The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-18
New Theory
for Women
Recognized
Feminine Lot in Russia
Is That of Some in
Many Nations.
BY GRETTA PALMER
Times Special Writer

NEW YORK, Jan 10. - The
~ woman Of Soviet Russia is
always an enigma and a good sub
ject for the Tuesday Afternoon
Ladies' CLUBS 70 discuss. But this
month, We suspect, she will prac-
tically monopolize the conversation
at such worthy gatherings. for she
Is the subject Of a book by Fannina
w. Halle called, with chaste sim
plicity, Woman in Soviet Russia
The general outline Of the Rus
sian woman's lot is familiar to US.
We know about the government
birth control stations, the ease OF
swapping partners in a marriage,
the economic equality, the creches.
And We are inclined to gaze google
eyed at these privileges the Soviet
sisters enjoy.
These things seem remarkable,
however, in much the same way as
it still seems a little breath taking
to be able to walk into a decorouS
hotel restaurant and call for a dry
Martini without having it served to
you out of a coffee cup.
The astonishing thing about the
Russian woman is less the life she
lives than the fact that it is all
eyed benevOlently by an up-to-date
and approving government. Russia
has recognized the existence OF the
modern woman and assured her
that the sky is the limit.
Many Lead Same Life
There are some women in every
country who lead much the same
life as that which is legally per-
mitted to the Russian girl. In
America, perhaps, there are more
women of this type than in Eu-
ropean countries. Such a woman
may be bored and inconvenience
by the existing statutes, but she
does not permit them TO cramp her
style very seriously or to sway her,
for a minute. out of the course she
has appointed for her life.
The dissemination of birth con-
troll is illegal in America. But few
people are naive enough to imagine
that there is any great difficulty
experienced by woman who
wishes to acquire either the knowl-
edge or the contraceptives neces-
Sary TO limit her family.
Divorce Costs Less
There are stringent and harsh
divorce laws prevailing in many OF
these stateS-New York being an
outstandingly narrow One-in the
grounds on which it permits action
to be brought. Well, do you really
believe that every New York divorce
granted is based on the actual case
of infidelity cited as evidence? Or
that Of the thousands of divorces
granted in this country every year
a large proportion are not based on
collision and therefore illegal?
The American woman who wishes
to extricate herself from an I'M
congenial marriage has to go
through some tiresOme red tape to
do so - but she does it. anyway.
From the practical standpoint, the
process of Kidding oneself of a mar
ried partner here is simply more
costly than the Soviet system. The
laws are very ineffective of keeping
together people who wish to be
apart.
The American mother of today
NAV not send her child to the gov
eminent creche. Instead, she sends
it to the progressive school, where
it is happily occupied throughout
the day.
Serenely DisObedient
There is discrimination in wages
against the woman worker in
America, but she can work and sup
port herself in independence if she
wishes. There is a social prejudice
against her having an unmarried
love affair, but if she keeps reason
ably quiet about it she is in scant
danger of being stoned in the
streets.
There are plenty of women in the
western world who move through
life in serene diSobedience of the
convention and laws which would
deprive them of equality with men.
If the United States were to adopt
the Soviet constitution and attitude
tomorrow their way of life would
undergo nc revolution whatsoever;
it would simply be a sort of moral