The Washington herald., 1914-10-18
stone walls do not a prison make.

Stone walls do not prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage"
I came across the poem the other day
from which this Is taken. 1t contains four
stanzas, written by Sir Richard LoveIace
in prison in the middle of the seventeenth
century. The balance OF the stanIa
quoted Is:
Minds innocent and quiet, take
That for q hermitage.
II have freedom In my love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone, that soar above.
Enjoy such liberty"
We shall see in the next paper which
will deal with Lady Constance Lytton's
two prison experiences, that this 10 the
spirit that animates women In prison
even when undergoing tortures. They
are upheld by a sense OF devotion to a
great cause, and they feel that they are
enduring this for the sake Of all women:
With such conservation there often
comes to such prisoners a development
Of spirit that IL truly marvellous. All
ordinary values have slipped away and
the sense OF personality Is lost in the
new sense of solidarity. They are at
one with all the suffering women and the
wronged women of the past and Of the
present. never talked with one who
regretted having gone through the tor
lures OF the prison. They are the birth
pangs OF the new age.
Rides IR the Wagon.
From this wonderful breakfast and the
inspiring speaking was privileged to
ride with the group that accompanied
the released prisoners TO the suffrage
headquarters. Notwithstanding that the
young girls dressed in white and har-
messed to the wagon with their green,
white and purple ribbons, had drawn
the six women all the way from Hollo-
way, they gaily took up the march and
drew the wagon the additional two miles
to st. Clements Inn.
There was one young woman not re-
leased with the rest because she had in
fringed a prison regulation and had
written a letter to her mother She was
TO be out 4 week later, and the same
demonstration was made for her, only
varied with elaborate use of the Scotch
heather which gave the colors of the
Union. white, purple and green. Again
the girls drew the wagon from Hollo-
way and the young Scotch woman who
was being escorted away in triumph bore
banner with the words Cwarning Mr.
Asquith): "Ye mauna NEEDLE with the
oNOANh
The women Of England offered to es-
tablish a hospital unit entirely under the
care Of women, but the government did
not accept the offer. The French gov
ernnent was willing to give Official rec
ognition to the aid by women and the
unit was therefore established in Paris
and another in Belgium.
The copy Of the last line Of the previous
letter got mixed up so that 1 seemed to
say that II certain results came to women
as the result of this war that 1t would
be IAN excellent event" To others,
doubtless, as to the writer. this statement
must have seemed like a stab. so sore
are our hearts with the sufferings OF the
nations. But We must believe-or faint
by the way-that good will come out Of
II. Unborn generations will get results
that could only come universally to man.
kind from the sacrifices and sufferings
Of the present.
One OF the little things, in passing.
that will make for the betterment of the
future is the establishment through the
efforts of the women members Of the
London County Council OF a scheme to
give Industrial education to boys and
girls between fourteen and seventeen who
are out Of work because OF the war
In line with what I predicted would be
the change OF sentiment with regard to
women Is this from a leading article in
the Nation Gondon):
ut is inconceivable that a nation which
has passed through this ordeal can ever
be content to shut the door upon women;
to tell them that they belong to
a separate order and that no sacrifice
or heroism can better their condition.
All these lesser prejudices will be dis
solved, and no man who calls himself
by the name of Liberal will ever grudge
to women who have so heavy a share in
the burdens of the nation, a share in its
responsibilities and councils"