New-York tribune., 1922-05-14

NJ OF the most interesting
facts Of the peace conference
Z is the number Of women whs
are present IN various offic,a
capacities. Not only have many dele
gates brought women private secre
tsries, but there arc at least two WON r
interpreters. Il director Of press bu
reau, besides several heads Of admin.
istrstive departments, where the work
though less in the public eye, is. Of
great importance to the general we'll
being and smooth working Of the cor
ference.
1t is disappointing that American
women have no part to play here. They
VINO have been such pioneers in WON
ems work and have given the world
such examples OF what woman can &C
cemplish, VIII be interested 10 know
and what they think OF their American
sisters.
Tho first woman | went to see in
Genoa was Signora Olivia Ag.es.i Of
t:cial intcrpreter for the Italian dele
CATION. She is The daughter Of the
English poe;-paintcr, Dante Gabriel
Hossott, and wife Of an Italian writer
o. note. she is perhaps more IN evil
dcncc than any of the other women
working here, for she translates for
Sigror Tacta at all the public meetings; !;
she addressed the assembled delegates
n the plenary session. and is present
n sll the committees and sub-comm.t-
tees, whore she translates from Italian
into both French ard English.
Sisrora Agresti is keen intelligent
woman Of about focty-hve. with an
attractive smile and most modest
manner. She knows America fairly
"e!' for in 1919 she was interpreter at
Washington during the international
Labor Congress. and the following year
toured tnc United States. delivering a
series Of lectures under The auspices
q the American Chamber Of Commerce.
Americans Desire for
Information impresscs Her
"Onc Of the hrst things that i'm
pressed me about the American von-
an. began Sienora Aeresti was her
desire to be well Informed She at
tends lectures and takes courses at the
university and cvirces the greatest IN
scrcSt ~ the acquisition OF facts. ]
was amazed at the numbers who at
tended my lectures on Italian art, and
on the art and literature OF the Eng
list prc-Rafaeli.e period. could not
have got such audiences urder similar
conditions III ITALY, yet or the whole I
DO rot consider the interest in art any
greater IN Americans than in Italians.
1t was rot that these women were pay
tcular'y Interested in my subject at
ai', hut that they seemed willing TO lis
ten through desire to be instructed
II = an admirable thing in its way.
only It leads to that curious tendency,
winch encountered in conversation
occasionally Of bringing up certain top
'>s and using them as trump cards to
challenge anothcr's knowledge.
Put what pleases me most Of all.
however. - YOUR ability to corporate
and the solidarity that exists among
women. That is the weak SPOT in the
italian feminist movement, and il Will
take many years to develop your fine
sense Of comradcship and your splen.
did loyalty"
My next visit was TO the women OF
thc Soviet delegation, where Mile. Hell
enc kry!enko IS in charge Of the staff
s9d acts as secretary to Litvinoff. and
Miss Bertha Mark runs the press bu-
/ reau
Nile. Krylenko, who is twenty four
>ears old. and has face like one OF
oletto's little angels, has never been
IN America. and it is her great ambi-
fion TO go there as preliminary TO
feeins the rest o. the world "Not that
thlnk That American women enjoy
n1ors privileges than we do" she as
sured me, Russian women have won
derfu! opportunities for .evelopmeut
ard self-expression, more perhaps than
N any other county Of the world
There is no profession from which
they are barred and there is no feel
ins at all against their working With
men. Consequently oar women do not
nave TO acquire that protective hard
Tess OF exterior that the American
women IN Europe so often display,
Soviet Aide Admires
Enthusiasm of /. S. Women
hertha Mark, who has been for MANY
wears IN New York and Chicago with
various Soviet organizations is a great
adn1iror Of American women. Their
greatest asset is enthusiasm. Every
thing they take UP they do az hard
as they can and that makes for won
oerful atmosphere of stimulation;
their alert intelligence gives charm
to whatever they 90 or wear An as
sembly Of American women is the
smartest. neatest crowd | have ever
seen. That terrible don't-care attitude,
.he 'nitchevo' OF the Russian. is un
known to them
After Russia went TO the Lithuanian
md Finnish delegations. Mile. Dcs-
aux IS in charge Of the staff Of lie
'ormer and ] called at her hotel at
l.