Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1899 — FURS IN RUSSIA. [ARTICLE]

FURS IN RUSSIA.

Ike Sealskin So Much Prized at Ilonte Is Useless There. It seems a contradiction to speak of a “cold fur,” but that is what the Russians style some of the wraps that we In the United States ignorantly consider warm enough for the coldest climate. One of the first things an American woman has to do when she reaches Russia is to reconstruct her Ideas on the subject of furs. Her beloved sealskin goes far down on the list. It is one of the “cold furs” that no Russian lady would care to wear as a lining—and It is as linings that all furs are worn—because It Is tpo tender. The only thing It Is good for is a short Jacket to be worn between the seasons, and then It must be used entirely for walking. A woman who sets out on foot in that garb must surely return on foot, for If she took a carriage or sledge she would be running a serious risk of catching cold. The pretty squirrel skin Is reckoned among the “cold” cheap furs, and is given up to the unfashionable world, while the mink, also a “cold” fur, though expensive enough, Is used by men only, just as is the pretty mottled skin obtained by piecing sable paws together. The proper furs for the climate are the “downy” furs that, beginning at the brown goat, go all the way up to that climate of beauty and luxury, the black fox or the silver fox, soft and delicate as feathers, and warm as a July day. The kunl is a fur that was used by royalty In the olden time, and was the unit of currency. It Is costly when dark, and has a tough, light-weight skin, which Is an essential In all furs that are to be used for large cloaks. Sables, rich and dark, are worn like the kunl, by any one who can afford them—court dames, cavaliers, Archbishops, and merchants, with their wives and daughters. Cloth or velvet Is the proper covering for all furs, and the colors worn for driving are often light and gay. Clothed in these furs the Russian seldom takes cold. Few Russians wear flannels. The houses are kept delightfully warm, and at places of entertainment no extra clothing could be borne. No Russian enters a room, theater or public hall at‘any season of the year without removing his cloak and overshoes, and no well-trained servant would allow an Ignorant foreigner to trifle with his health by so doing. The foreign churches are provided with cloakrooms and attendants. In the Russian churohes this would not be practicable, as so many are coming and going, but even here some of the richer people keep a servant to hold their cloaks, Just Inside the entrance.