South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-10-30
WOMEN OF FRANCE
SCORN POLITICS
Most of Them Are Content
With Homes; Many Aid
I'm Welfare Work.

PARIS. Oct 29.-In studying the
women OF the countries OF Europe,
those OF France are a great con-
trast to all others. Nearly every
where else the war accomplished
something In educating them 10
their political responsibilities. In
France. however. the women seem
% have unprotest1nely returned to
their pre-war condition. Only a
small group Is interested in the suf-
frage questions. and there is no real
effort being made to secure the fran
Chise.
The French woman, az a general
rule, is essentially feminine in her
activities. However, there is a great
amount OF welfare work carried on
by French women In an inconspicu-
Gus way. A large proportion of the
| hospitals, and many schools and re-
/ lief organizations are run by women,
who devote much OF their lives to
/ the work and of whom one never
4 hears.
DO Not Seek Publicity.
Another Characteristic difference
I IL that the French woman does not
seek the limelight. Her energies are
/ large, but they do not bring her
/ individually into a prominence from
which the customs and traditions OF
/ her race would tend to exclude her.
The training OF a French girl, and
the ideas with which she is imbued
/ from childhood, are essentially those
OF a civilization which has always
! regarded the seclusion of the indi-
vidual woman as a Fundamental
necessity.
That the world turns TO France as
the arbiter OF taste is due primarily
10 the French woman. That the
/ whole world focks TO Paris 10 buy
its clothes is a spontaneous tribute
| to her that needs no comment. She
has a native sense of proportion
and color and a gift for cOmbina-
ton that is the despair of women
OF other nations. This Is cultivated
in the schools. where the study OF
design is made a very important
course. and where prizes are given
for originality in designing such
everyday things as hats and shoes
tables and chairs
IN her home life, in which after
all women must prove and forge
the national character, the French
woman Is essentially a devoted and
affectionate mother and wife. and
nowhere in the world Is there more
community Of interest in financial
matters between husband and wife
than there Is In France.
Aid in Husbands Work.
In a nation so given 10 small i'm
divldual enterprise. and where COM
mercial combination is relatively so
little known, the sharing of bust
ness resp possibilities between hus-
band and wife is very general
Where monsieur has a shop. one
generally finds madam in addition
TO her family duties, In her place
behind the cash register, keeping a
sharp eye on the details OF trade.
In rural life she does an i'm
merse amount Of heavy work. and
in the fields she labors shoulder TO
shoulder with the man. In political
matters the bulk Of French women
have rather detached viewpoint.
With their intense patriotism and
family feeling, they take a vivid in
terest in anything that affects their
beloved country or their families,
but they display little energy or In
terest in the political activities OF
women as a separate organization.
But things even as deeply rooted
In national life as the conservatism
OF French women have been shaken
loose by the war. and in many direc-
tons since 1914 the women have
ventured into new fields and evinced
new interest In old ones. In mod
ern welfare work there has been a
great accession OF energy. Many
women have taken up with enthusi-
asm the ideas Of social service dem