RUSSIAN WOMEN. 321 



who never beats her husband when he is drunk. Wives 

 beating their husbands is, however, a recognized phase 

 of Russian social life. Among the cheap chromos that 

 adorn the walls of village tea-houses and traktirs one 

 of the most familiar scenes is a drunken moujik on the 

 ground and his wife beating him in no gingerly manner. 



The merchant's wife and daughters still keep out of 

 sight, in accordance with Oriental custom, when male 

 friends call on the husband ; and when they go shop- 

 ping the husband and father goes with them, assists 

 them with their bargains, and pays the bills. The 

 merchant's wife paints her cheeks and is fond of 

 bright-colored clothes. You often see them arrayed 

 from head to foot in garish red. She spends the 

 greater part of her time in drinking tea, smoking ciga- 

 rettes, and gossiping with visiting friends. There is a 

 saying that " a merchant's wife can drink a whole 

 samovar of tea." 



Her mental abilities are held in light esteem by her 

 spouse and his friends, who, though keen merchants, 

 are, for the most part, men of scant education. Their 

 ideas of women find expression in many contemptuous 

 axioms and sayings that have come down from father 

 to son. The Russian merchant or peasant will tell you 

 that " a woman has long hair, but a short mind ; " that 

 she is a child of the devil; and that when you fall in 

 love with her, you fall in love with the Evil One. It 

 is considered bad luck to meet a woman when you are 

 going fishing or shooting ; and plenty of Russians will 

 turn back and start afresh, confident that ill luck will 

 wait upon their rod or gun if they happen to meet a 

 woman upon the road. In the churches " neither 



