The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
THE GRADUATING ESSAYS
Read at Closing Exercises
Greenwood Graded
School
WOMEN m WAR.
BY HENRIETTA ALEXANDER.

a range Of time and comprising within
its scope the mu~ltitudinous deeds Of
valor and dinnumerable acts Of heroism
which have characterized Women in
War must Of necessity be a recital Of
events only, should l attempt to recount
even a fraction of them.
But standing upon the threshold Of
Time let us cast the curtain aside from
the door Of the past and with the eye Of
the historian contemplate the bravery
of the noble women whose images grac-
ing the worlds Hall Of Fame" stand as
undying symbols of the heroism Of
Women in War.
We find here at the mystic beginnings
Of history, here where the tiny stream
Of fact trickles from the mythical mou
tain OF fiction, wonderful stories OF the
heroism Of chimerical duties that people
the dawn Of time.
Mighty Athene singing a war song
springs full fledged from the cleft head
Of Jupiter.
The. gentle Penelope weaves and
ravels her scheme and awaits with pa
tient fortitude the welcome step Of the
returning Ulysses.
Yet withal this is but fiction. So
leaving them, let us come now to those
characters Of history whose heroism
mark them for an everlasting fame.
Cleopatra, enchantress of the Nile, con-
tends in mighty battle with the con-
quering legions Of Rome. Zenobia,
Queen Of Palmyra, builds her palaces
and extends her kingdom within the
countless hordes Of Arabia and defends
to the last ditch her realms from the
martial children of the warlike Mars.
Joan Dare. believing herself the ply
steal embodiment Of the virgin spirit
which fable said should come out the
great wood to lead her nations arms to
victory and drive the invader from her
country's soil, offers her services and
prays their acceptance at the Partisan
court. And behold this slip Of a girl
imbued with the fanatic zeal of a relig-
ious hereto, endowed with an uncon-
querable determination to fight and il
need be to die for her country behold
her leading the d~isheartened soldiery
OF a defeated army, and by the power
Of noble character, pure personality,
and unquestioned heroism, inspiring
new hope, new determination, new pow
or within the hearts Of her troops and
snatching victory from the jaws Of de-
feat.
Orleans Is relieved, the invader is
driven from French territory, and the
heroism Of the Maid OF Orleans will be
the subject for noble song so long as the
pen of man shall transcribe the noble
deeds of noble men and women.
Fearless Saragossa, sees a gunner fall,
seizes a fre-brand, touches of a piece,
and springing upon it beseeches her
soldiers to man the guns and repel the
foe. After the crumbling, rotting walls
Of Saragossa have been RACED to the
earth the valiant defenders in hand to
band conflict are contesting every inch
OF the enemy's advance. In the blood,
in tho carnage, in the struggling mass
OF the ~combatants one finds this brave
heroic maid. succoring the injured, re.
lieving the dying, and by the example
of her own noble self sacrificing hero
ism giving new zeal. new strength u
her soldiers. For her bravery the title
Of lieutenant was conferred upon her.
Florence Nightingale devotes a pur'
hallowed life to the relief Of the suffer
ing upon the battlefield. How man.
suffering and dying men have looke'
upon her as an angel Of mercy. whe'
with tenderest sympathy she has bounf
their bleeding wounds and %quenche'
their parching thirst. How many me-
owe their lives to her when the scarle
stream scarce oozed from the bleedin
wound and the tiny thread was fas
slipped its coil.
Nor are we to suppose that u ow
land has been devoid Of women. VIII
have shown themselves brave, fearless
and patriotic wnen the battle surge
and the deadly missiles Of death wei
hurled like tempest over the CORY field
and the belching cannon swept 81
heroic patriots into eternity.
Mollie Pitcher, seeing her husban
fall, springs into his place, mans u
piece and wins the co~mmendation
General Washington, who rewards b
with . lieutenancy for her bravery.
Deborah Samson DISCUSSES herself as
man and, under the name OF Robe
S~hirtcliffe, fights throughout the Rev
lntion with the same zeal, same hero
determination, which characterized Q
noble Notwithstanding their sufe
ings, their hardships, and their not
sacrifices.
Clara Barton, relinquishing her po
ton in Warrington, joins the hospi