The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1919-09-12
WOMEN DEMAND
WARS SHALL END
Peace League Means More to
Them Than 1t Can Mean
to Men.
DR.. SHAW'S STIRRING PLEA.

(5y the Late Or. Anna Howard Shawl
Seven million one hundred thousand
men who had laid down their lives In
the great war. Think Of It'll Seven
million, one hundred thousand young
men had died on the field Of BATTLE
What does that mean to the women
Of the world? 1t means that seven
million one hundred thousand women
walked day by day with their faces
toward an open grave that they might
give life to a son. It means that
seven million one hundred thousand
little children lay In the arms OF a
mother whose love had made them
face even the terrors Of death that
they might become the mothers Of
men.
1t means that year after year these
women had put up their lives into the
lives of their sons until they had rear.
ed them to be men. For what? In
the hope that these sons of theirs could
give to the world the things for which
women dream, the things for which
women hope and pray and long. These
were the things that the women had
In their hearts when they gave birth
to their sons.
But who can estimate the value Of
seven million one hundred thousand
dead o n Of the women OF the world?
Who a estimate the price which the
women have paid for this war; what
IL has cost them, not only In the death
Of their sons, because that Is a phase
Of our war TO which we look.
The Courage Of Women.
We hear our orators tell us Of the
courage of our men. How they went
across the sea. Very few Of them re.
member to tell us of the courage of
our women, who also went across the
sea of the women who died nursing
the sick and wounded; the women
who died in the hospitals, where the
terrible bombs came and drove them
almost to madness. They tell us
nothing Of the forty thousand English
women who went to work back Of the
trenches In France.
They tell us nothing Of the thou
sands upon thousands upon thousand.
Of women who not only tolled ant
worked and shaved In order that the
war might be successful, but we dC
not hear of the thousands of women
not alone In Armenia, not alone II
Montenegro, not alone In Serbia, bu
in Flanders, in Belgium, in Rumanla
In Russia-the thousands of womeI
who lie in graves today, murdered
so horribly murdered that men dar,
not speak Of it.
And yet we women are asked wha
we know about the League of Ma
tons; asked what we can understan,
about a League of Nations. Oh men
the horrible deaths the horrible live
Of thousands upon thousands OF VIC
men today in all these nations, VIII
must live, and who must look In tn
faces OF children unwelcOmed, undt
slred-of little children-and kno,
, that these are the result OF war.
8 And then ask ONE why the
/ should be interested In a league {
! peaceg
Women Suffer Most From War.
5 II there is any body Of citizens
the world who ought 10 be intereste
; in a league TO ultimately bring to Ii
world peace II is the mothers of me
and the women who suffered as on.
women can suffer in the war and
devastated countries.
And we call upon them, we womC
, Of the world call upon the men wi
\ have been fighting all these battles
the years. the men who have ],
armies, and led armies close 10 the
deaths.
We are 10Y calling upon the m,
: Of the world to IN some way or a
" other find a passage out OF the sea
$ death. We are asking them 10 for
" a league which will bring hope to d
women Of the future, II women a
: to bear sons only that they may d
Il women may not have no
! aud aspirations for their chIldre
II women may not dream the drear
y that have In them the hope OF I
y highest civilizations, the highest MOI
II aud spiritual life Of the people-if "
men may not have these In III,
Q hearts as the mothers Of men. tn
o women Will cease to desire to be (
mothers OF men. And why shou
. they notl Why should they notl