Evening star., 1925-06-28

event of another
war.
The study, which
is being made at Miss Anita f. Phipps.
the direction of the Secretary of War
and in compliance with the provisions
of the national defense act, is eX-
pected TO place before the Army Gen
eral Staff a complete picture of how
and to what extent American woman
hood can be utilized to increase the
effectiveness of the armed forces OF
the United States in the event of
national emergency.
Born in the service herself, the
daughter of an Army officer, and hav-
ing served in the Red Cross ranks
during the World War, Miss Phipps
is rega rded as peculiarly fitted for the
task of ascertaining the value of wom-
anhood as possible nation defenders.
The job she asserted today, is not
going to be "a difficult one, however,
for common sense is to be the guide in
framing the ultimate picture of wom-
anhood in the armed forces of the
Nation.
There are obvious duties that
women can fill in the Army and thus
release men for other services" Miss
PhippS said. but it is not the obvious
tasks that we are concerned with. 1t
is to determine the unusual or uneX-
peCted potential value of women in the
military service that the survey in
progress hopes to accomplish"
Miss PhippS said that the study is
not a "militaristic" move on the part
of the Army General Staff, nor is the
survey an outgrowth of feminism.
She admitted, however, the status of
women now, when they are fully
enfranchised, brings upon them a
new relation TO their government
which in suffrage days did not
apply.
This study or survey we are
making Miss PhippS said, lis aSed
primarily on the fact that women are
becoming recognized in all pursuits of
life, all branches of business, the
law and other professions, civic en-
deavorS, art and related subjects,
diplomacy, finance and in fact every
thing except the military. Common
sense tells us that no future war will
be fought without the help of women.
1t is the precise character of her use
fulness in war that we seek to deter
mine by this study"
Miss Phipps recalled that during the
Civil War women took a prominent
part, even to the extent of actual
assistance in the area of action.
They kept the powder dry. they load
ed the musketS, they even Shouldered
the guns and fought alongside their
helpmates, Miss Phipps said.
I'VE are not sure that this study
will show that women can be- utilized
in the actual zone of operations, but
1t certainly will disclose a number of
places behind the lines where women
will be able to replace men," Miss
PhippS said. Women certainly are
better cooks and laundresses than
men, but these are Obvious places in
which they may be used. Their use
fulness in other posts more purely
military, such as the duties filled with
so much success by the British Wacks
(Woman's Auxiliary Army Corps) is
still to be determined. We have no
thought of organizing battalions of
death. such as the Russians did, but
we do desire to ascertain fully the
American woman power"
Miss Phipps has no deluSions as to
the potential value of her sex in any
national emergency. She has lived"
an Army life and knows its advan-
tages and shortcomings. Born in
Augusta Arsenal, Maine, Miss Phipps
lived in the military service until the
retirement of her father, Brig. Gen.
Frank Huntington Phipps, in 1907.
AT the outbreak of the World War
she enlisted as a private in the motor
corps of the Red Cross, having also
been with the home service section,
anu lclci was hppolllltu ulIeClOT Ol
the motor corps service of the Penn
sylvania Delaware division of the Red
Cross. Next she became superin-
tendent of the Women'S relations sec
ton at Governors Island New York,
and in 1921 she was transferred to
Washington as director of the Bureau
of Women's Relations in the War De-
partment and attached for special
duty with the general staff.
Mai Gen .Tphn |, Hines chief Of
staff of the Army, is confident the
study being made under Miss Phipps
direction will be productive of real
value.
I'VE have no idea of making fight
erS OF our girls, or of creating any
such thing as Woman Battalion of
Death" Gen. Hines said. We are
trying to see how woman volunteers
of the future may be used to the best
advantage. We have found that from
1914 to 1918 women contributed enor
mouSly to the success of the allied
cause. They worked in the field
actually with the armies. At home
they gave innumerable kinds of aid
and support to the welfare of the
troops and to the efforts of the
nations. A quarter of million
women served as an official auxiliary
to the British army, and more than a
hundred thousand served in various
capacities with the military and naval
forces of the United States. More
than $4,000 women served overseas
with the American EXpeditionary
Forces; 10000 were enlisted in the
Navy and Marine Corps. In this
country there were $4,000 women
regularly enrolled as welfare workers,
+ clerks. cooks, mattresses, dietitians,
laundresses, matrons, telephone and
telegraph operators.
I'm this study which is in progress
we believe we will be able to get a
far better idea of woman's usefulness
than is now understood. We know
there are tasks that women can per-
form better than men, and thus
release men for heavier and more
dangerous work. We know that the
women of America do not desire to
sit idly by and be protected. Their
desire is to help in every possible
way. Veteran welfare workers with
splendid overseas records have al
ready organized themselves so as to
mobilize rapidly and efficiently should
another national emergency come.
OF one thing we are certain: Our
experiences in 1917 and 1918 taught
us at least that we can count upon
the women of America. 1t was a
high grade of service they rendered.
They made sacrifices no less than