Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-28
Women i'm Russia i'm the Seventeenth
 Century.

Century
 From Eugene Schuyler's "Life of Peter the Great
 begun in Scribner for February.l
 The Muscotive ideal of woman, founded on the teachings and traditions of Byzantine the ology, was purely monastic one. The vir- tues of the cloister, faith, prayer, charity, obedience and industry, were the highest vir- tues of woman. The life of the cloister was best suited to preserve her purity. Socially, woman was not an independent being she was an inferior creation, dependent on her husband, for except as wife her existence was scarcely recognized. Of this theoretical position of woman, abundant proof is given in all the early 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 whipped, though not in anger. Her duty is to keep the house, to look after the food 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 one's chil- dren was esteemed a sin,-snare of the devil. The wife was bound to stay chiefly at home, and to be acquainted with nothing but her household work. To all questions on outside matters she was to answer that she did not know. It was believed that an element of evil lurked in the female sex, and even the utmost innocent sport between little boys or girls, or social intercourse between young men and women, was severely reprehended. The t'Domostroi," and even Pososhkof as late as the 18th century, recommended a father to take his cudgel and break the ribs of his son, whom he found testing with a girl. Traces of this feeling with regard to women are still found in current proverbs. "A woman's hair is long, her understanding is short" runs one proverb. 'sThe wits of woman are like the wildness of beasts" says another while third says: ''As horse by the bit so must a woman be governed by threats" The collections of popular stories and anecdotes are full of instances of the in nate wickedness and devilishness of the fe- male sex, with references to all the weak or wicked women of sacred and profene history. In the "Great Mirror," compiled in the 17th century, we even find the obstinacy of women exsmplifed by the well l-known anecdote of the drowning woman, still making with her fingers the sign of ''scissors."
 Although this was the theoretical position of woman in Russian society, practically in small households, where women were impor- tant factors, there were great divergencies from the strict rules of the 'tDomostroi." In the higher ranks of life the women were more carefully guarded and restrained, and in the family of the Tsar the seclusion in the "Terem, or women's apartments, was almost complete. This was in part due to a super stitious belief in witchcraft the evil eye and charms that might affect the life, health, or fertility of the royal race. Neither the Tsar-
 
 in public; they never went out except in a closed litter or carriage; in church they stood behind a veil, made, it is true, sometimes of gauze,-and they usually timed their visits to the churches and monasteries for the evening or the early morning, and on these occasions no one was admitted except the immediate at tendants of the court. Won Meyerberg, Aus trian Ambassador at Moscow in 1863, writes that out of a thousand courtiers, there will hardly be found one who can boast that he has seen the Tsaritsa, or any of the sisters or daughters of the Tsar. Even their physicians are not allowed to see them. When it is nec- essary to call doctor for the Tsaritsa, the windows are all darkened, and he is obliged to feel her pulse through piece of gauge, so as not to touch her bare hand Even chance en- counters were severely punished. In 1874, two chamberlains, Dashkof and Buturlin, on suddenly turning 8 corner in one of the inte- rior courts of the palace met the carriage of the Tsaritsa Natalia, who was going to pray CTS at convent. Their colleagues succeeded in getting out of the way. Dashkof and Blu turlin were arrested, examined, and deprived of their offices, but as the encounter was prov ed to be purely fortuitous and unavoidable, they were in a few days restored to their rank. And yet, this was during the reign of Alexis, who was far less strict than his prede- cessors.