Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-07

, has been different The feminine in-,.
nuence in France, since tho days OF
| the French Revolution. has always
been great. AS a rule. the French->
woman is gifted with practical COM
nonsense and business judgment equal
to that Of her husband. and when she
! speaks the men listen to her. There
women have made and broken cabinets
without the weapon Of the ballot
When war broke out the French gov
ernment Immediately realized the Inn
inense extent to which 1t should have
TO rely on its women. It sought to
help rather than to hinder them. As
soon AS the women started filing tho
places or men in the munition factories.
the government threw open all tho
technical schools to them. so that they
might secure the necessary training.
When the women philanthropic work
ers started their campaign for the care
OF Belgian refugees and for the desti-
tutc children OF Northern France, tho
government not only did not interfere,
but ordered every project to provide
the Headquarters OF the women's So
cictics in Paris with lists of all tho
refugees In his district. Through this
cooperation of the government 80 900
Belgian families were brought to-
gether. fed. clothed and put to work
or into school.
II is the women OF France now who
are wrestling with the problem Of re-
habilitatinS the towns and villages
iansacked and LEFT practically deserted
| by the invading Teutons. Scores Of
villages lie ruined and devastated, the
harvtsts swept away. the cattle con-
| nscatcd and the population between
the ages of fifteen and sixty deported
| By the German army Not COW or a
chicken is left. nor dog. Only the old
and tho children have been spared. and
they are In need of everything In the
| way Of food and clothes It remains
for the women to organize these de-
serted provinces. put the land once
| more under cultivation. restock the
farms with cattle and put the popula-
| ton to work.
With such tremendous tasks follow
ing one another In rapid succession.
| tho women OF France have been called
timc and again to put forth almost
superhuman effort They have had to
build up whole provinces while tho
enemy was destroying new ones. But
| at no time have they failed to sec
themselves clearly on the road to tho
| political goal toward which their sex
Is travelling. In France the women
realize to the fullest extent the part
that WOMEN all over the world will
play In winning the war. They know
that all nations at war are dependent
upon the labor OF their women. They,
realize further that the future of tho
nations is very greatly dependent upon
| the attitude with which women per-
French government realizes IT too. and
never misses opportunity to en-
| courage them
The three years of war have changed
not only the conditions affecting Euro
pean women. but also women them
selves. There Is hardly woman In
the bclligerent countries who has NOT
| suffered Practically every woman in
France wears her black badge OF loss
around her arm. and the women OF
England. although less frank. have al
most all paid n personal sa.rince to
war. AS one British woman said, we
are already women of the past. Our
personal joys arc over. We can only
live In the universal JOY Of women
who are now engaged In making tho
way easy for future generations of wo-'
| men"
Tho women have developed sex SYM
| pathy. Moreover. they have discovered
the power OF unity nad amalgamation,
the lack OF which has always been the
greatest handicap to their sex. Women
no longer distrust other women. and
they are prepared to take up tho cud-
gels for each other at the slightest
proVocatfon. Even the German women
are taken under tho wing OF this broad
protecting sense the women Of Europe
have developed. They do not regard
| tho German woman as their enemy
She is one of the worst victims Of
German militarism. IN their minds. and
in winning the war they hope to see
her emancipated from the servilo
status she occupied before the war Re-
Gently a news dispatch was read be-
| fore n meeting of women In London,
| II concerned n German girl aviator.
| who. with hair clipped short and in
officers costume. had been taken into
the army aviation corps and had sue
| cceded In bringing down three of IN,
enemy's airplanes. The fraulein had
1 tn ir Rrh
was out after revenge.
The women of the London meeting
Tor once heard the report Of German
victory with mingled feelings 1t was
| the victory OF woman. and, therefore.
| victory for the sex. This fellow feel
| ing among the women of the bel.
iiEerents promises to prove a factor
! or immense importance in drawing thu
nations together after the war.