The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-06
CAN WOMEN FIGHT?
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
By Frederic J. Haskin. Director.
Washington. d. G,

women are catching the hghting
spirit. The English women have had
a home defense league for some time
German women have been found
among the dead on the European
fronts And now American women in
the west are organizing a battalion
to go to France. These female volun-
teers, who are the wives of soldiers,
urge that if they cannot fight in the
trenches they can nevertheless do sig
nal corps work, guard and patrol duty.
so releasing more men for the actual
fighting. If as we are told, ten re-
cruits are needed for every one that
is in the trenches, there seems to be
no reason why some of these should
not be women.
This fighting spirit among women
is symptomatic of the tremendous
change that has come over the sex
in the last half century. The tradi
tional part of women in war is to
wait and weep In this war she has
done almost everything else, from
blowing to running a bank. And now
she is taking up arms 1t is a fine
proof of how tradition has shackled
her. Imagine the frail and fainting
creature of Victorian fiction going to
war. But writers have been discover
ing the primitive fighting spirit in
woman for some time past. and so
making her clear to herself. Was
Kipling's THE female of the species
is more deadly than the male" a
piece of cheap cynicism, as SINE SEN
timentalists averred, or was it a
prophecy? Perhaps the legion of
death will demonstrate
1t has been suggested that n bio
logical urge is sending the women
of the world into arms; for this war
| is destroying their husbands and
| potential husbands at a fearful rate
Millions of women. will have to choose
| between polygamous status and
celibacy There will not be nearly
| enough men to go around. Women
will tremendously outnumber men of
all sorts, and those physically fit and
financially able to support families
J are always too few.
The Balance of the SEXES.
Women will have to work and
make their own livings, but they don't
| mind that. 1t is a right which they
| have been demanding for years, and
| exercising more and more over since
| the war began. Eut may not the fact
that their mates are meeting death by
the million be the fundamental, tho
| perhaps largely unconscious cause of
| the growing restless desire of women
to have a part in the fight? If the
war goes on another ten years, as
! those in high places both here and
| in England say it must, the balance
generations, unless the women can
! share the loss of life.
The great difficulty about recruit
ing women would be to find enough
who are physically fit. Among the
| peasant women of Russia, who work
in the fields beside the men, there
| is doubtless a large percentage who
are fit and able to play 4 soldiers
part. But imagine a recruiting cam
paign among typical American wo-
| FT0a A fnTxy vi Is
have learned to ride and bear arms
few college girl athletes, and few
professional athletes and rough-and-
tumble movie actresses would make
up our feminine army. DR.. Hrdlicka
of the Smithsonian institution who
examined large number oe typical
American women, found them VICE.
fully lacking in strength and physical
development. Two French physicians
who examined a large number sum-
med up their conclusion by stating
that the American woman Says -
She has degenerated physically fol
the same reason that the Pomeraniar
dog and the Aneora cat have degeE.
Grated; namely, that she has been g
house-bird creature for too man,
generations.
} SO whether or not Amer IAN wome1
can go to the present war there is
great good to be accomplished b,
teaching women to bear arms. It will
give them a new and much needed
ideal of physical fitness If thew ar
to have universal service" let it b.
genuinely universal; give The womel
as we'll as the men a year of outdoo
life and intensive training.
= The Fighting Ability of Women.
/ Returning to the moot question o
/, woman's fighting ability, aside from
sporadic exhibitions with the hatpin
and a well-known aptitude and tenac
= ity at hair-pulling, her reputation
seems to rest largely upon the numer
Gus legends of the fighting Amazons
In all history and legend, they appea
to be the only women, until the Rus
e sian Legion of Death was organized
, who bore arms and fought in militar
=. fashion. Their existence of course ha
L never been proved, but the numerou
4 legends must have had some basis i
f fact. and they nearly all agree in on
point-that the women were merci
less and deadly warriors.
Il All of the early Spanish explorer
of South America encountered thes
G | legends. They were warned by tn
peaceful Indians of these tribes c
women, and were strongly advised t
n go out of their way to avoid then
e For all men who came into their mids
:. unlimited were killed, as were ais
their male offspring, and in the us
: of arms they had a wonderful skill
r The Indians generally ADDED that tn
| women had a great deal Of gold an
. silver and were very beautiful. Thes
II details inflamed the ambition of til
= Spaniards. The priests declared tha
d the women must be found and cor
!, verified. Several expeditions were ser
in search of them. but SOM of thes
n never returned and the rest failed
: find the cities of beautiful womel
n The legends, nevertheless, could sti
be heard in 1S4S, and an early Englis
T. historian of Brazil gravely summe
e M all the evidence pro and con, an
reached the conclusion that the Anna
IONS were a myth
Nevertheless some of these accoun
n are sufficiently Northumberland
Is make it very probable that tribes
i women did exist in South America,
:. least temporarily, and did defer
II themselves with considerable succe
If against their enemies One of the:
rnnrn cradihle accounts states that a