Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-02-19
Russian Women.


publication in Scribner's Monthly,
writes as follows:
The Muscovite ideal of woman,
founded on the teachings and tradi-
tions of Byzantine theology, was
purely monastic one. The virtues
of the cloister, faith, prayer, charity,
obedience and industry, were. the
highest virtues of a woman. The life
of the cloister was best suited to pre-
serve her purity. Socially, woman
was not an Independent being she
was an inferior creation, dependent on
her husband, for except as a wife her
existence was scarcely recognized. OF
this theoretical position of woman,
early proof is given in all the didactic
literature of Russia, and especially in
the Domostroi, that curious manual of
household economy written in the time
of Ivan the Terrible. The wife should
be blindly obedient in all things, and
for her faults should be severely whip
ped, though not in anger. Her duty
is to keep the house, to look after the
fool and clothing, and to see to the
comfort of her husband +; to bear
children, but not to educate them.
Severity was inculcated, and to play
with ones children was esteemed u sin,
"a snare of the devil. The wife was
bound to stay chiefly at home, and to
be acquainted with nothing but her
household duties. To all questions on
outside matters she was to answer that
she did not know. 1t was believed
that an element of evil lurked in the
female sex, and even the most inno-
cent sport between little boys and
girls, or social intercourse between
young men and women was severely
reprehended.
The DomOStroi. and even Pososhkof,
as late as the eighteenth century, rec
commended father to take his cudgel
and break the ribs of his son whom
he found jesting with a girl. Traces
of this feeling with regard to women
are still in current proverbs. "a
woman's hair is long, her understand
ing is short" runs one proverb. "The
wits of women are like wilderness of
beasts" says another, while a third
says: GAS horse by the bit, SO must
a woman be governed by threats" E"
The collection of popular stories and
anecdotes are full of instances of the
innate wickedness and devilishness of
the female sex, with references to all
the weak and wicked women of sa-
cred and profane history. In the
"Great Mirror" compiled in the sew
enteenth century we even find the ob.
stinacy of women exemplifed by the
well-known anecdote of the drowning
woman still making with her fingers
the sign of scissors. Although this
was the theoretical position of women
in Russian society, practically in
small households where women were
important factors there were great di-
vergencies from the strict rules of the
Domostroi. In the higher rank of life
the women were more carefully guard
ed and restrained, and in the family of
the Tsar the seclusion of the Terem,
or woman's apartments, was almost
complete. This was in part due to a
superstitious belief in witchcraft, the
evil eye, and charms that affect the
life, health or fertility of the royal
race. Neither the Tsarita nor the
princesses ever appeared openly in
public; they never went out except
in n closed litter or carriage; in
church they stood behind a veil
made, it is true, sometimes of gauze-
they usually timed their visits to the
churches and monasteries for evening
or early morning, and on these occa-
sions no one was admitted except the
immediate attendants of the court.
Won Meyerberg, Austrian Ambassa-
dor at Moscow in 1868, writes that out
of 1000 courtiers there will be hardly
found one who can boast that he has
seen the Tsarita, or any of the sisters
or daughters of the Tsar. Even
their physicians are not allowed to see
them. When it is necessary to call n
doctor for the Tsarita, the windows
are all darkened, and he is obliged to
feel her pulse through piece of gauze
so as not to touch her bare hand.
Even chance encounters were severely
punished.
In 1874, two chamberlains, Dash
kof and Buturlin, on suddenly turn
IL
courts of the palace met the carriage
of the Tsarita Natalia, who was going
TO prayers at the convent. Their col
leagues succeeded in getting out of the
way, but Dashkof and Buturlin were
arrested, examined and deprived of
their offices but as the encounter was
proved to be merely fortuitous and
unavoidable, they were in few days
restored to their rank. And yet this