The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-04
INDEPENDENT GIRLS.
RUSSIAN YOUNG WOMEN HAYE
TERK ADVANCED IDEAS.

Their Equality with Men and Its Re-
suits = Cure for Insomnia = Kisses
Thrown Away-Schools in 17O3.
AS to the manner of the bringing up OF
Russian young women, 1t must be said
that for the last quarter of a century EN-
tirely new methods have prevailed. Pre-
vious to the series of liberal reforms in
troduced by Alexander H.. in the sixties,
Russian girls of good families were mostly
educated In boarding schools and 1nsti-
buttons supported by the crown, and were
never allowed to go out, except in closed
carriages for a drive, during the whole
eight or ten years their education lasted.
Since the female gymnasia have been in
stituted, however, the great majority of
Russian girls of the "intelligencia" are
receiving in them the same education as
is given to the boys in the male ~gymnasia,
preparatory to their entering one OF the
great universities. Mindful of the drift
of the times, even such exclusively arts
tocratic educational establishments as
the Convent of Smolny, the crown insti-
tuteS and the highest priced boarding
schools have greatly deviated from the
strict rules of the former method of clois-
tered education for young girls.
In fact, former methods can no longer
be enforced, for, out of hygienic consid-
erations, little girls are OF all sides en-
couraged to Fomp about as their brothers
do. No girl is ever chided for being Il
tomboy, and they grow to dread the ap-
pellation of "kisseynaya la~ryshnia"-
ribbon -and-lawn young lady"-mockiug-
ly applied to all namby pamby, eminent
ly proper young persons.
Being brought up under very similar
conditions, the young women and the
young men of Russia develop a great
similarity of tastes and ideas. The young
girls enjoy nearly, if not quite, as much
freedom in Russia as in England and
America, and are generally considered
equal to the young men in their intellec-
trlal resources, strength of will and deter
mination.
When such young people marry there
is, of course, complete equality between
husband and wife; this equality is en-
HANGED by the laws of the empire, which
makes any woman of twenty-one the
complete mistress of her fortune, her in
come and her personal earnings, though
she is not allowed to live anywhere apart
from her husband, unless he voluntarily
provides her with a separate passport em-
towering her to do so. In that last respect,
however, few men are obdurate enough
to resist the strength of public opinion
scarce any man of the educated class
would brave public censure and expose
himself to ridicule by keeping his wife by
force were she determined to live apart
from him; nowhere, outside of France,
does public ridicule kill or cure a person
so speedily as in Russia.
OF course the perfect equality On which
the majority of the Russian young
insist, has brought some drawbacks;
they nave heavier burdens to carry: they
often nave to face the brunt of life's
battle, scorning to profit by any chivalric
offer of aid from the men. So much in
principle; but in fact there are many and
frequent %deyiations from the theory of
woman's perfect independence.
The changes worked by time are APP
parent even in the most trifiing details.
Only a generation or two ago it was con-
sidered improper for girls of well TO do
families to take q step in the street with
out the escort OF q governess or some
trustworthy attendant; on every side
ones eye was met by the ludicrous sight
of a six foot servant in a cockaded hat
and livery bringing up the rear of a
couple of ladies out for a walk on the
street or the boulevard. That would be
considered q most unique sight nowadays.
The most carefully brought up girls of
the Oldest nobl families are free to go
out alone on foot or in their carriage:
they even would feel hurt-and justly,
too, / think-at the distrust of them were
they put under the obligation to account
for every step they take, and forbidden to
go out in the daytime exceptsunder es-
cort. The young girls and women strongly
insist on being trusted. and the liberty
thus obtained makes them self reliant
and is seldom put to unworthy uses.
OF course, even now, in remote pro-
vincial towns or in old fashioned Mus
coyy, there are some narrow minded
mammas-female Rip Van Winkles-who,
mindful of their own youthful escapades,
insist on keeping their daughters under
the same old regime; but then, the young
women not being put on their honor, so
to speak, indulge in many risky pranks
on the sly. Such girls. however. as will
ingly submit to the bother of an escort in
the shape of a liveried turnkey are gener-
ally plain girls who love to imagine that
they stand in danger of im~portunate at
tentions from men il the streets, or else
they may turn out to be some squeamish
~antiquated maiden ladies who prefer to
imply that they are still so young and I'M
Sophisticated as to be entirely at the
mercy of any bad, bold man In this wide,
wicked world-were they not b essed with
the means of having safe escort in the
person of buttons" a foreign governess
or some dilapidated lady companion with
corkscrew ringlets framing her withered,
WiStful face.
Still, it must be added that, with all
their ~pretenSiOns to Independence, none
among the Russian girls would go to a
ball without o chaperone, or even think
of going to the theatre alone with any
man not a near relative, and it Is posi-
lively an unheard of thing in Russia for a
young woman to receive presents from
any male acquaintance otherwise than in
the shape Of candy, fruit, plants or
flowers. \
Remedies for SIeeplessness.
Such persons as are troubled with
sleeplessness should bear 1t in mind that
one Of the most effective inducers to
sleep is a warm salt water bath before re-
firing. This will almost always put a
restless child TO Slumber if it is we'll, and
If it is well fed after its bath. Sleepless-
ness in an adult is more difficult to con
tend with. A warm salt bath may not
always act as quickly, but it is worth
trying. If there is any tendency to. cold
feet put u warm bottle to the feet after
bathing. and in many cases q restful
sleep will follow. 1t is far better to re-
sort to every other subterfuge to induce
sleep before trying sleeping draughts,
Someties a few crackers or something else
eaten Just before retiring will induce
sleep when other remedies fail. For this
| purpose many people keep q cracker Jar
| in their rooms. The thin water crackers
are excellent for this purpose.
For the dry, burning sensations in the
palms of the hand n soles of the feet,
which induce sleeplessness, sponge them
in ammonia and water or vinegar and