The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-07-20
Why CANT
A GIRL Be
A SOLDIER
SOME INSTANCES WHERE WO-
MEN HAVE FOUGHT UPON
THE BATTLEFIELD.
Were Once Reckoned Among FIGHT
ing Strength - Mythical
Amazons.
From Pail Mall Gazette.

From Pail Mall Gazette.
| From the nature of things women
soldiers can only be found as class
among barbarians-up to this time at
any rate. The Dahomey Amazons
made poor show against the French,
but Burton had been much impressed
with them 40 years earlier-and he
was Judge. The discipline was terri
| bly, severe in his time; he did not
doubt they were very formidable
troops. Relaxation of discipline ruin
ed them.
The mythical Amazons claim a word
since Professor Sayce adduced such
striking evidence to suggest that they
were the warrior priestesses of Hittite
invaders. OF the American Amazons
it may be recalled that Humboldt
thought the legend not impossible;
and he had studied the original rec
ords. Very few who have written on
the subject are thus qualified probably
but Mr.. Alfred Wallace has shown us
lately that Spruce, the great botanist,
looked into the evidence carefully and
formed a strong opinion that it was
trustworthy.
Much more interesting are the
shield maidens of the Vikings. Would
that we knew more about them per-
sonally. The historical sagas allude
to them, but always, so far as l re.
in a matter of fact way, as
to male personages. One of the very |
grandest poetic sagas is that of the |
Shield Maiden Hervor, but even this |
axes for granted nearly everything
we particularly want to know. She |
dressed as a man and joined the Vik-
ngs. Presently she gained the COM
nand of her party-and the story
opens, true in the main probably.
The circumstantial account of the
oattle of Bravoll between Sigurd of
Denmark and Harald Hildtoun of Nor
way mentions several shield maidens
Who commanded troops. One even
bore Harald's standard. All fought |
ike heroes, or demons. and | think
ii died in the field; bur IL seems that
hey were only women who rose to
Command by daring and military gen.
us. Is there any authority for the le-
lends of Viking bands wholly femi-
line?
The old Irish Book of Lecan" says
ausually 'for men and women went
like to battle in those days." and the
ecord of tribal obligations called
reckoned women among the
ghting strength. Moreover, the life
f Abbott Albanian of Iona tells how
e, hearing of this dreadful practice,
ent to Ireland, called an assembly of
liefs and bishops and persuaded
lem to pass a law, still extant, entitl-
Lex innocentium," which forbade
lie summoning of women to war. It
,ems likely, however, that they still
rned out of their own free within l
led the practice is not yet extinct, {
7 all accounts.
At the present day, in Europe, the S
and their hereditary t
es include the women among the 4
citing force-or did at a.'y rate a
ry few years ago-before Prince Y
cholas had organized his army. All
partments of supply were left to the C
YES and daughters; also the recov- Y
y and transport of the wounded. But
len the fighting line was seriously
essed the women reinforced it. AS
redly they would have followed the
custom, in spite of the Princes re- :
ms, had Austria advanced into the
lck mountain the other day.