Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-08-12

noble parentage and received her edu
cation in the Russian schools and ha
lspent most Of her life in Petrogak,
and Moscow. During the war sh,
worked in hospitals and had charg,
Of four soup kitchens, 80 she know,
the sufferings in Russia and is vel
fitted to present them to the Ameri
can people.
In all the books written Of Russi,
not one is devoted to the problems o.
Russian women who are the mother.
and in whose hands. to certain ex
tent, lies the training Of the Russian
men oftoday and tomorrow. The pop
ulation of Russia is $50 million PEG
pie, and of all these there are but two
classes-the rich class and the poo,
class. There is no middle class and
unless people are born in the high
of education of any kind. The mer
class they have practically no chance
for education of any kind. The mer
higher up were afraid that education
would tend more toward the long thea,
ened revolution and so the University
doors were closed to women. Quite q
number of fortunate girls were able
to go through high school but there
were only few womens colleges open
to them. These and the Petrograd
Medical school were the only places
they could possibly go and even if
they did wish to go on with their
schooling, public opinion and general
sentiment was SO much against them
that only few of the bravest were
strong enough to go on regardless Of
ridicule. This was the condition Is
years before the war and in 1908
women were barred from all mems
colleges. The incentive toward secur-
ing an education by women was very
slight for after they had gone thru
school they would mt be trusted with
a position that carried any RESPONSE
bility whatever. The most girls could
do was to become a typist or clerk
and after working long hours, they
were paid scarcely eonugh to live on.
The women of the upper class were,
as general thing, lazy and worthless
for they had not even household duties
to look after. Servants were very
cheap and everyone had many of them
These servent girls were simply work
ing machines. They began work at s
in the morning and seldom got to bed
before l or 2. They were allowed to-
sleep these few hours upon the floor
in the hall lying on a sack Of straw
and for these services a girl received
about six dollars a month.
The conditions under which the fami
lies of working men live are almost
inconceivable. Each family rents cor
ner of room and puts in it their
furniture consisting Of one bed and
q trunk. This means that four families
with their numerous children are liv-
ing in one small room. To help make
ends meet, the women of the family
go out as wash women. This is very
hard work for all washing is done in
the river even when the temperature
is 45 below zero. The peasant women
in the summer help tend the crops,
weave, market garden products in vii
lagos nearby and in the winter go to
the cities to work out as servants in
order to help pay the exhorbitant
taxes
During the war the Ri ian people
got the idea that organizations were
what they needed to benefit their con-
ditions. The women fell into line at
once and Madame Selivonova estab-
lished the first Association Of Sol
diers Wives. After the utmost diff
Guilty in making them understand
what it was all about and how it was
to be conducted, an rganization was
finally formed which helped relieve
a number of bad conditions. Up to
this time a soldiers wife received
only $1.50 per month-this was doubled
then thru their efforts and the won,
conducted vegetable farm and dairy
that helped a great deal in securing
provisions for their children.
When the Bolshevists got into power
conditions became rapidly worse. All
educated and intellectu"2 people who
had been holding offices and conduct
ing affairs Immediately resigned and
were replaced by the ignorant and
immoral Bolshevists. Very soon food
could be secured only by standing in
bread, meat or milk lines from to
10 hours. The Bolshevists have not
nationalized the women of Russia,
for that is one Of the things they
know Russia will nver stand for. How
ever they have attacked the women
and children Indirectly thru food re-
strictions. All Russia is under Bolshe-
vism but it is not because the people
favor it but by using their course of
terror, they have forced their will
everywhere. The food supply for a
family for week under their direction
amounts to only one potatoe. one fish,
one pint of oats and one pint Of cram
berries. The peasants are afraid to
bring their products to town for fear
of having them seized and so food
prices are simply out of reach.
Trains run only once or twice