The New York herald., 1921-09-04

VI DTtttoW tUOUt6U UWu LHGT
reaction from the aUar Written by
Mrs. Borden Hartman, noted
American socioIogist, noV touring
Europe studying p0st-aCar conda-
tio1,s. Her article neat week IN
The NeaU York Herald Magazine
aUaI start series about aoomen on
the Continent.
BY MRS. BORDEN HARTMAN.
Special Correspondence to THE NEW York
HERALD.
COPYRIGHT, 1921, by THE NEW YORK HERALD
LONDON, Aug. 21.
~ EFORE leaving New York we were
r. told by an editor just returned from
England that active progress over
here was in state of partial collapse
gone blaa," az he described 1t.
He had been here during the coal strike
and Immediately after IT, when this whole
country was standing aghast at the stupefy-
ing PROSPECTS At that time the superficial
indications that would tend to support his
opinion evident than they are
now, but, on the other hand, this statement
by our editorial friend has served only to
throw into high relief the immense activity
in every direction that may be found
1t is not superficial activity. The great
forces of progress, working beneath the sur
face until the catastrophe of the war made
them apparent have again subsided from
their spectacular eruption. But that they
are immensely active cannot be doubted by
any one who probes beneath the surface.
Through all classes of people, opinion and
standards great changes are at work. There
is little noisy evidence of this universal stir
ring and fermentation of ideas, but 1t comes
TO the top at every crisis of political and
economic life and it shows itself in a thou
sand minor details.
The conservatism of England and of Eng
liuh life and thought forms a crust over the
top of what is really going on-underneath
II the new forces are busy at work.
The change that is most noticeable to the
onlooker is the gathering strength of the
democratic spirit in the relations between
class and class The Government of Eng
land has long been one of the most demo-
cratic in the world but right alongside of
It, the social life of England has remained
practically caste ridden-frozen into its form
by the conservatism that is the basis of
English character. We see everywhere un-
mistakable evidence of the breaking down
of the old time rigidty of the social struc-
ture
The people of England were united for
single objective during the war. High and
w.
pose affected equally by the agony of fail
ure and the elation OF success, bound to-
gether by common hope and by COM
mon fear They learned, never before,
how trivial are the distinctions of class and
how Independent of any class distinctions
are the personal attributes of courage, in
teligence and resolution and they haven't
forgotten it. Glass justified itself to class in
the common effort, and the old barriers
went down.
They were ancient barriers-mortised in
centuries of conservatism but when they
fell there arose new spirit of equality,
based on individual merit. In horse show
language the relative value of conformation
to performance has been changed.
Formerly II was conformation that
counted most-what man woman was;
now it is performance that counts-what
man or woman does.
Nowhere is this new democracy more
marked than II is among the women, and
especially among the vast body of those who
made up the war organization behind the
lines with them. sisters in effort and in
sorrow as they were, II is an enduring and
vital force to-day.
Unified by this new element their work Is
largely one of preparation for future and
greater activities. Women everywhere are
consolidating their gains, preparing them
selves for the new advances that they must
make in the near future
What is actually taking place is that now
that they have the theoretical liberties they
are trying 10 get them practically.
Fighting Unjust Discrimination
In Civil Service Appointments
For instance, they are allowed civil SER
vice appointments, but so far only those
that are considered especially within wom-
ems province, whereas the women feel that
all civil service appointments should be
omen TO any woman who has the brains
and ability to perform the duties involved,
and they will make a fight to that end.
At present there Is much unjust discrimina-
tion against their employment in admins
trative capacities.
Women are now admitted to the judicial
bench Mrs Fawcett. the eminent suffrage
leader. sits as a magistrate in one of the
municipal courts Also women sitting
on iuries and the effect is amazing, as 1t
brings home their responsibilities not only
TO the intellectual classes but to every
woman who is mpanelled.
Inevitably in the next ten years all legal
procedure will change. the legal rights
of women will have to be adjusted 10 con-
form to their political rights.
OF course there is the fact, to which atten-
ton was drawn in an earlier article, that In
the industrial field women have suffered
from the effort to give every available job
to ex-servce men. Naturally, no one has
resented this. but there has been exception
taken to the giving Of positions to men who
never saw service at the front in preference
TO the women without whose labors in the
muntion plants the war could never have
t~I