Permission to hold public meetings, etc., must be obtained from the Soviet authorities in the same manner as it used t) exist in the days of the Tsar. The famous "proshente," or written statement, so amusing to every foreigner, is still in vogue and must be submitted in every instance when transacting official business with the government departments. In the post and telegraph offices affairs are being conducted by a_ staff that does not wear the uniform, but in spite of that, everything goes on in the same manner as_ before even totnaming the amount and class of stamps one wishes to purchase. With regard to the peasantry of Russia, the Russians have a saying:—
Adeen se soshkoi A semen se loshkoi Which means that the peasant with one plough has'to maintain seven children or spoons. During the days of the revolution, the Communists turned this saying to account for propaganda purposes and had placards posted up all over the country depicting a haggard, worn out peasant with a still more haggard and worn out horse in the act-of ploughing while close by stood a big fat general, @ still fatter priest, big official, an opulent speculator, more gaudily dressed dame clu monde and a wealthy merchant, representing the seven mouths fed by the peasant.
Although all this was perfectly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.