New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-08

Germany, hundreds of thousands Of
women have been called upon 20 take
the places Of men where manual labor
is required. know Of no German city
where there are men streetcar hands un-
less by chance man has been so seri-
ously wounded that he cannot serve at
the front or manufacture ammunition.
Then if he is capable and if he once
was a streetcar mOtOrman or cOnduc-
tor, he is given his old job. In Berlin
more than twO-thirds of the employees
of the underground railroad are women.
In the Krupp works ar Essen there are
over $4,000 women making ammunition.
Last October, when | spent a day
going through the Krupp factories, /
saw thousands Of women dressed in
blue overall bloOmer suits working with
the big machines which moulded, pol
ished and tested the largest shells. In
one railroad yard | saw a group Of
women loading AZ en-. shells on freight
cars by means of big cranes. These
women were so big and efficient them
selves that they were called the big
Berthas" OF Essen. Officials Of the
company declared that the women
workers were as capable as the men.
women IN Industry
On Zimmerstrasse. in Berlin. where
a great many uniforms for soldiers are
made, women do practically all the
work There are women taxi drivers
women hotel clerks, women porters,
women postmen, women clerks. women
street cleaners and women drivers OF
big trucks and delivery wagons.
Last fall, when General Ludendorf
first quartcrmaster general of the
army, organized his Kriegsamt, he
named General Won Groener as chief
One Of the first things he did was 10
call for million women volunteers TO
take the places Of million men doing
civil work in Germany. This work was
just getting under way when dIplo-
matte relations were broken, but the
volunteers were so numerous that it
was expected the government would
have no difficulty in obtaining the de-
sired number One Of General Won
Groener's proposals was the establish
ment Of a general staff of women to di-
rect this work. He called upon the
wives Of officers 70 volunteer 1t was
proposed to organize in each city a
staff of women to take over govern
ment or city work which men were do
military service.
Although the government never suC-
gested the idea, still there was consd-
cradle talk among 'he women, espe-
clally among the servant class, of the
possibility OF organizing army corps OF
women to work back Of the front and
release soldiers for actual fighting. If
Germany ever does this there will be
Al ffiqulfv IN Of ,.i
least another million women who would
go to the front to help the Fatherland
Terrible Suffering at Home
But while this feeling of national de-
fence Is very strong in all women
there is a more powerful force within
them which cries for peace The losses
and suffering at the front. no matter
how terrible they have been. cannot b,
compared TO the misery at home. TIL,
suffering Of the women and children il
Germany has been the most terrlb.,
feature of the war. and the world will
probably never know how many thou
sands Of them became respondent, com
mitted suicide and murdered their chill.
dren.
mer was so great the police began a
kNAANAdl RbAtAy VI NiNilUlNAlk al Ills
Eews from the newspapers. And to-day
very few murders or suicides are re-
corded in the press, and government
figures about such events cannot be
trusted.
When | went to Germany was not a
woman suffragist, but | returned an
ardent supporter of the cause. | was
convinced during my stay in Germany
that if the German women before the
war had had voice in governmental
affairs there would never have been a
great war in Europe. | believe that
when peace comes one of the most in
nuental groups in Germany which will
assist in maintaining peace in Europe
will be that composed Of women. There
are many people in Germany who have
this same feeling. and although woman
suffrage is not being debated it is quiet
~ growing Women have played an
important part in war. and they will
play an equally important part when
democracy begins to establish itself IN
the German Empire. Woman suffrage
NAV not come as soon as peace Is made
or even year or two afterward, but
during the next ten years u IS new
table. The war has started a womans
movement in Germany.