"The emancipation of the workers": what was life like the Lord's servant before the revolution

The beginning of the XX century — the time very vague. The lower classes, as he wrote later, comrade Lenin, could not, while leaders do not want. They did not want, in particular, to see in his servants, in home staff, real people. Former serfs were often treated as domestic animals, without pity, without sympathy.

Anyone ever heard that at least one native Muscovite or Petersburger recalled that his ancestors were in the pre-revolutionary capital as Kucherov, sex, laundresses or maids? Unlikely, because I certainly hate to tell you that your grandparents fell under the "Circular on cook children," 1887. And lived in the early twentieth century Metropolitan the parents cook the children this way.

In the magazine "Ogonek" № 47 dated 23 November 1908 were published by the arguments of Mrs. Severova (literary pseudonym of Natalia Nordman, unwed wife of Ilya Repin) on the life of domestic workers in the Russian Empire beginning of the XX century.

"Recently — says Ms. currently, come to me come to hire one young girl.

— Why are you without a job? I asked strictly.— I just got back from the hospital! Spent a month.From the hospital? What is the disease you were treated?— And diseases-that special was not — only the feet are swollen and your back all broke. This means that from the stairs, gentlemen lived in the 5th floor. Too head spinning, and knocks, and knocks, it happened. Me the janitor from the scene directly to the hospital and lucky. The doctor said exhaustion!— What have you there stones, or what, moved?

She was embarrassed, but finally I was able to learn exactly how she spent the day in last place. 6 to stand up. "Alarm-no, as every minute from 4 hours awake, afraid to sleep". Hot Breakfast must get there by 8 o'clock, the two cadets with him in the case. "Chops cut, and his nose and pecking. The samovar will supply clothes and boots them clean is also necessary. Leave the cadets, the gentleman at the service to celebrate, too, the samovar to put, boots, clothes clean, over the hot rolls but for a newspaper to run to the corner".

"Leave the master, the mistress and three of the girls to celebrate — boots, galoshes, dress to clean, some skirts, believe it or not, fixed, thick with dust, even sand on the teeth; in the twelfth hour they make coffee — on the bed spread. In between the rooms clean, lamps to fill, to smooth something. By two o'clock Breakfast is hot, to run to the store, to dinner soup put.

Only Uzavtoyul, the cadets home, and with comrades felled, there please, some tea for the cigarettes send only the cadets well fed, a gentleman is coming, a fresh pot of tea requests, and here guests will fit, for sweet buns run, and then for lemon, just do not say, sometimes 5 times in a row I got to go for the chest used to ache no longer breathe.

Here, look, the sixth hour. Will be delighted, dinner to cook, cover. The lady swears, why was late. For lunch how many times send down to the shop to get some cigarettes, then the Seltzer, then beer. After lunch dishes in the kitchen mountain, and then put the samovar, and even coffee who asks, and sometimes guests to play cards, sit down, snack prep. 12 hours of the legs can't hear poke it on the stove, only if you sleep, you Wake, a young lady returned home only to fall asleep cadet with the ball, and all through the night, and in six stand — bitki hack"".

"Crossing over 8-10 R. the threshold of our homes, they become our property, their day and night belong to us; sleep, food, amount of work — it all depends on us."

"After hearing this story, writes Ms. currently, I realized that this young girl is too jealous of its duties, which lasted for 20 hours a day, or she was too soft in nature and not know how to be rude and snap.

Growing up in the village, in a hut with calves and chickens, is a young girl in Petersburg and hired one servant to the Lord. Dark kitchen in the neighborhood with downpipes arena of her life. Here she is sleeping, combing hair from the same table, where preparing, and it also cleans skirts, boots, runs the lamp".

"Domestic workers are considered to be tens, hundreds of thousands, and meanwhile the law has not done anything for her. Can, actually say — not about her the law was written".

"Our black stairs and back yards are disgusted, and I think that the immorality and carelessness of workers ("run, run, once my buttons to sew") are in most cases the disadvantages of forced.

On an empty stomach all his life to serve his own hands the delicious dishes, to breathe their fragrance, to be present while their "eat the Lord", relish and praise ("under escort eat, we can chew"), well, how not to try to steal at least then a bite, not lick the plate, it would put candy in his pocket, not to take a SIP from the bottle of wine.

When we tell you, our young maid must submit to wash our husbands and sons to wear them to bed tea, clean up their bed, help to get dressed. Often the maid stays with them all alone in the apartment and at night the return of their drinking takes off their boots and putting to bed. All she needs to do, but Woe to her if you meet her with fire. And Woe to her even more if she told us about the free behavior of our son or husband."

"Izvestno that the Metropolitan domestic workers deeply and almost totally corrupted. Women, mostly unmarried young people, the masses arriving from the villages and coming unto the service of the Petersburg KB "masters" cooks, maids, laundresses, etc., quickly and irrevocably engages BB to razvrat and the entire surrounding environment, and countless deteremine a womanizer, starting with "master" and waiter, to the guards the dandy-soldier, velikodnyj janitor, etc. Rasv hardened unto the chastity of the vestal survived would protiv such a continuous and heterogeneous temptation from all sides! We can positively say, therefore, that a huge part of the female servants unto Petersburg (BB difficulty, its about 60 t) completely prostitutes in the behavior" (V. Mikhnevich, "Historical sketches of Russian life", St. Petersburg, 1886).

Their arguments, Ms. currently completes the prophecy: "...50 years ago a servant was called "home bitch", "dependents" and was called so in official papers. The present name of "the people" is also already dying away his time and in 20 years will seem wild and impossible. "If we "the people", then who are you?" — asked me a young maid, expressive look me in the eye".

MS currently a bit wrong — not 20, and after 9 years there will be a revolution when you do not want to live in the old lower classes will begin mass cutting out the top. And then the young maids will look into the eyes of our lady are even more amazing...