Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-02-02
THE LATEST BMAZONS.
Tall Girls of London Form
Themselves Into an Army.


tall, remarked the other day that il
the coming century is to be giver
over TO militarism, as many gloomil,
predict, it is Lot hard to imagin,
those of their members who are
strong and mettlesome forming regi
ments, and volunteering for guart
duty or other garrison service.
The idea of women warriors is a,
old as the oldest epic. They mus
have had the same actual existenc,
IN prehistoric Greece, as traditions
of them are found in all ancient art
as well as in the writings of Honor
Hercules is said to have met them
and to have carried away the jeweled
girdle of their slain queen, Hyppolyte te,
which trophy had been gift of the
war god Mars.
Legend relates that the Grecian
Amazous, having emancipated them
selves from masculine rule, formed
an independent colony on the north
east coast of the Black Sea. Their
organization was purely military, and
daily drill was practiced. They be-
came staunch wornors without loos.
ing any of their feminine qualities of
diplomacy and guile. Early in their
history they were overcome and born
off by a superior force of Grecians.
The women affected subjection and
docility, and were permitted the free
dom of the ships. Suddenly the Am
azon captain gave the signal, and
they fell upon the Greciaus and slew
them to a man.
Ignorant of naval tactics, they
were unable TO return to their own
shores, but drifted to the land of the
Scythians. They landed and over
came the inhabitants, who were en-
chanted by the strange invaders and
Immediately proposed truce ard
marriage.
According to Herodotus, the
courtship was somewhat delayed by
the inability of the Scythians to
speak the language Of the Amazons.
The difficulty was overcome by the
quicker witted women, who soon
mastered the Scythian tongue, or
enough of it, at any rate, to accept
the wholesale proposals on condition
that they were not to do weaving,
cooking or other household duties.
The men consented to the conditions
and lived thereafter under subsection
TO the feminine rule.
The Amazon girls were not per-
mitted to marry until they had slain
enemies in battle and had brought
back trophies of victory. Mother
hood was reserved as an honor to be
bestowed OH those who especially
distinguished themselves. Only fe-
male children as rule were reared.
The Amazons subdued the greater
part Of Asia Minor, and built num-
Der of famous towns, among them
Smyrna, Ephesus, Magnesia, and
Themiscyra. After opposing Priam
of Troy for many years, they joined
his forces in the Trojan war against
Greece.
In the early part of the eighteenth
century the King of Dahomey found
his kingdom almost depleted of fight
ing men, and, being man of re-
source, he resolved to see " hat train
ing and discipline would do for the
superfluous women of the country
women of muscle and endurance and
undoubted bravery.
In 172S the first women regiments
were formed. Their duties at first
were more or less menial, but in time
they developed such superior fighting
qualities that they became the flower
of the Dahomeyan army. Every
three years the young girls were re-
quired to appear before royalty, who
selected the likeliest to recruit his
regiments. A few of them the King
married, and they held a high place
in the army. Others were married
to male soldiers, but the majority
were welded to the fetch, and re-
ma;ned celibates on pain of death.
They were divided into three ranks:
The elephant huntresses, the blum
der52s women, and the razor women,
whose object was to pursue and
decapitate the leader of the opposing
forces. They wore uniforms of blue
and white striped cotton, with short,
wide trousers.
Like their Grecian sisters, they
reared only the female children, the
males being handed over to foster
mothers. A large percentage of the
women being celibates, and numbers
perishing in battle, a falling off in
native population soon became ap
parent. In 1862 the Amazon troops
numbered less than three thousand
and after the battle of Abeokuta the,
practically ceased to exist.-Nea
York Tribune.
VWHV ENGIkNn MICT WIN