Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1904-06-30
Children in the Cars Land.

oarian tIloes 10 Europe passed law
that no woman should inherit land.
II has been called the Sale law, from
the Salian tribe who passed it Nine
hundred years later this law was
stretched in France to mean that no
woman should sit on the throne OF
that country as ruler. Then some
other European monarchies and en-
pires enacted this into a law, among
them Russia Now therefore, if
Gar Of Russia has no son, no matter
if he has daughters as wise aud capa-
bic as Queen Elizabeth, bis crown
must pass to some male relative.
Royal and imperial families make
themselves very unhappy over matters
American families never think Of
The czar and czarina of Russia, with
millions and millions Of dollars and
the richest and most beautiful collec.
tion of Jewels on earth, mourn con-
stantly because they have no son.
But all the caarina's babies are girls.
There are four of these girls They
are bright, intelligent children, but
nobody in Russia wants them unless
it is their parents, and even these
would love them more If they were
boys. In this country, where girl
is as good as a boy and frequently
proves herself better than boy in
school studies, it seems very silly to
fret continually because ones children
are all girls, yet that Is what the i'm.
perial father and mother of these four
little daughters do. The eldest of
them is Princess Olga, who will be
nine years old next November She
is the richest princess in the world,
but she and her little sisters are
brought up in plain, simple fashion.
They are not allowed to be dressed
over warmly even in the Russian win
ter. At home they wear socks IN
stead OF long stockings, which leave
bare part of the leg below the knee.
Their playroom is kept at tempera-
ture which American children would
think cold. THIS course Of discipline
is supposed to make the small princess
es hardy and healthy. AS fast az
they are old enough they learn to
speak English, the favorite nguage
of their mother, who ls a eranddaugh-
ter Of the late Queen Victoria OF Eng
land.
Russian school children among the
common people have not nearly so
good time as those OF America. The
schools themselves are Of a poor kind;
there are not enough Of them to supply
the people How scarce schools are
you may know from the fact that
among Russian common soldiers hard
ly more than one in FIVE can write.
The great trouble is that those who
rule Russia fear if the peasants were
allowed to get a good education they
would rise in revolt and overthrow
the government. The father Of the
present czar issued an edict that no
children Of farmers, mechanics or Of
the poorer class of merchants should
be allowed to attend a school of high
er learning.
Peasant boys wear slippers made Of
braided birch bark. Instead Of stock
ings a strip of linen is wound around
the leg. In winter some Of them have
warm felt boots, but by no means al
ways. Russian school boys are never
allowed to play in the streets not even
at snowballing in winter. If boy
should toss a ball TO a comrade in a
Russian street policemen would arrest
him Immediately. schOolboys' bodies
are not trained by gymnastic and open
air exercises, 80 that they are not 30
large and strong as they should be.
Neither are the common peoples chill
dren well fed. They do not begin to
get the abundance Of nourishing food
American schoolboys have to eat.
Read here some of the things that are
forbidden to Russian schoolboys and
then cay whether you would like to
be one:
They may not go into public parks
or gardens, except botanical gardens;
they may not 90 to the theater with
out getting permission from the city
authorities or go out Of city boating
or picnicing, or be outdoors after 9
o'clock in the evening without their
parents or guardians. They are for
bidden to go to balls, billiard hallr,
club meetings, cOnfectiOners shops and
public resorts Of any kind.