Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01

the bravery. the fortitude of some of
these women. Among the deaths that
must be counted in this war is that
of the tremendous lie concerning the
moral lightness of the French women.
Any close observer of the life at home
here today would realize how utterly
warped was the vision that painted
the black lies of lola and Guy de
Maupassant.
1t is the fortitude of these women
which makes the life of the streets
seem as much as usual to the visitor.
so commonplace as to almost shock
the stranger. In truth, all this ap-
parent sameness Of the life of yester-
day and of today is but seeming.
The old. pleasant, regulated life, that
went through tho whole day to the
dusk of evening like the hands of
clock, has gone. Behind the fearless
of worry. lies the intimate knowledge
of the effects of the cannon that are
booming. ever booming, fifty miles and
more to the northeast of Paris, along
Said young shop woman in Bor-
deaux: Yes, I have lost my brother
and my husband in the war. Now l
must try to live for my baby"
That's shalt the We problem on vry na
shall we keep the home in order. the
wolf from the door until our soldier
comes back? If he never comes back.
we must try to keep that home to-
gether just the same. We must do 1t
for the sake of the children
1t is hard problem. The soldier is
paid but 2 cents day, a corporal
cents. 1t is impossible for them to
send enough money home to keep it
going. They haven't enough for them
selves. Everybody knows this. That's
why. when the soldier is on sick leave
or for other rea sons passes through a
town or city, the women are keep
ing the shops won't let him spend any
money.
The writer saw one day a dozen SOL
diers, recuperating from their wounds,
walking and hobbling along. stop be-
fore bakery in the Rue Chaussee
and bought so cents worth of cakes
and buns. When he started to pay for
them, the woman proprietor. a rather
severe-lookfng person. smiled and said:
I'VE do not take the money of soldiers
here. We are not that poor yet, thank
Cod"
Because of the difficulty of the home
saving woman's problem. all the in
dependent forces of the nation are turn
ing out to help her. Old bachelors, pro-
verbally so selfish and stingy, are be-
coming human and giving of their saw
ings or of their wealth to the hundred
of the widows, the orphans, the Grip
pied, the women whose soldiers are at
the front.
Even the wealthy are giving more
from their Dives table. Thousands
are surrendering their palaces as hos
pitfalls and asylums, and are themselves
acting as humble helpers and nurses.
Thousands of well-to-do men and
women without near relatives are
hunting up their poor soldier friends.
writing them not to worry about their
homes, that they have made wills in
favor Of their families. Only those who
understand how dearly the French peo-
pie love money can appreciate these
sacrifices.
With the country long since saved
from the German invasion. the govern
ment is taking more than an active in
terest in this economic situation which
threatens the existence of the home.
This government, which has always
been most generous in it's treatment of
it's soldiers and their dependents, CIV
ing them pensions, places in the civil
service, in the customs, tobacco shop
monopolies, and what-not, many
months ago took preliminary measures
to provide for the destitute and the
needy. and now these measures are
1t does not do this an act Of
charity. 1t says to the soldier: I'VE
need you to preserve the nation. You
fight and the government will take
care of your family while you are at
war. If anything happens to you. it
will take care of them after the war"
While there is plenty of poverty
among the women at home, while it
is not unusual to see some poor widow
wearing but a black band on her sleeve
in lieu of the flowing Grape which all
but the poorest wear, one of the Curl
Gus results of the aid furnished by the
government has been to place certain
of the poorer families in better sit
uation than before the war.
This is particularly true where the
wage-earner was a drinking man and
used to bring but a part of his earn
ings home. Early last August the gov
eminent set aside a daily sum of 25
cents for the wives of soldiers and 10
cents for each of their children.
AS there will be no rent to pay until
after the war, when the government
will pay half of it and the landlord a
part of the other half, woman can at
least live and feed her children.
1t viii be seen how true this state
ment is when it is known that the gov
l-ernment has, first of all, taken meas
ures to prevent speculation in the price