New-York tribune., 1917-04-09
BY ARTHUR s. DRAPER


London April Walking up the
Strand this morning, saw young
woman dressed in a khaki Russian
blouse, long khaki trousers and a
khaki turban. She was pcrchcd on "a
ladder, busily washing windows. Hun
dred5 passed the spot every minute,
but few even raised their eyes to look
at her.
Women in trousers have long ceased
TO be novelty here Three years ago
this one would have blocked traffic IN
the Strand. To-day she Is simply a
woman doing her Bit in a great army
OF women workers modified 80 keep
the home fires burning"
Just little over week ago former
Premier Asquith, announcing his con-
version 10 woman suffrage. asked:
How could we have carried on the
war without women and Parliament
cheered loudly. The measure of wom-
on's success Is shown by the willing
ness, almost the anxiety, of statesmen
20 see that they receive suffrage At
the earliest moment
The Part Played by Women
Every day the British women play
larger part. There ls just one thing
the men have done which the women
arc not doing. and that is lighting.
But If the British Isles are ever IN
vaded. there arc thousands OF women
who would gladly take their place on
the firing line. If the statesmen here
had fully appreciated the potential
power in British womanhood, or If
there had been n Kitchener 10 organ
ize them in the fall OF 1914, the war
would have been materially shortened.
If America learns the lesson which
Britain mastered through costly eX-
perience, President Wilson will have
found force unequalled even by Ger
many, with her forty years of prepara-
ton and her concentration on all de-
tails Of efficiency.
The war found British men unpre-
pared and confused, but unsfrad. II
found women almost entirely ignored.
though their patriotism ran just as
high az that of their brothers. fathers
and sons After three years Of strife
there are still no cutters among the
women. and few paciiists or "conscien-
tious obiec.ors."
The Romance of Nursing
/, tho first days every woman wanted
70 be nurse. Il made no difference
that she probably had never even ban
daeed n frostbitte toe or extracted a
splinter from Ler finger. She declared
she was fully qualified TO nurse the
wounded Tommies who were coming
home in hundreds in those confused
dqvs. The romance o. nursing ap-
pealed 10 the lady IN Belgrsvia. the cot
ton spinner ir Manchester and the
tvpist in Whitehall. And nine times
out Of ten the Manchester miss and
Lady Belgravia were equally willing 70
tackle the JOB of scrubbing the hospi-
tai floors and doing the lest Of the
strenuous labor incident 20 a nurse ;
novitiate.
Those were days when none appre-
cia.ed the farrcaching effects of mod
err war. or realized how completely the
life Of the nation must be reorganiZed.
Even now, after three years. the woman
problem is knOtty one. but enough
has been learned TO prove OF valuable
assistance to the women Of America.
especially in this critical period.
Specific Appeals Necessary
The leaders Of the British army Of
women emphasizes two points: First,
any general appeal 20 women makes
only for complete confusion; second.
all calls for women workers should
contain specific appeals and should
never 90 out until not only general
but local headquarters have been thor
ouehly organized. England failed on
both points in the carly days of the
war because women had TO blaze a
way.
Roughly, the British army o. women
is divided into three parts: First, the
munition workers. who comprise force
running into hundreds OF thousands
second. civil force whose duty itNs
IN carry on the work necessary for tte
financial and economic continuation OF
the nations life; third, military aux
iliarv composed Of nurses, makers ol
soldiers comforts, escorts Tor cohNa,
lescent soldiers, motor car drivers ana
departmental messengers.
Each of these classes - suodivided
into county. town and district organ.
zations, but at the head Il a body OF
trained commanders. Unul 1919 there
were comparatively few women NUM-
,ion workers. because no one appreel-