The Washington herald., 1920-09-19

upon public mattcrs-and the expression,
though lnfrcqueut, always has been forcible
and usually very effective. Their viewpoint
has been different from that of the average
man, usually on the side of humanity.
Mary Wonstonecraft would have said
that, being the oppressed half of humanity,
women naturally and inevitably took the
part of the oppressed. So we have that eI
quisitely dainty and feminine little woman,
Elizabeth Fry, who, besides the trif1e Of fnd
ing time to be the mother Of ten children
also found time TO inaugurate prison reform
it was sheer compassion which made Flor
ence Nightingale revolutionize nursing Mrs.
Stowe probably did as much toward the
abolition Of slavery as did General Grant,
and Julia Ward Howe as Sumner we have
had passionate championship Of the Indians
from Helen Hunt Jackson and of the Beers
from Olive Schrciner. Today Mrs Bcsant is
thorn in the flesh Of the British Govern
ment because of her eSpouSal of the cause Of
freedom for India, and fragile looking Han
nah SkefhDgton is boldness itself in the face
OF the British lion for the sake of Ireland.
Perhaps one Of the first to use her art
to express her views on public affairs was
Elizabeth Browning. The fragile poetess is
chiefly remembered now by her exquisite
Sonnets From the Portuguese" but it
should also be remembered that she was the
first Englishwomau to speak courageouSIy
and plainly against the horrible evil of pros
htutioD and the unfarness of the double
standard of morality-and this. in the days
OF Victoria, was for the frail poetess going
sone' along the scandalous path of radical
ism.
Before the war Mrs Saint Gaudcns was
content to act as assistant to her husband,
the late Louis Saint GsudeDs, in his mem
oraole figures for the Washington station
and other notable work. while for herself
her work was chiefly an occasional portrsit
bust, or beautiful decorative piece, like the
bird bath, done for the outdoor fPte and pro-
duction at Meriden. near Cornish, of Percy
Msckaye's Sanctuary" She also did iu-
teresting things in terra Gotta and charming
hgurines. To my mind one of the best things
she has ever done is the very beautiful head
of her son, Paul Saint Gaudens.
ITO ANNETTE SAINT -GAUDENS, as to
l. many an American woman, the war and
Americas entry into it came with terrible
seriousness. 1t was as if one had held death
lightly and suddenly it had entered the house
and sat down familiarly-- companioning one
like a shadow. She is of Quaker stock and
hated militarism with all her soul, and Prus
sianism with the passion for democracy that
was heritage from pioneer fOrebears, and
this long before it was necessary symbol
of patriotism to hate either.
Her striking lunette Salvation" which
attracted considerable attention when it
was shown at the Exhibition of Independent
Artists and in a window on the line of
march of the Victory Loan parade, is sym
bolic of the woman's attitude toward war.
The lunette is about FIVE feet high by six at
the base: the central and dominating figure,
that Of Christ, or Love PersoDifed." stands
above, strong and triumphant Below are
represented the two womens tragedies.
At the left is militarsIn. which shows the
mother, her dead son in her arms. The
mothers face and figure are very fine. There
is the undesistins grief, the sense Of irrep-
srable loss, but also the patient, strong,
uncomplaining bearing of sorrow--the atti
tude with which women have always faced
grief like this. At her shoulder stands the
young wife, or sweetheart, but it is essen
TALLY the mothers tragedy.
On the right hand side of the relief is
Alcoholism" which has devastated as many
homes and killed perhaps as many as mill