Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-21
WEARING MOURNING.
By DOROTHY DIX.
The Worlds Highest Paid Woman
Writer.

THE. question Of whether or not
American women should wear
/. mourning for their dear ones who
are slain in this terrible war IL being
much discussed.
F. There are many who believe that
by shrouding ourselves in black we
are showing only fitting respect 70
the memory Of those who gave their
lives for our defense. They forget
that tle-e is a finer tribute than tears
/ and mourning. 1t consists in initial
ing the courage Of those who went
forth blithely and bravely to meet
death for the sake Of the faith that
was in them.
There is not one Of those gallant
spirits that, II Il could speak, would
not bid US not to waste time or money
on the outward trappings Of woe, but
TO expend our every cent and our
every ounce Of energy in prosecuting
the war and seeing to it that our
dead have not died in vain.
Ordinarily whether a woman puts
on mourning or not when she loses
a member OF her family, is a. matter
personal to herself, and in which no
one else has a right to NEEDLE. But
! the war has swept away all OF our
little individual stockades. Now, no
one lives to himself or dies TO himself.
We are united In common brother
hood and sisterhood Of humanity as
never before, and what each one OF
Us thinks and says and wears, reacts
directly upon whole community.
For this reason think that no mat
ter what womanis personal feelings
and inclinations IN the matter may
be, she should put them aside and not
wear mourning for her dead during
the war. She should do this for the
sake Of the morale Of the { general
public.
Everywhere she goes, on the streets,
IN the shops, at church. on the trains
she will meet countless thousands OF
ether women whose men are "oyer
there" In the trenches, on the firing
line, on the seas, daily and hourly ex-
posed TO danger. These women's
hearts are torn with anxiety. Fear
OF what may be happening to their
beloved tears at their very souls con-
tinualIy.
Perhaps they have come out on the
street because hey felt that IL they
stayed at home another hour and pic.
tured to themselves the horror OF
shrapnel and bomb swept battiefields
they would 60 mad. In the crowds,
IN. the shifting scenes, in the gay
store windows they are trying to earn
an hours forgetfulness.
Suddenly, In the crowd their eyes
fall upon woman, two women, a
dozen, perhaps a hundred women all
dressed In deep mourning. They are
the mothers, wives and sisters Of sol
diers. They are living illustration of
the dangers OF war and what war
means TO the women who are left be-
hind. 1t brings to every woman whose
men are at the front a poignant
realization Of the risks that her loved
ones are facing that skaters her cour-
age and fills her soul with bleak
despair.
What OF the psychological effect, not
only upon the minds Of wemen but
upon men, OF the sights Of thousands
OF women dressed in mourning is ap.
paliing to consider. II would cast
over us all pail of gloom in which
hope would die and effort slacken and
everyone would be down-hearted.
That Is not the spirit in which vic.
tory Is won, and so the woman whose
husband, son or brother has sacri-
feed his life on his ,country's altar