The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-07

A wounded Anzac had como to America to lecture. He bore some hon. orable scars on his body, which were symbolized by stripes on his arm. A woman asked what were his worst wounds He described one, which was a clean hole made by a bullet In his she would like to see it. She would. So would everyone else at the lunch con. So he showed her the bullet hole below the collar bone.
 ~How very disappointing!" she ex- claimed. T expected a great gash.'
 The Anzac buttoned his collar thoughtfu1ly. and turning to the ta- ble. said: 'tNow. I ask you, what are we going to do with women if they begin to expect so much of men in this war;"
 Men have begun to expect so much of women and women of themselves that the situation is the most vitaI1y in tere~ttng thing on this planet. next to the war.
 Women are gaining so much more by this war than they ever demanded, that many are puzzled and some are near hysterica1.
 Once we were a contented race; then we became an unquiet sex; then we became a restless force; and then we became a militant power.
 Those with the keenest visions saw ahead of them a long struggle. They outlined the propaganda of self-educa- ton for women; they lectured to men and of men concerning what we should have in the way of industry and com mercial opportunity. Whenever men eaid that we were not sufficiently edu- cated to take over the commercial bur- dens of the world, we retort that we would never be educated if we did not begin to study.
 WHAT THE WAR
 BROUGHT TO WOMEN
 It was to be a long war, ar gued the visionists. No one eX- pected crisis that would revolution ize affairs and throw women into tho places they desired and demanded.
 Then the war broke all traditions. Circumstances did for women what all the propaganda in the world could not have done for half century, or prob ably more. But-and this is most important 'ebut"-they had been edu- cated up to their jobs during the last five years by the constant appeals to their ambition and aspirations.
 What a topsy-turvy kind of exist ence this thing called life is! You strive and importune, turn and twist for something that you want and that Is denied, and then, rising up from the earth like spirit, comes the oppor- tunity through no seeking of your own and in a way that was never visioned or encompassed by your brain.
 When the volunteers were succeeded by the draft and when Provost Mar shal Crowder's drastic slogan. Work or fight" took men by the millions out of their chosen fields of endeavor, the world of commerce. industry and edu- cation made frantic appeals to women and held out to them as a gift what it had denied them as right
 This situation has developed in the last two months. with a rapidity that IS startling. Possibly, the preparations for war which have been made by this country and which seemed so laggaTd to impetuous people, have begun to move with the immense impetus of large force that has finally been pushed to the top of hill and sent down on a smooth incline.
 Things are happening so fast and hard that we seem to be getting into the war for the first time. Everything begins to count and tell. Men are leay- ing, men are fighting over there, men are giving up their positions over here, q million more are being called, a mil lion more are being thought of, ships arc launched, money is forthcoming
 This rapid action is taking away the breath of many people, and it is right in this particular little segment of the war that women are vitally concerned
 We must work in every department of industry that man here heretofore occupied. No one realizedehow quickly this demand for female industry would arise. As have said, everything that the visionists have begged for. has happened through circumstance for which women can take no credit and which they did not work out through any schemes of their own.
 Now, how is it all going to turn out? That is big question and there is 10 space to discuss it here. But women will expect much of men in the future, and what they expect of them now Is merely a rifle in comparison with what is to come.
 # women learn to support them