Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-15

IilllS (U,,-I ne N. ILNcIlHB w
| ceived wounds on the battlefield.
French women before the war"
said Nine. Brisson, did not go in for
women's clubs and organizations to
the extent that the American and
British women had. In war work,
therefore, instead of the big organiza-
tons that were formed for women
work such as in England, women here
!, have rather more worked through the
| mems committees or through the
government"
Nine. Brisson herself, however, is
an exception in this respect, for she
organized at the beginning of the war
a wonderful committee, which includ-
ed among its members the wife of the
president of France, wives of the cab
met officers and men and women of
affairs in the country. The committee
is known as the Maison Claire, and at
the present time is devoted to caring
for more than 1000 little war or
phans, in quarters especially arranged
for their keeping throughout the re-
public.
Speaking of the particular kinds OF
war service rendered by the women
of her country, Nine. Brisson said:
women who had never left their
homes before to work, thousands of
them, have been employd bys the
cities and the government in special
kinds of war work. They serve as
mattresses on dining cars; the con-
ductors and ticket choppers on the
tramways and underground are wom-
en-, women handle Il big proportion
Of the baggage at the large railroad
stations. and they have proved them
selves excellent mechanics in the re-
pair departments of railroad shops.
Thousands of course, are employed
in the munition works, and women
who before the war possessed little
knowledge of other labor than that of
mending their own clothing and sew
ing on buttons are now considered
experts at the making of steel shells
and other army equipment
"of course, before the war" said
Nine. Brisson, "the women of France
TILED the soil and worked in the fields
with The men, but when this great
tragedy overlook us and the young
men were called from the fields for
war service, the women added to their
work that which the men had laid
down. and the food situation in
France has been greatly aided by the
fact that women worked long hours
in the fields and plowed and raked
the hay and tended the cows and
chickens and other farm animals.
The war has placed this extra bur-
den upon the women of France, and it
is no slight burden, either, but the
women have carried on this work with
the knowledge that they were doing
this for the government as we'll as for
their men at the front, and this fact
gave them the determination and the
hope that they have maintained
throughout the dark hours of the past
four years.
young and middle aged and elder
ly women have all done their share in
helping the government Hundreds of
women who had passed the age where
their strength and health prevented
them from working in the fields and
factories have employed the needle to
good use.
These women are engaged through
out France in the great storehouses
where damaged clothing of the SOL
diers is brought for repair. They
mend and press these garments and
make great quantities OF clothing for
hospital patients.
Before the war" said Nine. Bris-
son, there was no systematic train
ing or education offered to young
women who cared to take up nursing
as profession, but since the begin
ming of the war hundreds of young
women have gone into French hos
pitfalls TO do this work. and it is re-
markable how soon they adapted
themselves to the required duties
there. Some of them have been dec
Grated by the government. not only
for the long and efficient service they
rendered but also for the great eour-
age they displayed under heavy bonn
bardment. when they stuck faithfully
to their posts.
Undoubtedly we shall see in the
future woman of France a great
change. She will most likely be more
self reliant because of the fact that
she has learned to do things outside
the home and because of the fact
that she has become more independent
in her thoughts and in the manage
ment of her own affairs
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