The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-11

Petrograd, July 10.-About 500
women arc now fighting As regular
soldiers of the Car. They have to
enlist nominally as men, but their
presence is wfnked at by Ithc higher
military officials and many of them
have been decorated with important
honors for gallantry on the field of
battle
The treatment of these notable
women warriors by the Russian COM
mon soldiers well illustrates some Pc
culiarities of the Russian tempera-
ment. The Russian mujik, or peasant,
is of an intensely religious nature.
He is ignorant, but dreamy and phil
osophical, holding to many beautiful
superstitions.
He is used to living in small COM
munities where women are held in
as high esteem as anywhere else in
the world If husband dies. the
widow takes his place in the village
council and has a full voice in the
local government. 1t is n measure of
woman suffrage which has come down
from antiquity.
AS result, the Russian soldier in
the trenches does not joke about a
woman fighter who happens to be in
his division. He does not see in it a
subject for jest. 1t is for him quite
a matter of course.
Men Respect Women.
Still less is he inclined to offer her
any indecency. This woman who is
exposing her body to shell and bullet
and poison gas for the glory of the
Russians he treats with the highest
respect Indeed as the woman who
has donned soldiers uniforms is of
a much higher order of intelligence
than the common soldier. the latter
looks up to her and in an emergency
follows her leadership unhesitatingly.
Numerous incidents which are being
reported from the front bear out
these statements. A case that is at
tracing much attention is that of
Nine. Kokovtzoff. a woman of con-
siderable wealth. She first spent all
her fortune in hospital work for
wounded soldiers. Finding her useful
ness along this line at end. she
applied to a general in the city of
Batum for permission to enlist as
volunteer in the forces he was rails
ing.
No that would be impossible" re-
piled the general, mo soldier could
be taken with such hair. in the first
place"
Nine Kokovtzon had beautiful
masses of dark hair and il had often
been an object of envy to other wom-
en- In petrOSraQ society. Every nus
sian soldier, for obvious reasons. must
wear his hair close clipped.
The following day Nine. Kokovtzoh
again sought an interview with the
general AS she entered the room he
sprang from his seat and uttered an
exclamation of establishment. Nine.
Kokovtzoffs fine locks were gone.
The general capitulated and the wom
an was allowed to enlist. She was
engaged in many battles and took
part in such a way that she reused
the courage of the soldiers to high
pitches of valor and encouraged them
to many deeds of heroism.
Then she was seriously injured and
was brought to a hospital which she
herself had established and endowed.
She recovered and as soon as she was
allowed to leave her bed. and while
her wound was not completely healed.
she busted herself with the care of
the other wounded.
II is expected that she will be al
lowed to return to the front soon, a S
is her wish Persons who have inter-
viewed her say that war has not
roughened her in the least, and that
she has retained her fine, womanly
character throughout.
The duties of a field nurse, or sis
ter of mercy, do not satisfy the crav-