The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-19

Even war Is not suffered to interrupt the comradeship of the sexes in France. The vivandiere, cantine woman, dressed in the finery and mounted on the horse stolen for her by the soldiers, with her keg of brandy in front and her bologna sausage and cheese all around her, was at first the daughter and next the sister before she mellowed into the mother of the regiment. unless in- deed sine married In the meantime and became a duchess, like Mime. Sans Gene, CT baroness or countess, like many others of her calling Her tent was the club and her purse the bank for officers and soldiers alike, while she braved wounds and death in battle by carrying refreshments to the thirsty and famish- ing firing line.
 Tn all the campaigns of Napoleon, his army was followed by its Hove eseort.' Such a band of wives and children, ac- tresses. dancers and thousands of adven- turous women as never attended any other than a French military organiza- ton, brought up the rear of the grand army in all manner of wagons and carts. on donkey back and afoot. With the forttude of grenadiers they endured the heat of Spain, and the snows of Russia, and, pausing at the foot of a tree to receive a call from the stork. the hardy mothers, with their babes in their arms, quickly overlook the advancing columns.
 In his earlier campaigns Napoleon tried hard to shake off this love escort But. although he threatened to smudge the faces of the women, they defide him, and there is no record of such cruel punishment of their vanity. He took all possible precautions against any woman accompanying his army to Egypt, but many slipped aboard his ships as stow aways in soldiers uniforms. The eter- nal feminine was with him still in his re- treat from Moscow, where women who had grown families in his camps and kept step with his legions for 16 years fol- lowed his footprints in the snow.
 Unmilitant Suffragettes
 Notwithstanding he had failed in his efforts to keep them out of his camp. he declared that Women shall have no influence at my court" Affecting a brave air, he exclaimed, What do I care for the tittle-tattle of the drawing rooms !? All I care for Is the opinion of de- cent peasants" Yet he made detective duke to reward Pouches diligence and skill in providing ears for the walls of the salons of Paris.
 The tittle-tattle-and 1t was merely that of Mime. de Stael, annoyed him more than the roar of an enemy's battery, and he growled, ''The~ appearance of this woman, like that of kind of evil omen, has always been the signal of some tfou- ble." Thereupon de Stael was packed off, and her retreat in the chateau that now stands in green and moldly old age in the Village of Coppet by Lake Geneva became the capital of the republic of re- fractory women in the empire When Mime. Recamier returned from a stealthy visit to that capital she found herself condemned to exile. although there may have been. other reasons for dispensing with the presence at court of that fla nous beauty.
 If the feminists of the day wielded no hatchets and only pens or smiles, Napoleon none the less viewed them with alarm. He really had too much of the feminine in his own emotions to the indifferent to women For dar- ing to jest at him Mme. de Balbi was sent out of the country. The w1oow of the scientist Lavoisier seeking con solation in the loss of her husband by the guillotine, married the American Count Rumford and next sought consol- ation for the counts mistreatment of her in the society of M. and Mme de Rem usat. Talleyrand and Fonche Thereupon a conspiracy was scented and the shad- ow of the imperial frown fell upon tho little group.
 It was pity the eagle couic not soar above the idle gossip in the salons of the old nobility. But he never lost his sensitiveness to their snubs. When one of them. Mmc. de Chevreuse, declined to attend upon the captive Queen of Spain. protesting that she had not been brought up to play the part of jaiIer. the naughty grande dame was ordered to place 100 miles between herself and Paris. Mime. de Narbonne, although the Emperor honored her son with import ant missions could not be brought to demean herself with moro than two or three very perSunctogy eppeazanees aA