Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-12
a1iseellaueuus Reading.
RUSSIAN WOMEN.
In Some Respects More Emaneipated
Than Americans.

sian lie always aStOnlSneS lTdNelelS
Il thought everything was Asiatic
here" they say. AS a matter of fact
Russian women are in many ways
more emancipated than Americans
Here you get the two extremes-the
i women of the upper classes who do
nothing and go nowhere and those of
the intelligent" class, who do every
thing and live as free a life as men.
| And the Russian men like it. They
are much more liberal in their ideas
about women than Anglo-Saxons,
and they first started the sex equality
crusade. The fact of 1t Is the woman
in Russia rules the household. Ever
since the time of Peter the Great she
has had complete control Of her for
tune. She generally puts most fingers
into the revolutionary pie. Added to
great deal of temperament and per-
sonal charm, she possesses initiative
to such an extent that her advice Is
generally asked by man at revolution
ary meetings.
1t was Prof. Bielelinbsky, director
of the st. Petersburg Technical COL
lege, who first offered places in his
school to female students. This was
four years ago. Nearly seven hun
dred joined during the next two years.
and now the first batch has gone out
into the various government work
shops and railways. In Russia it is by
no means uncommon to see girl or
woman directing men engaged in
making a new road, or repairing a
railroad. These are students Of the
Technical college sent about the
country in holiday time to gain prac-
tical experience. Many women stu
dents prove themselves so good and
capable at this kind Of work that they
received substantial bounties when
leaving. Their chiefs are unanimous
in praise Of them. They not only
work harder than young men, but
are much more punctual in turning
up every morning. The men amuse
themselves at night in the various
music halls and restaurants and feel
tired when they come at a. m.
straight from their amusements to the
shops. Tie girls go to bed early and
wake up fresh for their work. On
many railways the authorities ask for
women to be sent. I'VE can trust
them to be sober and clearheaded," is
their verdict.
When ready to start on their own
account the women are paid good sal
aries. Women are now employed in
the Nikolaensk shipbuilding works,
the Perm railway and the Sevastopol
electric station in large numbers. A
big steel building which is to serve as
a sort of Russian Army and Navy
Stores" is now being erected in st.
Petersburg and all the work is super
vised by woman engineer. Women
have nc trouble whatever in directing
the workmen. There is far less fric-
ton between them than when a man
is supervisor. Indeed, workmen who
were notorious for their bad manners
and language begin to behave them
selves when under the control Of wo-
men. They seem to be ashamed to
come to work intoxicated. "You
mustn't drink until we've done for the
day." one will remark at the dinner
hour. IF you turn up fuddled the
young lady will be angry" This is
generally quite enough to prevent any
more drinking.
With her own sex the woman engi-
neer gets on just as we'll. Many girls
are employed in housebuilding to
feed" the bricklayers with bricks.
Many used to complain that the men
joked too much with the good looking
ones and made their plain sisters do
more than their share Of the work.
Now that is stopped. The men are
afraid to make themselves look fool
ish in the woman supervisors eyes.
The other day in st. Petersburg
when watching her workmen, a young
engineer was able to catch a thief
whom the police have been vainly
seekinging for months. While still
student she had been staying with a
rich uncle in Moscow. There was a
burglary at the house and a quantity
of jowelry was stolen. The owners
searched for the thieves in vain. The
next summer the girl now fully
qualified engineer, was watching her
men at work when she suddenly no
ticed that one Of them had a hand
some tiepin. Such an ornament was
so out of keeping with a Russian
workman's garb that she looked at 1t
again. 1t seemed familiar to her. At
last, after she had puzzled over 1t for
some time, she remembered to have
dinner hour when the man was asleep
on his back in the sun she slipped
away and telephoning to the police
told her story, gave the mans address
anu SuSSeSlSu lHdl llSy SllOulu ScdlSA
his lodgings at once so as to have it all
done before he got back from the
work. They did so, with the result
that they found nearly all the jewelry
stolen from her uncle's house and
pawn tickets for the rest hidden in
various parts of the room. Their
owner had made such a fuss about the
burglary that the thief had been
afraid to part with more than a few
trinkets, and even those he had kept
for months till he got job in st. Pc
tersburg But of course it never oc-
CURED to him that the tiepin would
be recognized on the scaffolding Of
half built steel house. When ques-
toned he confessed everything.
The women engineers are quite
good to look on. They do not, like
their medical sisters, crop their hair
quite close and disdaln collars. 1t has
been proposed to give those in gov
ernment service a tunic with brass
buttOnS like those worn by the men,