The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-10-05
AMERICAN WOMEN CAN r
THE SAME STORY

Eiod Incl, WIN 10 HON fioitiu6 ia
New York. She is author of Letters
From a Living Dead Man. "The
Book of Love-" and other books of
verse and prose.
AS poet Mrs. Barker is given
high place in modern American lit
erature.
In the warning nations of course,
we know that with their hands wom-
en- knit stockings and make shirts,
but what do they do with their hearts
and brains? In what new relations. if
any, do they stand toward their men
folk and toward each other? How
are the little, intimate details of their
lives affected by those details which
even today sum up the world for nine
tenths of the feminine sex? What is
the war doing to women?
Mrs. Barker has just returned from
la prolonged stay abroad the earlier
years in Paris, the latter period in
London. She was at the English cap
ital when war was declared, and for
many troubled weeks thereafter.
| Aside from the fact that she is on
peculiarly cordial and intimate terms
with many English women. including
members of distinguished families,
one can imagine no more effective in
terpreter of womanhood involved in
the present crisis than an American
woman who adds to her natural SYM
pathy the ardOr and vision of a poet
What does war mean to women"
she repeated. st means that they
are showing themselves so brave. so
united, so wonderful"
Her eyes were shining and there
was little catch in her voice as she
went on, and in the next sentence the !
distinguished authoress drew a pic-i
ture that strongly reminds one of the
condition of things existing in the;
south in the Sixties
Mrs. Barker said: |
1.-THE war has developed a new spir-
1t among the women, such a spirit as |
| did not know could exist in the |
world. They are bound together in
the most splendid uninty The bar
riers of caste and class are down: the
individual causes and claims are for
gotten. Suffragettes and society but
terf1ies, duchesses and laboring wom-
en-, mistresses and maids. Irish En-
glish, Scotch WEIGH all are working
together in a common sisterhood Nor
is the sex solidarity accompanied by
any hostility to men. The women
stand together and stand solidly be-
hind the men, ready to hold on for
ever"
But are there no rebellious ones?"
was asked Are there no women ut
terly opposed to war, or who cannot
bear to give sons and husbands to
the holocadst?"
II do not know of one woman in
England who is no; Loyalty back of
the British empire" she replied.
There's no need to call it the old
Spartan spirit; it's the British spirit
When the men decide to go there are
few tears and no complaints or plead
ings. There is brave. quiet asuuies-
cense, even if it is bride whose hus-
band of week is leaving her or
mother who is losing her only SON."
Zone pretty young Danish woman,
relative of Queen Alexandria, has
been appointed recruiting sergeant.
She is only twenty years old She
wears the regular recruiting serg-
eant's badge, and every day visits
shops and factories where the manag.
ers allow her to talk to the work
men and try to get their pledge to
enlist.
"A mother I knew said to her
young son: My boy. I don't want you
to join the army-but if I were you
| should go That is the feeling ev-
erywhere"
THE war has taken the minds of
women off themselves When I sailed
for America, at just the time the win
ter toilettes usually blossom forth,
not woman / knew was wearing
new dress. For, weeks the English
women have done no shopping. An
other way in which the English wom-
en- show their splendid breeding and
control is by their courteous treat
ment Of the Germans in; bondon."
-ts-f 4t s-.4+i ,.ft'
A n