The New York herald., 1922-01-01
Women's Great Part
In Arms Conference
Historic References to Trouble Making Not
withstanding Position of Sex Is Recog-
nized as Always Against War

the giddy exception and doesn't count in the
great sweep of human troubles and ioys.
The kind that does count is the kind-the
millions upon millions of unhonored and
unsung women whose grief because of
would have filed the Mississippi River bank
full for century-you don't read about in
the "Iliad' or the "Odessey" or in the "Tales
of Ancient Rome" or see in the movies for
that matter. They have always been for
peace. If you want a reason, it is because
women have always had a clearer apprecia-
ton of the value of life than men have had
Only recently have they been permitted
by man, vain, barbarously sensitive, to give
voice to their instincts. Man has gone along
cherishing the notion that war makes
rafting good history. Woman knows that it
makes widows and orphans and misery that
they must live to endure. Man may die in
an odor of glory Woman must live to pay
the taxgatherer after the flags have been
furled and the streets are dark 1t is in
"Hiawatha" that Longfellow muses.:
1t is the fate of woman
Long to be patient and silent, to wait
Like ghost that is speechleSs
Women's Creed Is a Bad War
And Good Peace
The real women-not the big eyed vamps
of history the beautiful trouble makers
anticipated Ben Franklin thousands of years
ago in the conviction that there never was
a good war or a bad peace But what could
they do about it? The twentieth century
had to come along before they dared raise
their voices and utter even few words of
common sense. Women have known since
the days of the mammoths and the saber
tooth tiger that war, like dueing, settles
nothing, Is as likely to favor the unjust as
the just God and the heaviest artillery.
isn't a mere epigram. Study why the Ger
mans lost, study the chapter of accidents
which cost them the world, and ponder over
war as a resolvent of justice.
There have been any number of peace
conferences before the extraordinary parlia-
ment which is being held in Washington.
Peace conferences have been fashionable as
long as war. Did you ever read about a
peace conference before which bothered to
lean its august ear toward the feelings and
wishes of women? think not Go back only
a little way, not far enough to strain imag-
ination and what do we have? A glittering
assembly of important males met to carve
up Europe for the gain and glory of the
masculine sex Were women invited to sit
in? Not so it could be noticed then or there
after What happened was something like
this: The Right Hon. Lord Jiggsteps, re-
turning to the manor and being asked, tim
idly by Lady Jiggsteps If any progress had
been made at the days plenary session
toward wiping out war, replied: odds bod
kins fairest love! Such coarse matters are
not for thee daintykins! Bother not thy
lovely head with affairs so rude and blunt
Come, strum me thy Zither!"
That was the kind of communique the
ladies' got not so long ago when they re-
quested news of a peace conference. Some
thing seems to tell me that DaintylSins. even
in those suffra geless days, must have gritted
her pearly teeth swallowed hard and prayed
for help to stay her hand against the chump
that the good God and Father Boniface had
tied her to- Welladay, woman's place
was in the home then.
No, the sex we are worrying our heads
about, speculating as to whether they will
like the Christmas present we have tucked
away under the rack where she knows we
keep nothing but horrid old home brew,
didn't cut much ice in the peace conferences
antecedent to the conference of Washington.
They were scarcely among those present in
any sense. But Washington is something
else again A change has come over the
shall we say the spirit of mankind? Women
count for something in this parliament
Their influence is both direct and indirect
and very potent. It is true that men,
Hughes. Balfour BRAND Kato. chanzer
and their associates get the credit as of ole
and the front pages, but nothing in this
world is a solder fact than the woman in
fiuence which not only precipitated the CON
ference but held it steady toward !ts
destined end
The Work for Peace Was
Fostered by Women Wisely
This is not a catalogue of notable women
If you please. There are women here whc
are no, at all notable or distinguished. hut
that have exerted a very powerful influence
to keep the conference off the rocks. You
can't say that Lady This or the Countess OF
That or Mrs. Secretary So and So is respon-
sible for the good work. Not at ALL The
good has been furthered by the res.stless
momentum of women the world over actin,
in a thousand subtle but mandatory wavs
ever the statesmen responsible for perform
ance. When the real story of the Washing
ton conference is told, If ever, there will be
a fascinating chapter devoted to this There
will be chapter or two devoted to rho