Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-28
WOMEN IN ROLE
OF WARRIORS
Advantage of Putting Our Joans
of Arc Into the Field Of
Religion-Some Modern
Heroines

name and fame of new heroine around
the world A while ago 1t was Miss
Edith Cavell, whose statue will stir
Engllshmen to chivalrous ardor when
the name of Pankhurst is forgotten
From Russia comes word of the exploits
of Mile. Tanla, who at 16 takes her place
in the trenches and gives the Germans
the cold steel of her bayonet and last
look into a pretty face simultaneously.
She has been recommended to the Car
for the cross and medal of ST. George
for valor, and will get them If her little
body is not already in the blighted heap
that was the tall fellows, her comrades,
whom she inspired.
The French have done the only sensl-
Bile thing about this question of the
woman warrlor-they have put 1t into
the field of religion for all time. There
will always be gold enough in France to
gild anew the flaming statue of the Maid
that rides triumphant into the Rue de
Rivoli-Fremiet's equestrian masterpiece
seems ever to be about to plunge head
foremost in among the motorbuses and
cabs to scatter modern materialism away
with one thrust of her pennanted lance.
we have, by the way, a replica of tina.
statue at the east end of Girard avenue
bridge, and some one with an extra doISr
or two ought to put 1t into golden dress
and keep 1t so.
Woman's Place Among the Angels
The French did the sensible thing in
adoring Joan instead of testing the
strength of her biceps. They had the best,
answer yet for the maxim, "Womans
place Is in the home" They said
"Womans place is among the angelsY
and let 1t go at that. Every movement,
that modernism has inspired to degrade
the Maid into a female bully has expired
before the fury of the gallant youth of
France. In 1910 there was gentleman
named Thalamas teaching in the Univer-
sity of Paris. lie wrote some abusive
comments on Joan; said she had led an
immoral life, which, of course, Is not true.
The students stormed the house Of NJ.
Thalamas and broke the windows. They
went on a strike and marched across the
river to the Rue de Rivol where they
hung garlands on the statue of the
heroine. Thalamas resigned and in dis
gust got himself elected to the Chamber
Of Deputies. Voltaire took a whack at
the reputation of the little girl who heard
the voices talking to her at the village
pump in Domremy-Saint Michael in his
shining armor bidding her take sword in
hand and lead men. Anatole France
takes his whact in more gentlemanly
fashion; says she was guided by her
parish priest and skepticises about the
voices. All the atheists belittle her, but
soon their mouths are stopped with dust.
What stands out after all the contro-
versies Is that the only place for women
in war Is at the top-.as leader-whether
as a Queen, like Elizabeth, or as a SYM
bolic figure on horseback, like Joan; in
a word, to give victory only by inspira-
ton and to be beaten only to be beatified.
Molly Pitchers Chivalry
1t was suggested a moment ago that
the female biceps were not to count in
the equation. But in a nation like ours,
which draws it's inspiration from a race
of men and women pioneers, whose
women had to busy themselves with the
loading and firing of muskets against
Indians. 1t is natural that we should want
a flesh and blood heroine. Molly Pitcher
serves this purpose. Like many Mexi-
can matrons of today, she followed her
husband to the wars in order to do his
cooking and laundering for him. There
were a good many other young wives who
did likewise in the American Revolution.
They did not expect to fight. Neither
did Molly Pitcher. However, the day of
the battle of Monmouth was a very hot
day coo degrees in the shade), and she
could not sit still in the rear while wound.
ed folk were dying for a drink and the
gunners parched and blinded by smoke
She made trip after trip up the hill on
which her husband, Hays, a gunner, was
toilng at the cannon, with. pail or
pitcher (whence her name, she having
been born Mary Ludwig full OF water
taken from a neighboring spring. On
one of her trips she saw her husband
fall back-dead as she thought-and
sprang forward to take his place. There
was no one else to man the cannon. She
seized the rammer loaded and fired the
piece and kept at the task throughout
the battle. Hays was only wounded, she
found out after she had avenged his
death" Next day, in her soiled attire.
General Greene presented her to Wash
lublOHt WIN plelSSu AASA tiAAA ScAAAAAAS
stoned her a sergeant
The French soldiers admired her
greatly, and there is an amusing story
of her marching along their ranks occa-
sionally in uniform with a cooked hat
into which our allies dropped coins TO eke
out Moll's scanty pay, which no doubt all
went TO keep her young son John in
bread and butter She served in the army
for nearly all the eight years. After the
war she received an officers half-pay.
and for many years lived at the Carlisle,
Pa, barracks, near the place of her birth,
cooking and washing for the soldiers.
She was employed as a nurse by various
families, and while very fond of children,
brought the atmosphere of army life into
the home. She is said to have been a
stern disciplinarian and at times rough
her idea was probably to raise her boys
TO be soldiers. She kept a small store for
some years and was a garrulous and ex-