Page:The Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire.djvu/206

200 "Those I speak of are for the general public. Smaller slides are in the courtyards of private houses, and there are imitations of them in many summer-houses, where polished wood takes the place of ice. One of the slides in the Imperial palace is of mahogany, which has been polished till it shines like a finely finished bureau or wardrobe.

"The time to see St. Petersburg in all its winter glory is during Maslinitza, or, 'Butter-week,' which ushers in the 'Great Fast' preceding Easter. The whole population is engaged in enjoying itself. Blinni, or pancakes, are the favorite articles of food, and thousands of digestions are upset by the enormous quantities of these things that are devoured. They are made of flour and butter, fried in butter and eaten with butter-sauce. Butter and other fatty foods are in order through the week and from a sanitary point of view this great consumption of grease, followed by seven weeks of fasting, leads to frightful results.

Statistics show that the mortality rate is largely increased at this time of the year, and certainly it is not to be wondered at, Rich and poor alike give themselves up to butter, and the only difference is that the rich have the best qualities of the article, and sometimes a greater quantity.

"The rich people sometimes have blinni parties during the festive season. I once attended one of these affairs at the invitation of a Russian friend. When we met in the parlors I was surprised that so few were present, as I had dined there before and knew he could accommodate twice the number. But I saw the reason when the word was given that the pancakes were ready and our host led the way.

"We were not taken to the dining-room but to the kitchen, and then