The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-23
.REACT|ONARY IS
THIS COUNTRY
Italy Fast Becoming the Leading Ono
Of the World From the Stand
point of Fem
lnIsm.
PRESS IS AGAINST IT
Women Can stand Anything But Rldi-
Guile and object to Be-
Ing Made Fun
OF.
[By Henry Wood, Rome correspon
dent of the United Pressl

10y I1euTy WOou, RoMo SoIIcSpOA-
dent of the United Press.l
ROME, Nov. 22-1taly is fast be-
coming the leading reactionary coun-
try of the world from the standpoint
OF feminism. Although the Italian
/ fe1ninistic movement has never at
any time been so extended, and 80
pronounced in It's activities and it's
manifestations as in the countries
farther north, yet as matter of fact
it has had very substantial exist
ence and has attained very substan-
tial results. Two years ago, just
after the death of the founder and
leading spirit of the Italian move
ment, Lady Marescotti the women all
but wrested the right of stuff age
from parliament. Had Lady Mares
cotti lived but few months longer
; the victory, 1t is generally regarded,
The movement, however, in Italy,
has always been in the hands OF a
very few women. In fact the entire
! organization is consisted largely OF
! a self-constituted committee and II
8 .cannot be said that the movement al
any time has ever represented the
. great body of italian women as a
I whole Now, however, it develops
that the reason why there has not
/ been a nationwide feministfc move.
J. ment is for the very simple reason
9 that the great bulk Of the women dc
}. not want anything of the kind. Hav
r ing evidently taken courage from the
e activities of those who are in favor
y of the movement, those who are op
d posed to it are now beginning to as
g sert themselves publicly and nation
r wide reactionary movement against
Z. feminism is fully under way.
l. At the present time, probably nine
out of every ten articles that appeal
In Italian newspapers and magazines
e on the subject of feminism, are
d against it. Not the least remarkably
s. phase of this reactionary expression
is the fact that the great bulk o
g those women who are thus publicl!
n expressing their opposition, are won
r en- who themselves have alread.
= made success in some line of fem
thine activity. They include the lead
ing women, novelists magazine writ
ers, professors and artists.
4 The reactionary movement is thu
c. largely, If not entirely, in the rank
g of the women themselves. The blam'
S, also can In no way be placed to tn
IL opposition of the men, With the ex
ID ception of the anti-feministic attltud
n of Pope Plus X and his activities Il
al that direction, which he himself ad
lg mits have failed utterly there ha
lie been practically no opposition at a.
in Italy on the part of the men. lr
at stead. it has ever been the boast Q
the italian feminists that women i
Italy have enjoyed more rights fror
the hands of men for a create
j length of time than in any other cour
e. try of the worlA They have AWAY
I'll pointed with pride to the activitie
Id and accomplishments Of the Ital a
in women during the Renaissance an
op have insisted that their own NOV
Nv ment is merely the continuation
of that.
ct, While, however there has been n
ne actual opposition to the fem MIST
movement in Italy, it Is not to be d
MED that the men have not don
something else that possibly has bee
great deal more effective tina
forceful opposition. The Italian wor
an is most sensitive to public OPT
ion and especially to the opinion
! men and ridicule to her Is tn I
unsupportable. BY refusing therefor
to regard the feministic moyemel
e seriously, by treating 1t lightly. ar
}. with the most good-natured fiippanc
n the Italian man has unquestionab
l. contributed largely to DISCOURAGE
4 thousands of women who would ct
o erwise have been aligned with femi
8 istic activities.
N Recently, the National Associate
y Of Attorneys Of Italy placed itelf
record as opposed to extending t
right of practice to women attorne.