icacy which distinguishes the sex in
other parts of Europe. Even their exercises and diversions have more of
the masculine than the feminine. The present empress, with the ladies of
her court, sometimes divert themselves by shooting at a mark.
Drunkenness, the vice of almost every cold climate, they are so little
ashamed of, that not many years ago, when a lady got drunk at the house
of a friend, it was customary for her to return next day, and thank him
for the pleasure he had done her.

Females, however, in Russia, possess several advantages. They share the
rank and splendor of the families from which they are sprung, and are
even allowed the supreme authority. This a few years ago, was enjoyed by
an empress, whose head did honor to her nation and to her sex; although,
on some occasions, the virtues of her heart have been much suspected.
The sex, in general, are protected from insult, by many salutary laws;
and, except among the peasants, are exempted from every kind of toil and
slavery. Upon the whole, they seem to be approaching fast to the
enjoyment of that consequence, to which they have already arrived in
several parts of Europe.

THE IDEA OF FEMALE INFERIORITY.

It is an opinion pretty well established, that in strength of mind, as
well as of body, men are greatly superior to women.

Men are endowed with boldness and courage, women are not. The reason is
plain, these are beauties in our character; in theirs they would be
blemishes. Our genius often leads to the great and the arduous; theirs
to the soft and the pleasing; we bend our thoughts to make life
convenient; they turn theirs to make it easy and agreeable. If the
endowments allotted to us by nature could not be easily acquired by
women, it would be as difficult for us to acquire those peculiarly
allotted to them. Are we superior to them in what belongs to the male
character? They are no less so to us, in what belongs to the female
character.

Would it not appear rather ludicrous to say, that a man was endowed only
with inferior abilities, because he was not expert in the nursing of
children, and practising the various effeminacies which we reckon lovely
in a woman? Would it be reasonable to condemn him on these accounts?
Just as reasonable, as it is to reckon women inferior to men, because
their talents are in general not adapted to tread the horrid path of
war, nor trace the mazes and intricacies of science.

The idea of the inferiority of female