On page 4 of the New York Times Sunday last was the sad story of the Taliban suppression of women in Afghanistan and a picture of three women dressed in their all-enveloping burqas, their long colorless robes tattered and patched. Last week we had a pleasant supper with two young Kuwaiti brothers. They take their religion and customs seriously, and are to be admired for the way they conduct their personal lives. But, they insist, women need little education because they belong in the home and have few rights of citizenship.
Some nations make progress slowly and painfully.
And there is so far to go. Then on page 6 of the Times was a story of an Indian cab driver in New York who lives frugally and sends money home to India to education dozens of small girls, learning they would not otherwise receive in a country whose traditions have permitted men to abuse women. And then there are countries in which women are permitted to burst forth in all their glory. The poses are tastefully photographed, with potted plants and such placed in the proper places. Sometimes the result of women's rights takes a gleeful and naughty turn.