The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-05
POLICE BREAK UP
 PLAN FOR MOMENTS
 DAY IN RUSSIA
Private Soldier Shows Re- markable Example of Spirit of Discipline in
 Russian Army

St. Petersburg, April 4-Plans for the observance of a "Womans Day. by the workwomen of the capital were broken up by the police. The days was to have
 been observed chiefly by lectures In va
 rious halls on general topics affecting
 woman's work and position. The police arrested number of women in advance of the day set, some of them of the edu- cated classes and forbade all the plans of the meeting but one. Three of the speakers for this meeting, however, were
 arrested berorehand, and the meeting was dissolved after two women had | spoken. The audience tried to form d
 procession on leaving the hall This was broken up and a number of other arrests were made. Altogether more than 30 women have been arrested.
 Interest in all questions affecting wom- en, but more especially in womans suf- frage, is rapidly growing in Russia. A number of meetings have been held dur ing the winter, and crowds of girl stu dents and women from all stations of life attended. Inasmuch as Russian condi- tions are especially unfavorable to the ex- tension of the franchise to women, the po- litical issue is generally treated merely as one phaze of the general question of the enlargement of the arena of women s work for social betterment
 | Madame A Tyrkova, a well known nov elist and one of the leaders in the wom- ems movement, states the aims and ideals of the Russian women as follows:
 Russian women have been for years in a privileged position compared with 1 their western sisters. They enjoyed con- siderable property independence and high CT education had been secured for women | in Russia long before it was acquired in | most of the countries of western Europe In the struggle for political reform wom- en fought side by side with the men. All these things, however, have caused a false sense of security, and opportunities for securing full political rights are grad ually being narrowed down. There is danger that the traditional conception of women's inferiority will assert itself, and Russian men, like the men of western Europe, will resolutely oppose the exten- l sion of'political rights to women"
 Mime. Tyrkova points to the suffragette | movement in England as an illustration | of the straits to which the best women l were driven in highly civilized society when the conception of the essential in- feriorty of women was embodied in an l intricate network of usage and custom.
 The spirit of discipline in the Russian army is well night ideal if it is generally
 that exhibited by private soldier of an | artillery regment at Mini Novgorod. A sergeant of the mans regiment, who had charge of the disposition of sentries, com
 mitted suicide. When the time to change sentries came, the sentry, although in- formed of the sergeant's suicide, refused | to leave his post He declared that under
 military rules only the sergeant or the
 Emperor Nicholas could relieve him of his post, and as the sergeant was dead he was bound to remain at his post until l the Emperor ordered him to leave 1t.
 The colonel of the regiment accordingly
 sent an urgent telegram to the Emperor,
 who immediately wired back an order to the sentry to leave his post. The soldier insisted on reading the telegram himself by the light of pocket electric lamp be- 1 fore he consented ito return to barracks.