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

an engineer, hObClnShy, anu III lcOJ
what were called Sunday schools for
girls of the poorer classes who had
no other leisure, were founded by
Nine. Schpiegelsky.
Very soon followed the opening Of
public schools in certain villages for
the coeducation OF peasant boys and
girls after the liberation Of the serfs.
The percentage of girls sent 10 these
schools was / to 300. At present there
are more than 1857 ,f30 girls in these
public schools. Tn St. Petersburg
alone there are eight high schools for
girls.
Here are some statistics OF the
Womens university in ST. Petersburg,
one of the many in Russia--for there
are similar universities in nearly all
the larger cities, Moscow, Kiev, Odes'
sa, Kharkov and others
In 1900 there were ss3 women
graduates from the st. Petersburg
Womens university. Recently there
were more than 993 students; 6TS
were in the history or philology class
es, 315 were taking the physics.
mathematics course. The classes
represented in this number OF about
1000 women were 600 daughters OF
mobiles and government employees. 46
priests daughters, 1S2 of the bour'
geoisie. 2S peasant girls and 10 wives
of students. OF this number were
French. 1 German, 13 Bulgarians. 2
Americans. 2 Austrians, l English, 2
Prussians. le
According to religious denomina'
tions 1t is interesting TO note that
sos were orthodox Greek, 32 Luther'
ans. 10 Catholics, 4 Reform Church
of England, 7 Armenian Greeks,
Karaim Jew and 80 Jews.
or what became OF these women
graduates of 1900 It was stated re
Gently that 26 were still pursuing
their scientific work, there were 29
teachers, one was in the meteorolog
ical observatory, two were In gov
,ernment laboratories, two were fol
lowing literary careers. one in a
railway office, one in a library, and
20 lived at home with their parents,
or the rest no record has been kept
In the orthodox church there are
no women priests, and there are no
law schools for women In Russia. n
Looking at the question closely
the American woman's opportunity
reaches farther, embracing as 1t does
all occupations and trades. The key
note Of the Russian womans infu
ence and power seems to me to be
expressed in these words OF Ruskin,
in speaking of the true quality OF
the sexes: "Tbe happiness and per-
fection of both depends on each ask
ing and receiving from the other
what the other only can give"
There Is a distinct lack OF asser,
tiveness, calm consciousness OF
strength in the Russian woman, un,
disputed, apparently approved by the
men. There is saying in Russia de-
scribing very delicately the depend
ence OF each on the other: Men are
the heads, but women are the necks,"
The extraordinarily good educa.
ton received by SO many Russian |
women in the institutes for more
than century was a great founda
tion for the widespread desire for
higher education which has reached
all classes in its sweep across the
country. W S
The greatest stride that Russia has
made In any epoch OF her history was
under Catherine H. The sons Of Rus,
sia cannot speak lightly OF wonian's
l will apply to the personal charac'
ter OF Russian women Doshievsky's
beautiful praise of his own country;
"The new, elect nation called upon
to realize the kingdom Of God on
earth, because she does not isolate her.
self proudly within herself. because
lhe is disposed to see a brother In
svery foreigner an unfortunate rath.
or than a malefactor In che greatest
criminal, because she incarnates the
Christian idea OF love and forgive.
ness"