El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-05
Homes Destroyed, LoOed
Ones Slain, Men Fighting,
They Labor INCREASINGLY.
RICH AND POOR
WOMEN EQUAL
Each Does the Work That
Needs Most TO Be Done in
Absence of the Men.
ny Ia RACONTEUsE.

~ ARTS, France, Feb. 5.-Women are
keeping Europe from utter chaos.
outside village near Rheims,
which had been almost totally de-
stroyed by shells. ] saw young peas
ant girl blowing with two. cows Once
the pillow had been drawn by horses'
but these the war had taken. once the
farm had been run by men, Inc war
| had taken these, too.
Once she had had a father and
! mother. The same shell which, enter
! ing through the window, had killed the
father had also torn the mother TO
once she had had a house and home.
! Not a single brick was left of her
4 home now. Still. there she was plow-
farm. the home, the soil going, while
above her head the shells were whist
Always 1t Is the Woman.
If you see a load Of grain coming
slowly across the rolling plain, you
may be quite sure that the driver is
woman. II you see people working the
fields between the ruined villages, you
, know that the workers are women.
Sometimes they look up and follow
with their eyes a motor car speeding
by, full Of men in uniform, or they
pick up a bucket and 90 to the road
side, where an ambulance is approach
ing. and quench the thirst Of the
wounded.
What do these women think Of the
war; Perhaps they do not think very
much. But work they certainly DO
Let the men settle the question who is
to blame or who has brought on the
war It is useless to talk now. Now
is the time not for wounding, but Tor
the healing of wounds
How often have we not heard it said
that the Parisienne is the most friYo-
lous of all creatures. From Ia grande
dame in Faubourg St Honore to the
working girl on misunderstanding
nothing but frivolityt
Where FrivOIity Is Not Seen.
Now il happens very often that
you find a chic Parisienne as street
car conductor. She may be the wire
Of a famous lawyer or bank presi-
dent or perhaps of an ordinary worker
Today all are equal She walks through
the car in her simple black dress, col
lects fares. She is pretty and many
admiring eyes gaze at her but she
does not pay any attention to admirers.
She raises her hand, rings the bell
and the car runs on. Her pale race
wears an expression OF deep earnest
ness. This is no time for flirting
Again I see her in the munition fac-
tories. Thousands upon thousands OF
women from all walks of life are 81
ting here making cartridges or shells
10 hours a day, seven days week
Now and then one of them gets up from
her seat and goes into an adjoining
room to nurse her baby
A few days ago / visited the belEidIl
section at the Louvre. Many nun
dreds of Parisiennes were sitting there
working ceaselessly. All wore black.
There was not a single one among
them all who had not lost one or more
Of her dear ones. but they were WORK
ing for the soldiers Of Belgium ana
the parcels they made UP lay all around
them in piles reaching half way 10 the
ceiling.
For the Homeless Belgian
The young girl who acted as man
ager showed me about. You must
remember" she said. that the French
and English prisoners of war in Ger
many as n rule get parcels from their
homes. but the Belgian soldier does
not even know if his home is stun
left standing More often than not
his family is scattered in three or
four countries. Therefore it is our
duty to see that he is not forgotten
Once every week every man IN the
Belgian army receives blank to III
out He must say what he wants the
most 4 book, a shirt. pair OF boots.
or a razor. All he has TO do is TO
put il down and put his letter INTO the
nearest military letter box. and the
next week he receives parcel con-
tanning lust what he asked for sent
by the women of France. who endeavor
tC pay this off their DEBT OF gratitude.