Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1902 — No Old Maids in Russia. [ARTICLE]

No Old Maids in Russia.

The idea Is still allowed to prevail in Russia that single life Is a disgrace to women, for there are no old maids except In the religious orders. If the parents cannot arrange a marriage for the daughter she makes a journey, and is thus lost to the gossiping community. Soon reports are circulated of her marriage to a foreigner. Long absence brings forgetfulness, so that when the story is told of the death of the foreign husband in a strange land there are few who can inquire further. Indeed, it is a breech of etiquette to suggest doubts under such circumstances, and the woman finally returns as a broken-hearted widow. She has met the conditions of the country, and she is no longer a single person in society. Thus the Action of ‘no unmarried woman” is preserved in the domain of the czar.