South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-07
G[ RMAN5 MAY Fl ND
FEMALE DEADLIER
THAN THE MALE
English Reserve of Women Be-
inc Fully Equipped and
Trained to Meet Possible In
VaSion by KaiSer'S Hosts.
BY Phillip Everett.

I
clothing have been taken captive by
the Russians near Warsaw If the
Germans ever invade Great Britain
and the situation becomes desperate,
they will be faced by an army Of Eng
lish AmazOns. carefully drilled and
trained 10 the use OF the rifle COM
pared TO which these Teutonic wom-
en- warriors are "a mere bagateIe
When / first heard OF the WOmen's
Volunteer Reserve, / thought il was
a joke or rather a new ebullitiOn of
the suffragette class, bat after a visit
10 old Bedford college and a view
Of the determined women perspiring
through their military drills, / must
confess that my feelings have
changed.
1t is not TO be concluded that the
women Will rush TO the coast and
light the moment the Germans make
a landing. They viii take up the
rifle only when Great Britain is in
desperate straights. Till such an un-
happy time the reserve will simply
act as a disciplined body of women.
skilled IT, first aid. cooking. dispatch
riding on motorcycles, signalling and
the care of horses.
Arc Good shots.
AT the same time the rifle is not
being neglected" said Viscountess
Castlereagh, the colonel-in-chief of
the women's emergency corps. "All
the women are spending time in the
private rifle ranges and there are
some astonishing good shots among
them. There is no reason in the
world why a woman cannot be as
good a marksman as a man."
II was also pointed out 10 me by
one of the officers of the wOmen's re-
serve that women bear certain forms
Of hardship better than men. 1t is
a well known physiological fact that
women are less susce ptible to cold
and wet than the stronger sex Their
bodies are better protected by fatty
tissues. This is seen on the bathing
beach where women are able to enjoy
themselves on chilly days when most
of the men seek the clubhouse. The
same condition should be true in wet
damp trenches. 1t is also accepted
that "a woman, once her nervousness
is over. and her determination is in
spired, can stand more physical pain
than man.
I'm fact said my woman inform
or. the only way the women would
be inferior TO men soldiers would be
on the long marches"
At old Bedford college. which is
the headquarters of the wOmen's
emergency corps, i found Col. Wis
countess CastleTeagh and the Hon.
Evelina Haverfield. honorary colonel
hard at work with their recruits. Mrs
Haverfield is remembered for her
carefully organized remOunt camp
which she built mp at the time of the
Boer war.
Nearly a hundred women were go
ing through the regular army infan-
try drill. They were not women of
leisure either Most of them had put
through a days toll already in an
office or along some professional line.
Several regular army officers in uni
form were present to assist in the
work The war officers at first took
a cOntemptuOus attitude towards this
movement but they have come To see
the value of it just as the usefulness
OF the boy scouts is now generally
recognized
had az interview with Capt. Adair
Roberts. the woman drill officer.
1--WE are following the regular army
rules throughout" she said. NO COM
missions are granted except for merit.
When women are adjudged competent
To teach the drill. the regular army
officers drop out in their favor.
No FaVOrs shown.
The reserve is strictly non-parti-
san and non-sectarian. No women of
wealth are permitted to buy commits
sions. although there have been many
attempts of this sort
81 can show YOU a titled woman
and one of her servants drilling here
side 10y side This is not an isolated
Instance either; there are several
such. p"
At first the fear was expressed that
IL women were taught the use of a
rifle. the Germans would charge
shipping" and ferociOus reprisals
would be the result but now il is
realized that the organizing Of the
4 Of ON
courage, foolish individual action,
such as is certain 20 take place in mo-
ments of great danger among an un-
organized pOpulace. The helpless
rabble of Belgium women and chill
dren refugees fleeing they knew not
whittier will not be repeated in Great
Britain.
40 woman is permitted to enter the
reserve without a careful physical eN-
animation. Women doctors from the
city hospitals see 20 this in their hour
off. The women of the reserve must
be over y and under 40 years of age.
Practice signalling.
Special attention has been paid 70
signalling practice as this is an i'm
portant branch OF warfare i'm which
il is unanimously agreed that the fe
male sex may be OF service. There
are many professional women teleg
raphers in the reserve. instruction
is given in Morse and semaphore sig
mailing by flags and also by sound.
other branches Of instruction in
Clude open air cooking. dispatch rid
ing. carpentering, fencing and Swed-
ish drills
The movement Is spreading all over
the islands. rapidly overcoming the
Indifference which il generally met at
first. a vivid description of the con
dition Of women IN the war districts
OF Belgium ana France and an eN-
PLANTATION of how their sumerings
might have been mitigated by proper
preparation and organization is usual
ly sufficient TO convert every doubt
ing Thomas.
Branches are especially active in
centers where there is a large pOpula-
tion Of working girls. OF course. there
is a large portion OF the militant SUI
fragettes. The latter have transferred
their energy in this direction. The
suffragettes believe they can by their
conduct. in case of an invasion OF
Britain, present an unanswerable ar
gument for the ballot