounted by
a shining golden cross. The interior is resplendent almost beyond
description with its rich coloring, its jewel-framed paintings, its
sculptures, its gold, silver, and precious stones, its priceless robes
and holy relics.
[Illustration: Fig. 299.--Miniature Cathedral of the Assumption.]
To give a true conception of the wonderful interior of the sacred
cathedral to one who has never seen it, is impossible, but we can gain
an idea of the general appearance of the exterior by making a miniature
Cathedral of the Assumption (Fig. 299). Find, or make, a firm white
pasteboard box seven inches long, five and one-quarter inches wide, and
four and one-half inches high; this is for the body of the building.
Fold a strip of paper seven inches in length, crosswise, through the
centre, and bring the ends together, making another fold crosswise
through the centre of the doubled strip, which will give four layers of
paper of equal length. Cut this into a scallop three-quarters of an inch
deep, open out the strip and you will have four scallops, each one and
three-quarters inch wide, at its base. Lay the strip in turn along each
of the top edges of the sides of the box, and mark the box around the
edges of the scallops, drawing four scallops on the two long sides of
the box, and three on each of the short sides. Cut out the scallops on
top of the box; then take the cover of the box, which must form the roof
of the structure, and remove the bent-down sides; trim off with scissors
the extreme edge of one long side and one short side, until the cover
forms a tight fit in the top of the box, but may, with gentle pressure,
be made to slide down one inch. Fasten the roof in place at each corner
by running a strong pin from the outside wall through into the roof,
until the pin is embedded its full length in the roof.
[Illustration: Fig. 300.--The Door-way.]
[Illustration: Fig. 301. The door.]
[Illustration: Fig. 302.--Door window.]
[Illustration: Fig. 303.--Upper window.]
[Illustration: Fig. 304.--Lower front windows.]
[Illustration: Fig. 305.--Lower side windows]
Now cut the
Door-way
(Fig. 300) of light reddish-brown paper; make it three inches high and
one and one-half inch wide. Let the door proper (Fig. 301) be of inked
paper an inch and a half high by an inch and a quarter wide, the
door-window (Fig. 302) one inch and a quarter high by three-quarters of
an inch wide. Cut the upper row of windows like Fig. 303 and the lower
front windows according to Fig. 304. Make the lower side windows double
(Fig. 305). The door-arch (Fig. 306) must be a trifle over two and
one-quarter inches long. Curve the arch by drawing it across a blade of
the scissors, paint it green on both sides, bend down the slashed
portion, and paste the arch over the door-way, as in Fig. 299.
[Illustration: Fig. 306.--The door-arch.]
[Illustration: Fig. 307.--The paper cross.]
[Illustration: Fig. 308.--A cross on the top of each cupola.]
Make five
Cupolas
of white writing-paper. For each cupola, cut a piece of paper five
inches long. Let the first be three inches wide and the remaining four
two and one-quarter inches wide; slash up the bottom edge of each cupola
one-quarter of an inch; then half an inch below the top edge of each
cupola paste a row of narrow, three-quarter-inch high windows cut from
inked paper (Fig. 303). When the windows are on, paste the two ends of
each cupola together, lapping them one-quarter of an inch. Bend out the
lower slashed edge and glue the highest cupola on top of the centre of
the roof; fasten the other four on the roof near the corners and at
equal distances from the centre (Fig. 299). Have ready five half
egg-shells and glue one on the top of each cupola. Then cut five paper
crosses (Fig. 307), each measuring about two inches in height,
including the lower slashed portion. Fasten a cross on top of each
egg-shell (Fig. 308). Gild all the crosses and shells, bringing the gilt
down into a narrow band on the paper below the shells. On the edge of
each shell paste a narrow black-painted paper strip (Fig. 309),
adjusting it so that the gilt on the white paper will show below the
points.
[Illustration: Fig. 309.--A narrow black strip.]
To Make the Roof
fasten a five-eighths-inch wide strip of paper along and over the
scalloped top edge of the four sides of the building, using strong paste
or glue for the purpose (Fig. 310); be sure that the strip is on even
and firm; then let it dry. Paint the entire flat roof and flat top
surface of the scallops green, using the same paint selected for the
door-arch. Oil paint is best. Be careful not to spatter green on the
white and gold cupolas.
[Illustration: Fig. 310.--Fasten a strip of paper along the edge.]
When finished, place your little cathedral up high on a level with your
eyes, turn it until you have the view which is given in Fig. 299, and
you can very easily imagine just how the real Cathedral of the
Assumption appears.
Thousands of girls, boys, and grown-up men and women in freezing, snowy
Russia,
Sleep On Their Stoves
every night during the long winter months. How strange it would seem to
be away up on top of a great warm stove, built of brick and nearly as
high as the ceiling! The Russians do not bother about making the bed, or
rather the stove, for they have no sheets, blankets, or bedspreads. When
it is time to retire, the inmates climb up on top of the great
whitewashed stove and sleep just as they are, in the clothing they wear
during the day.
[Illustration: Fig. 311.--Dress a doll like a Russian.]
[Illustration: Fig. 312.--Half of cap.]
If you would know how the average Russian looks,
Dress a Doll Like a Russian
(Fig. 311). Cut two halves of a muslin cap (Fig. 312) and sew them
together (Fig. 313). Sew in strands of tan-colored darning cotton on a
line around the cap, midway from top and bottom (A-B, Fig. 312), and
also sew a line of tan-colored strands on each side of the middle
stitching of the white cap, until the lower fringe is reached. Fig. 314
shows the fringe of hair partially sewed on the cap. Glue this cap on
the doll's head, smooth down the hair and cut it off straight around,
making the hair a trifle shorter at the back than the front.
[Illustration: Fig. 313.--The cap.]
[Illustration: Fig. 314.--The fringe of hair partially sewed on.]
Cut another piece of cloth (Fig. 315), and sew in a fringe of the
tan-colored cotton (Fig. 316); glue this on the doll to form the beard,
and trim off the edges. Paint the moustache on the face, making it the
color of the hair. Russians, as a rule, are blonds, having either red or
lighter-colored hair.
[Illustration: Fig. 315.--Another piece of cloth.]
[Illustration: Fig. 316.--The beard.]
Make the trousers loose and bind them to the doll below the knees. The
Russian leather boots which the natives wear always reach up over the
trousers, and you can make such boots by painting the doll's feet black
and sewing straight pieces of black material on the doll for boot-legs,
allowing the cloth to be long enough to wrinkle around the ankle.
Try to make the boots appear as if laced up the front, for many wear
them so in Russia. The blouse should be loose and belted in at the
waist, hanging straight and square around the bottom. In case your doll
has real hair, omit the wig and cut the real hair in Russian style.
These people never use their immense stove for heating a teakettle,
though they drink tea upon all occasions. To make tea they resort to a
samovar, which is a curious brass or copper vessel, shaped something
like an urn. When the tea is ready, it is poured into tall glasses, a
slice of lemon is put in each glass, and the tea drunk scalding hot. The
beverage is called _chai_, and the Russians enjoy it so much that they
often take twenty glasses in succession. When one desires sugar, it is
not put in the tea, but held in one hand, and a portion bitten off from
time to time between the swallows of tea.
[Illustration: Fig. 317.--A little Russian samovar.]
If you will empty an egg-shell of its contents and get a sheet of white
writing-paper, a small square box, a piece of yellow sealing-wax, some
liquid gilt, and five gilt beads, four about the size of large peas, and
the fifth a trifle larger, we can manufacture
A Little Russian Samovar
like Fig. 317. Should you have no box, make one of pasteboard one inch
square and half an inch high; if you cannot get the beads, use small,
round buttons. The four beads or buttons are feet for the samovar.
Fasten one on each corner of the bottom of the box with sealing-wax,
then glue the broken centre of the large end of the egg-shell on the
middle of the top of the box. Cut the handles from paper according to
Fig. 318, making each handle one inch and a half long and half an inch
wide. Run the half of one handle over the edge of a blade of the
scissors; this will cause the paper to curl. Turn the handle over and
curl the other half in the opposite direction; bend the handle at the
dotted line, one-quarter of an inch from the lower edge, and paste it on
one side of the samovar, midway between top and bottom. Make the other
handle in the same way, and fasten it on the opposite side.
[Illustration: Fig. 318. The handle.]
[Illustration: Fig. 319.--The faucet.]
[Illustration: Fig. 320.--The different parts of the samovar.]
Cut the faucet (Fig. 319) of paper one inch wide; roll the paper up from
the bottom, bringing the handle on top; bend the handle straight up,
and bend the spout down in front of the handle. Glue the other end of
the faucet to the front of the samovar with sealing-wax, placing it near
the bottom, half-way between the two handles.
Make the top chimney of a roll of paper a generous inch in width. Paste
the loose edge of the paper down on the roll, and pierce a hole in the
roll one-quarter inch from the bottom, making it large enough to admit
the end of a match. Glue a burned match in this hole, allowing the main
part to extend out one-quarter of an inch from the chimney. Fasten a
small, round, flat button on the end, and attach a round paper disk
three-quarters of an inch in diameter to the top of the chimney,
crowning the disk with the large bead.
Fig. 320 gives all the different parts of the samovar and shows as
nearly as possible how they should be put together. When the samovar is
finished, gild it all over, and you will have a unique little creation
that would delight the heart of a Russian.