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Show HUSSIAN CIRLS. Ther Mr-y Young After Short and Sweet Kngaireinenta. Tho daughter is a irreat pot in Kus-hian Kus-hian families, perhaps because there are generally more sons than daugh-te:. daugh-te:. Take the younger members of the imperial family as an example, and we find twenty-two grand dukes and only seven grand duchesses; and this may be stated to be nlxmt the average proportion in most families. The necessity for men in the rural districts as assistants in the agricultural labors of their fathers has given rise to a saying: One son is no son; two sons are half a son; but three are a wholo son." Notwithstanding the pride and satisfaction satis-faction with which the birth of a boy is hailed, the little girl is the darling, the object of the tenderest affection and care of parents and brotht rs, not to speak of other adoring relatives. Much is not expected of her in the way of assistance in the family; she is indulged as far as their means and circumstances permit, and she lakes it quietly as her due, but it is rarely that she does not voluntarily and tacitly contribute her share in helping her mother. Her occupations are much the same as those of all European Euro-pean girls, but parish work in Russia cxistoth not for her. She cannot have cliiMses at Sundny-sehools, as religion in taught by priests or deiteonu. It would bo thought quite extraordinary extraordi-nary und improper wore a young unmarried un-married girl to visit the sick or poor in towns, but in villages it 18 sometimes some-times done under the direction of mamma mam-ma or grandmamma. She is undoubtedly undoubt-edly fond of pleasures, likes to be well dressed, and generally adores dancing. .Music is not the Kussian girl's forte, nor is solo singing. Most of thr Insti-tutkas, Insti-tutkas, though they thoroughly know the theory of music, play like a child of 12; of course there are exceptions, but it is seldom you find a girl able to play a quadrille or polka offhand. (iii'ls marry w hen young in Russia-, ami there are very few of those most estimable individuals called old niaiils. There are no colonies for the Russians to run away to, nnd statistics show that the births of boys much exceed those of girls. Ivong engagements aie not approved of, they seldom last longer than a few months, during which time the fiancee is the mistress of the house. Her girl friends assemble to help to sew the dowry, the sewing afternoon generally ending in a dance after tea, when the bridegroom drops in with a few bachelor bache-lor friends. Another wedding is thus often arranged, and so on, little by little, lit-tle, tilL, like the fifty-one cards in the game of "old maid," they pair off, and one, generally of the sterner sex, i.si left forlorn. I |
