Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-21
TWENTY
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 Is being
much discussed.
There are many who believe that
by shrouding ourselves in black we
are showing only a fitting respect TO
the memory Of those who gave their
lives for our defense. They forget
that tde-e is a finer tribute than tears
and mourning. 1t consists in initial
ing the courage Of those who went
forth blithely and brayely to meet
death for the sake Of the faith that
was in them.
There IL not one Of those gallant
spirits that, II II could speak, would
not bid US not to waste time or money
on the outward trappings Of woe, but
to expend our overy 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 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 a common brother
hood and sisterhood of humanity as
never before, and what each one OF
Us thinks and says Ind wears, reacts
directly upon q whole community.
For this reason l think that no mat
ter what q woman's 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 trafis
she win meet countless thousands OF
ether women whose men are "oFer
there" In the trenches, on the firing
line, on the seas, daily and hourly ex-
posed TO danger. These womens
hearts are torn with anxiety. Fear
OF what may be happening to their
beloved tears at their very souls con-
tinually.
EefnapS Jncy nave CoIuS OuI Oh ShS
street because hey felt that IL they
stayed at home another hour and pic.
tured to themselves the horror OF
shrapnei and bomb swept battletields
they would 70 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 q woman. two women, q
dozen, perhaps 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 70 the women who are left be-
hind II brings TO every woman whose
men are at the front q poignant
realization Of the risks that her loved
ones are facing that skaters her ceur.
age and fills her soul with bleak
despair.
What OF the psychological effect, not
only upon the minds OF women but
upon men, of the sights Of thousands
OF women dressed in mourning is APP
paIling to consider. II would cast
over us all pall Of gloom in which.
hope would die and effort sIacken and
everyone would be down-hearted.
That Is not the spirit in which vic
tory Is won, and 50 the woman whose.
husband, SON. or brother has sacri-
feed his life on his country's altar