El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-11
BURDEN
Of WAR FALLS
ON THE WOMEN
Work of German Women Is
Enabling the Country to
Continue Conflict.
BECOMES PART OF
GREAT WAR SYSTEM

n ERLIN, Germany, Dec. 11-If Ger
many wins this war, great credit
- is due TO the women of Germany,
who with almost superhuman strength,
are carrying enormously increased bur
dens.
The German woman is in many ways
contrast to the women of America
and France, whose position in normal
times is far better.
Officially relegated to an inferior
position. the German woman has during
the war given innumerable proofs of
the fact that she is able to go outside
the sphere of the three ks (Kirche
Kinder, Kueche-church. children, kit
chem. She possesses nerves of steel
She is proud of her fertility and openly
expresses her contempt of the women
of France, whose comparative barren
ness has forced France to bring saVa-
ges" into the war.
When the war came. the German
woman almost stoldly sent out her
sons to be used as cannon fodder" and
when more than this sacrifice. was
asked OF her. she obeyed the call with
military obedience.
Women Step Into Breach.
Here in Germany every individual IS
like diminutiFe cogWheeL and infinite
" small part of an immense machinery.
A button is pressed and il all revolves-
order and discipline are perfect When
the number of men proved insufficient
other button was pressed and. like an
auxiliary set of cogweels, the women
stepped into the breach.
Today all the ordinary tasks Of peace
times are performed by women, aided
by children, even of tender age. Scores
Of factories. where hundreds Of male
workers were employed before the war,
are now being run entirely by women
and children In porcelain factories, all
the modelling and decorating Of the
goods, now being accumulated TO be put
upon the markets of the world after the
war, is being done by children, and the
accounts Of more than one municipality
are kept by girls from II to 10 years OF
age.
Women Run the Railways.
All over Berlin. as in all other Ger
man cities, you see only female street
car conductors, drivers and chauffeurs.
Entire railway systems are being run
by women, except the highest admins
trative departments Women are even
building new lines, making the road
bed and carrying the heavy rails. Wom-
IN clean the streets, drive milk wagons
and build the few new houses that are
being put up
An army Of women is making the
millions Of uniforms needed by the
troops, women handle all letters and
parcels, and women everywhere are
spading and putting under cultivation
III waste land in order to alleviate the
Increasing scarcity of food That Won-
wounded, that they manage the thou
,ands of public kitchens all over the
that supply hot meals to the
destitute, goes without saying.
All Germany might be divided into |
wo great classes, the warriors at the /
rOnt and the female workers who keep J
II the wheels running at home.
When this huge and complicated ma /!
no longer runs with usual !
,moothness, il is entirely because the 4
ack of fuel and oil is becoming more /
lcute.
Crisis May Be Near.
While some of the reports cabled 4
broad from various neutral European
countries concerning food riots and dis
urbances in all parts Of Germany are 1
nanifestly exaggerated. not even the /
most conservative papers here attempt 4
o conceal the fact that the difficulty
f properly feeding armies abroad on /.
hese fronts and the masses Of the peo-
lie at home may now seriously influ-
nee the war and bring about a crisis
within the next four months.