New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-25

NHE war has brought German
women their great opportunity
- 70 show the value Of women's or
sanitation and their comprehension Of
their countgy's needs. They have
stepped into the breach caused by the
withdrawal Of the masculine populs-
tion, and have given the lie as never
before to Bismarck's never forgotten
platitude: war is none Of women's
business" To the Kaiser also they are
proving that kirche, kdche and kinder
do not entirely fill the horizon Of his
country. and that il lie . very fortunate
thing to-day. At any rate, that they
hare not taken his sage advice and
kept only to these essentially feminine
occupations.
Without the women's cooperation in
many other ways Germany would be
having q very bad time indeed. 1t is
their philosophical adaptation OF the
present crisis alone that has enabled
the domestic and retail trade of the
country TO carry on its increasingly
desperate struggle for existence, wnlie
in the harvesting emergency Of the
last two months they have unquestion-
ABLY saved millions Of marks TO Ger
manys fast depicting lsrder. Whole
fields of corn all over the land have
been bound and stacked entirely by
women workers, aided by the younger
children. and the earth prepared Tor
autumn crops Of root vegetables. No
special appeal has been sent broadcast
throughout the country for them 10 TN
dertake this work; they just knew II
had TO be done and so It was done.
In every occupation, in every walk
of life. the women Of the Fstherland
are doing their best to help their men
folk in the great crisis through which
they are passing. Not only arc these
German women thinking and helping
in the present. they are looking for
ward with increasing sttentiveness to
the future. They are asking them
selves what il will mean TO them when
and thousands Of the flower
Of German manhood are rendered Grip
pled and helpless, while thousands
more will never return TO their eoun-
try to take up their responsibilities
and duties.
Women Must Rebuild Country.
To the women Of Germany the rebuild .
ing Of the country will be dedicated
in one Of the crucial periods OF her
history. To-day. Germany possesses
nearly ten million women bread
winners; tomorrow she will possess
many more. The terrible depletion
among the men must necessarily open
10 women in the future unprecedented
and unsupported opportunities IN the
now Germany. Their responsibilities
As heads Of families will be increased
100.
And. most Of all, it will be seen
,rbetber the government will recog-
nize the services rendered by women
in the time Of war by granting them
some Of the privileges and rights they
have so long unnecessarily demanded
or lust done without. Already IN /.
Germany is growing the feeling among
women that after the war
is over the great awakening that all
women will have received will be the
of a new era for Ger
man womanhood. new world Of civic
duties will deyolve upon them.
Sudragists Herald Opportunity.
The sufragists already herald the
new opportunity. That is why they
have just opened this month in ber-
lin a school for women under the d.
of DR.. Alice Solomon, OF
the National Council of Women. Here
the citizen duties Of women, together
with the work they can perform on
rublic care committees and councils, !
are being most ably expounded; and
lastly, under the tuition Of DR.. Ger
trude Banner, one of the most promi- /
nent and progressive of German suf-
fragists, the possibilities that women
will have to face after the war are
being canvassed with great frsnkness
and the assurance of power already
theirs.
War is q terrible medium to bring
about women's participation in the al
fairs Of their country, but in Olive
Schreiner's fine phrase from woman
and Labor: "Thst day when the
woman takes her place beside the
man in the governRnce and arrange
tnent of external affairs of her race
will also be that day that herslds the
death of war as means of arranging
human differences" II this be true,
then let every woman do all in her
mower 70 bend this crisis TO the good
that clearly begins to appear, even
from the appalling horror of this time
Of frStricidal murder. The German
wsmen, whether their nation win or
lose, deserve world recognition for the
fine and unselGsh manner in which
they have come to is assistance in
sts most pressing tIme OF need.
- - -------------------------