The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-07

One feels at a glance the force of
Dosthievsky's teaching. Russia is a
world. universe" How infinitely in.
teresting the women of this wonderful
world! Types and temperaments OF
every cline.
Under the master hand of civiliza.
tion, with the impetuosity and strength
of youth, they cast OFF prejudice and
tradition and stand to-day the equals
of men.
The Russian woman has absolute
control of her affairs and property,
and female land owners OF certain
areas of land vote by power Of at
torney in the zemstvO. This is the
local administration, whose duties are
to keep roads and bridges in order
and provide means of conveyance for
the rural police and other officials; to
elect justices OF the peace; to look
after primary education and sanitary
affairs; to watch the state OF the
crops and take means against ap-
preaching famine, and to undertake
within certain limits whatever seems
likely TO increase the material aud
moral well-being of the population.
Travelling In Russia, ! observe that
the Russian woman takes the initia
tive everywhere. Arriving at a sta
tion, II Is the wife who hastons to
call the porter, taking his number and
superintending the family descent
from the train. She manages the
family and servants, demonstrates II
the food does not suit or If the bills
are exorbitant or the service bad
She seems to be the inspiration and
guide everywhere and calls to mind
the first women of Russian legend,
who strobe across the steppes with
an air that raised them above the
masculine element"
Valishefsky, In his book on Rus.
sian literaturc,t maintains that Ger.
tain features of the legendary type
appear even In the most recent ar
tistic creations of poetry and 70.
nance. Whether the author be
Poushkine, Tourgeniev OF Tolstoi,
whether 1t be question of love or ac-
ton or doing good or finding the right
way, the initiative Is most frequently
allotted to women"
In the great movement OF 1S50-6O,
when the cry ITO the Peop,e!" arose
the great percentage of young women
Of all classes among TIE youth OF
Russia who left homes OF luxury
to devote themselves to study and
the spreading of education among the
peasants is very noteworthy
1t was about this time that the
women OF the United States were
making efforts to secure better in
tellectual training and Matthew Vas
sar. recognizing In woman the same
intellectual constitution as IN man."
opened vassar college in 1855
The German universities whose
doors were first opened to women
were filled witt, eager Russian stu.
dents, and the professors continually
pointed as examples TO the young mon
the astounding progress and working
of these new women.
Girls threw off the yoke. OF home.
life, women who felt that marriage
dc convenience" was not noble. lust
state, left their husbands II is tol
be regretted thit the reckless en-.
thusiasm knew no bounds. but let IL
be said in their favor that the ma.
jority OF this great lawless class was
vigorously moral.
To Russia belongs the distinction |
,f having the first woman physicians
1ny OF the first aud best, NadeshdA
susloR. was born q serf and was freed |
With her parents al tho emancipation
u 1854. (. =.
-~~e ~ tt fT'N.