Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-12
War and Feminisn
BY Frederic J, Haskin

American women are making every ef-
fort to prepare themselves for a pos
sible war with the same high courage
and quick versatility displayed by the
European women. 1t Is the great op-
portunity to show what they can 90.
The education of the American wo-
man, also, has progressed since the
country fought its last big war. When
the civil war first broke out the north
ern women wasted great deal Of mis-
directed energy in making articles call
ed havelocks for the soldiers. Have
lock societies grew up over night; So
cables were given with regular ire
quency while the women worked on
havelocks. and the whole thing became
q mania in which almost every woman
in the north was busily engaged IN
making the articles. Fortunately,
however. after many hundreds of have
locks had been shipped to the soldiers
a number Of sons and brothers wrote
home and asked what under the sun
the havelocks we're for. AS 1T happen
ed they had put them to every use ex-
cept the correct one, which was TO
protect the head from the heat Of the
sun. 1t took many months for the Wo.
men OF the civil war to learn the list of
military equipment and to systematic
their work 80 as to make every hour
count #
Another war will not find the Amer
lean women unprepared During the
past two years, she has devoted good
deal of her spare time in knitting and
sewing for the armies of Europe. She
has Joined training camps, where she
has been taught the intricate processes
Of making hospital supplies, Of field
and home nursing, of dietetics and or
wireless telegraphy. While this knowl-
edge Is extremely general and not suf-
ficient to permit woman to go imme-
diately to the front in the capacity OF
a nurse, the basis of military useful
ness Is thus begun.
Other women have formed patriotic
leagues in their communities and are
now affiliated with the American Red
Cross, which is badly in need of any
possible assistance. The Red Cross is
one Of the finest institutions in Ameri-
ca, and has accomplished marvellous
amount of good considering its limited
capital and equipment. When the
European war first broke out the Red
Cross of Russia had nineteen million
dollars at it's disposal and at the pres
ent time Japan's organization has th1r-
teen million dollars for working
basis, with membership of nearly
two million members. Compared to
these figures, the American Red Cross
now has less than two hundred thous-
and dollars in its treasury and thirty
thousand members. Under these cir
cumstances, 1t is up to every American
woman who is in favor of prepared
ness to join and help the organization
Owing to the lack Of sufficient funds.
the American Red Cross has been COM
PEELED to discontinue all of the work
it has been carrying on in Europe, and
to devote all Of its attention to the
present needs of the United States. 1t
is now organizing equipment for field
hospitals and storing 1t in federal
buildings in various parts of the coun-
try where it can be easily moved for.
ward upon the outbreak of hostilities
Several of these field hospitals went to
the Mexican border along with the
state militia. Already many new mem
bers have been enlisted in the hospi-
LdlS IIlc COuAIly, DuI SAiS
Red Cross is still in need of many wo-
man supporters to raise contributions
and to make hospital supplies and 9TH
erwise help the cause along.
But it is not only necessary that wo-
men should train themselves for TAX
ing care of their men who go to war,
but that they should train themselves
for self support In Europe there Is
hardly woman who is not more than
earning her living by some means OF
work. She does not have to drive
bus or street car, or run subway
train; many women are bank clerks,
insurance agents. spies, wireless tele-
graphers and still others are simply
staying at home and taking care Of
their families, but they are attending
to their jobs as they never have be-
fore. Just recently when the militia
left to protect our southwest border,
many American women we're COMPEL
ed to obtain work since there were nu-
merous small firms employing militia
men which were unable to carry them
on the pay roll while they were gone.
The great meaning Of preparedness.
then, for women is to make every WO-
man self supporting. War has no
Mace for the parasite ...r-