The died-out and dying professions

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

Speed with which at us in rather short time the set of occupations disappeared strikes, and meanwhile without them still quite recently people could not present the existence. Some of these occupations arose in the dense past and were slowly improved in process of a growing demand, then gradually degenerated and disappeared as superfluous. For example, the cold weapon and protective arms - onions, steles, a spear, swords, chain armors, etc. - was improved and got rid centuries. Other ancient occupations disappeared literally in the eyes, in record-breaking short time. And that is still characteristic: some professions in Kobrin from time immemorial were considered exclusively Jewish whereas this active layer of citizens for centuries fed obvious hostility for others. The purpose of the real fluent notes - to remind readers of the disappeared occupations which considerable part was swept away by World War I whereas the second part managed to endure safely and World War II.

POTTERS
Not in so remote past in Kobrin there was such profession. From it the ancient name of present Proletarskaya Street - Pottery, or Potter's went. In informal conversation there was even in the course an expression "to descend on Potters". Several families living on adjacent streets went in for this craft. Primitive horns for roasting of pots, bowls, makitr, jugs were built on kitchen gardens, far away from structures. By the way, necessary sound clay lay near, between Potter's and Railway streets, in the natural boundary Glinishchi. There now the temple of evangelical Baptist Christians rises. The potter's craft disappeared together with universal evacuation of the population in 1915. Numerous attempts to revive ancient craft in 1940-41 were made, however they were unsuccessful.

LAMPLIGHTERS
Pre-revolutionary Kobrin on improvement took in the Grodno province the second place after the provincial city. In particular, it concerned also street lighting. For this purpose the primitive oil lamps placed in the glazed tin lamps established on low wooden columns served. Proceeding from economy, lamps were placed seldom therefore the practical advantage of them was small. At approach of twilight the lamplighter with a portable ladder and a can of kerosene bypassed the site entrusted to it. The lamp refueled, glass was purified of a soot, and the lamp was lit. At the beginning of the first decade of the 20th century in the downtown appeared several meadow lamps giving incomparably brighter light. One of them is depicted on a card of that time. For besides manual ignition by means of the lever the lamp fell from a high column. To pertinently remind that the first electric lighting of our streets appeared only in the twenties the last century. By the way, on Mukhavtsa when he still was navigable, similar function was carried out by the buoy keepers who were going round alarm lamps by the boat.

SHABESGO
Before the total Jewish disorder made by Hitlerites, most of the population of Kobrin was made by Jews. And as the Judaic religion most strictly forbids believers to perform any work since the Friday evening and during the whole Saturday day ("shabes"), even the needy Jews holding the law sacred for performance in forbidden time of the most urgent works were forced to use services of the mercenaries called "shabesgoyam". Usually on this business teenagers from the next Christian families earned additionally. For small remuneration they on Saturday repeatedly visited "customer" to light ritual candles, to heat furnaces, to bring water, to feed pets, etc. Usually shabesgy served the Jewish families of several neighboring houses.

GLAZIER
It seems, still quite recently all day long on city streets the picturesque figure of the Jewish glazier in a long-skirted lapserdak slowly strolled. Usually there were several glaziers. These already elderly bearded men loud exclamations notified on the emergence. In the special wooden box adapted for carrying near at hand there were "mixed" pieces of glass and the window putty called at us by "whale". Any expensively was to observe with what virtuosity the glass-cutter flashed in their hands, and then the glass adjusted to millimeter "kitovatsya". The last operation was performed on one or on two "whales", i.e. the first putty was imposed on a frame groove, on it glass then it was coated once again from above was located. The glass fixed thus kept wonderfully well. If glass of the bigger size was required, than what was in a box, the glazier in agreed time was to the customer. Without excess efforts works were performed in time, qualitatively, besides for very moderate fee. As if such glaziers were useful and today!

TSEGELSHCHIKI
Whether the reader can imagine that once in one person several, at first sight, incompatible professions were at the same time combined? Quite respectable businessman at the same time was an unskilled worker - the supplier of raw materials, and also the manufacturer of production and, at last, the dealer. Such handymen lived in Kobrin in a beginning of the century. It were owners of handicraft brick zavodik which smoked on the southern boondocks of Kobrin in the summer - Factory (nowadays Red Army) street. In more remote past similar crafts were available in the opposite end of the city, opposite to the railway station. Owners of tiny "plants" during the winter period with own hand extracted clay, prepared raw materials for a warm season. On spring all family worked on molding and roasting of a brick in the primitive furnace. Sale of finished goods was conducted during the whole year. Zamukhavetsky voles disappeared owing to laid here in 80-x years of the past century of the Libavo-Romensky railroad. Whereas on the southern suburb of Kobrin one safely smoked in the 20th.

CARRIERS
One of characteristic signs of pre-war Kobrin can call the hired carrier, a prototype of the current taxi driver. Usually their dozen on watch was serially left by a half. As the legalized "izvozchichy exchange" served the platform at Shidlovsky's drugstore (nowadays No. 17). On goats of the automobile one-horse droshkies built in a row with lifting leather "quarrystones" from a rain in heat and an icy cold the carriers who were patiently waiting not so frequent clients sat. Used their services mainly those who should have reached urgently the remote end of the city or to deliver not especially bulky luggage. (A pun the standard expression sounded "to go on the carrier"). Naturally, the route to rare trains had invariable success. In the thirties traditional, with iron hoops, the wheels which are mercilessly shaking horsemen on potholes of a cobblestone road were even more often replaced rubber that was significantly reflected in journey tariffs. Attempt of some carriers, selflessly in love with the business, in the first post-war years to restore an old profession failed though before emergence on our streets of modern automobile taxi was still oh, how far.

MOLOTEBSHCHIKI
Not all petty bourgeoises who were engaged in agriculture could thresh the grown-up grain for any of several reasons. And it up to the twentieth years became exclusively manually. Served as the instrument of labor wooden tsep, consisting of the long handle - "pepiln" - and shorter shock "scourge" which was made of firm tree species. Both parts communicated a tawing tug. Land-poor or landless peasants were Molotebshchiki, and it usually, were employed either by the day, or sdelno, lived usually on master's harcha, and quite often and spent the night at the owner. During the autumn and winter season molotebshchik passed serially from one to other petty bourgeois farmer. And the same molotebshchik not only threshed, but also blew the threshed grain by means of wooden "shufla". Only in the 30th the increasing distribution was received at first by manual threshers, and then threshers with the horse drive, and also manual winnowers.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, And. The died-out and dying professions: history / A. Martynov//Kobrin-inform. – 2010. – July 1. – Page 6.



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