Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-08-21
RUSSIAN MATRIMONIAL SLAVERY

As daughter the Russian woman
Is under the absolute sway Of her par.
epts Her coming Of age makes no al
t,ration in her position. Until the
day of her death, If she remains I'M
married. the place she occupies in the
family life is place Of dependence
upon the will OF her parents. When
woman marries, she charges the au'
thority of parents for the no less I'M
qualified authority Of husband. As
the Russian statute suggestively puts
Il, One person can not reasonably be
expected to fully satisfy two such I'M
limited powers as that Of husband and
parent! The unlimited" power OF
the parent therefore Is withdrawn,
and that of the husband substituted.
She can not leave him even To visit a
n, ighboring town without pass"
from him lie names the time she Ia
permitted to stay: and at the eNpfy
Ui the term she is bound to return, or
Eet IL renewed. A husband may ap'
pear In court of law as a witness
against his wife, but a wife Is not per.
mitted 10 appear against her husband.
i woman's evidence Is regarded also
az Of less weight than that OF u man.
when two witnesses do not agree.
the code runs. the testimony of an
adult outweiEhs that Of child, and
the testimony of a man that OF q
woman"
According to the tenets of the Rus
sian church, marriage Is a sacrament,
and Is theoretically indissoluble,T There
Is no such thing as civil marriage,
and divorce, except In one case, Is
practically understandable by woman.
The exception is the deprivation OF
civil rights and Punishment Of the bus.
band. II the wife choose she can fol.
lew her husband into exile; and kus.
sian literature Is full Of pathetic stor.
les of women, tenderly nurtured, brav'
ing the terrors Of the long Siberian
piarch. All children, however, born in
exile are regarded as belonging to the
lowest class of society. II, on the 9th
81 hand. the wife seeks. on the plea OF
her husbands Punishment. divorce, the
church in this case relaNes her disci'
bAAh'r anu ElhhAo AS' l'A'"s ~ hNuS"
the statute recognizes adultery and
d"sertion on the part Of the husband
as grounds for divorce, the law Is be.
set with such difficulties that IL Is new.
ef resorted to except by the wealthy.
who can always make the tardy wheels
reyolye swiftly.
While divorce Is difficult to obtain,
there are other means resorted to
which reach the same destination. on.
y by different route. Laws, in Rus.
Sis. are made not 10 be broken, but TO
he evaded, and both the civil and &c.
ClesiastiCal authorities have learned
the art of evasion TO perfection. Mar.
riages may be annulled II any infor.
mality has occurred in them. and II
parties are willing, the rest Is only a
question OF money. In some parts Of
the empire thernarriage service is en-.
acted with this contingency in view.
The certificate may be left UNDATED. or
TIE age OF the contracting parties omit
.tod. In some parts OF Little Russia, a
relative, during the ceremony. gives
the bride a slap, 10 prove in case OF
need that she has married under com.
Iulsion. Women who succeed in oh.
tanning a separation from their hus-
hands on the ground OF informality are
received into society, are allot ed TO
marry again, and may even be separ.
ated again without loss Of position.
There is, however. a more healthy pub.
lie spirit arising. which tends strongly
il favor OF an adjustment Of the pres
ont laws.