The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-10-20
women
Who We're Warriors In Past
History
(New York SUM

never read history or they would know
that the female portion of the worlds
population has from earliest times
shown warlike propensities and keen
patriotism when its nations have been
engaged in combat. While 1t is true
the female is the least combative of
the sexes owing to the preponderance
of physical force being with the male,
certain individal women or groupe of
women have actually engaged in war
and the entire sex has cheered its men
o fight and bitterly hated its opponents
No true woman like timid man, and
every female heart has a tender spot
for a warrior. fact appreciated by
the artistic Greeks in the myth of Ven.
us and Mars. The Greek poets told
many tales of the Amazons who met
their fate at the bands of the Atheni-
ans to show that while superior wo-
men may wage war on inferior men,
when the average of the sexes meet
the male has the physical advantage.
But it is unnecessary to look back
to the tales of Pintarch or Strabo to
find warrior women or to delve into the
mists of far antiquity for Boadicea
or Semiramis. We have shining ex.
amples in Joan Of Arc saving France,
for worthless King. Isabel of Cas-
tile wrestling Spain from the Moors,
Mary Queen of Scots cheering her
troops, Catharine of Sigurna saving
Nice and La Grand Mademoiselle point
Ing the guns of Fronde. More humble
types are found in Hannah Smell, who,
as private of infantry, fought in AS
under Cumberland and later with Fraz-
er's Marines participated in the siege
Of Pondicherry; Mary Anne Talbot, ma
tural daughter of Baron Hensol, who
as drummer was wounded before
Valenciennes in 1884, Mother Ross"
| who served under William III. and
Marlborough in Flanders; Deborah,
Sampson, who fought with the Cont
mental troops throughout the Revolu-
ton, and Loretta Valazquez, who wore
Lieutenant's shoulder straps in the
Confederate army
Aside from individual cases, there is
no doubt that every war has had a GER
tain number of Amazons in the field
both as spies and as soldiers, and the
history of Europe abounds in such mar
rative. Innumerable women followed
1 hn
and throughout the Middle Ages every
army had large number of female
camp followers, who were often in
ciined to push into the fray beside
their masculine friends. Spanish wo-
men have shown a marked inclination
for war and during that Of the Sue
cession Barcelona was long defended
by it's women before Berwick succeed
ed in entering it. Again, during the
French invasion, when Lefebvre at
tackled Saragossa, the women formed
themselves into companies of 200 and
300 and fought side by side with the
men under the celebrated Agostina of
Saragossa.
Endeavoring to emulate their an
cient Germanic and Gallo mothers
who fought against the Roman legions,
the French women of the Revolution
formed themselves into militant bo-
dies and the danes de Halle and the
Faubourg St. Antoine, in short peti-
coats, red Phrygian caps, with pixies
in hand, became conspicuous In the
early days of the Terror, and the "Am-
azon of Liege," grasping her lighted
match, astride her cannon, was drag
ged by a mob OF demented women to
Versailles when the royal family was
forced to return to Paris. Women were
also prominent at the barricades dur
ing the Commune, and many mur-
derous shot was fired by wo4nanS
hand from the windows of the capital.
In all probability there were numer-
ons women engaged in our Civil War.
especially in the gallant South. During
the present Mexican anarchy and bri-
gandage the brown women south of
the Rio Grande have followed their
men by hundreds and gone into the
fight with rifles in their hands. The
Boer women of the Transvaal fought
beside their men in practically every
battle of both wars with England and
won many laurels by their excellence
in craftsmanship and bravery. There
are battalions of Chinese women ready
to support the Celestial republic. 1t
is reported that female battalions are
being formed in Ireland to defend the
homes from invasion. Throughout the
Balkans women are preparing for mill
tary activities.
---.ff.-----------
Mrs. Matte Gerspacher of Cleve-
land and Mrs. Bertha Fultz of Canton
are the guests of Mr.. and Mrs. r. M.
l1u vic Eos sf D,,r A.