Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-11
wOMANPOWER

WOMAN.HOWER
TT MIGHT be said for purposes of csti-
Il mate that strict adherence to the prcsi-
dents program Of force without stint will
require an army of 100000 men aud a
continuance Of the war for two years. only
collapse or an unhcaval in Germany can
relieve America OF some such alternative
Tho immediate consequence OF SO great
a demand upon national energy would he
the employment Of perhaps several mil.
lion women and girls in vocations hereto
fore strange to them Women would be
drawn from conditions Of leisure. In many
lines they would move upward from their
conventional light cmploymcnts to condi.
tions OF equality with men and to similar
responsibilities. a now state of industrial
independence for women must result auto.
matically under such cirCum",ancCs.
Tho rcadjustmcnt Of life at large to the
now state of affairs will involve tho most
acute problems TO he left statesmen and
economists among the hcritagcs Of AI1na-
ccddon. I'm England. whore tho feminine
invasion Of industry has been rapid and
far-rcaching, no ono has yet vcnturcd to
predict what is to happen when the armies
arc turned back to civil life obviously
women will not willingly rclnquish their
now ri. hts and privileges.
Womcn's labor has become dominant
factor i'm the war Of the world without
tho contributions or women workers in tbe
shops. shipyards and factories in England
and France, tho Allied defense would coll
lapse, Tho establishment Of an army of
.1s,. n,,,r I
leave 5.O00.OOO posts vacant in industry.
At the same time all the creative energies
Of the country would have to bc spccdcd
up to ft out the now army and Keep it sup.
piled with tho means Of warfare.
So far tho women of tho United States
have not participated in war work upon
scale even remotely approximatin= that
which has been achieved 10y their sisters
in France and England. 30 need has On.
listed in this country for tho innovations
ana departures in industry which, within
few years, have turned social, economic
and Industrial balances upside down abroad.
The women OF the United States still repro
sent vast source Of fresh energy for cmer-
Ecncics. There is no doubt whatever that
they would respond as gallantly as tho
women of France and England responded
and that they would emerge as triumphant.
ly under every test. The important things
to consider in this relation arc the new
economic and social conditions that must
result.
Women may serve here as they have
served in England. at the lighter vorl, i'm
shops shpyards, factories, ON railroads
on farms and i'm the routine Of civil or-
canizations. MANY would work NOT ,o
much for wages as from motives Of purc
patriotism AS they do abroad Tho great
majority would welcome the now order. bc
cause of increased prestige and increased
pay. And they would not willingly fan
back to minor cmplovmcnts and Icsecrcd
income after tho war. even to mako way.
for returning soldiers.
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