San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-04
"The Policewomans knowledge of the World Is Har-
rowing, Heart-breaking One, for She Sees so Much
That Polite People Try to Conceal

HERE is another evidence Of tn,
vast, but quiet, revolution tax
ing place in the world, a bloodles'
revolution far more important ther
most OF the wars that have shattered
rather than reformed the world.
This revolution i, profound enough
TO be an evolution, but a Httle too
swift, slow as it is. l refer, Of course
10 the almost completed emancipation
Of woman from her immemorial seclu'
,ion and servitude.
In all progressive communities we
now have women police. In a few
places, notably in Poland. they have
the same pay and benefits as the male
police of equal rank. There they are
commanded by a woman, Lieutenant
Paleologue, evidently of Greek origin
from her name, but famous for her
heroic service in the Polish Women's
Legion during the World War.
Poland's acceptance of women as
police is very recent, but she has not
been so niggardly as other nations in
granting them their proper respect.
IN Siam. strangely, there have long
been women attached as guards to the
Inner Shrine Of the woman's Palace
It Bangkok, but their duties did not
carry beyond its confines.
COMMON In EUROPE.
Germany was ~ first nation to
have a definitely recognized police
woman. In 1903 the step was taken,
and since then the police woman has
had varying recognition and power.
In England, 40 far back as the 18th
century, a judge exclaimed. II do not
know why woman should not be ap-
pointed to be a constable" But it
was not until 1888 that two women
were appointed even to supervise
women conyicts. In 1905 a woman
was attached TO the Metropoliton Po-
lice Force, a stronge recognition Of
the sex, was at that time mainly in
terested in arguing for women's suf-
frage by bashing in policemen's he'll
NETS, breaking street lamps, defyins
policemen to arrest them after they
had chained themselves to park fences.
and going on appalling hunger strikes
after they had been lodged in jails-
or agaols" as they still spell the word
in that benighted land.
Then the World War tore the na-
ton to pieces and filled England with
thousand problems too many. One
of the first riddles was what to do
with the Belgian refugees. Numbers
Of women knew what to. do with the
young women refugees; they decoyed
them into the dives. Decent women
volunteered to protect the refugees,
and fought off the harpies as best
they could. They caught one infa-
nous creature who changed her dress
and her wig three times in one day
in order to get past the guards.
A more appalling need YVES for the
protection of patriotic English girls
from patriotic English soldiers. With
millions Of young men pouring into
the camps for a brief training before
they were shipped to the slaughter
house in France, there came a storm
of emotional frenzy on the part Of
the women; it seemed a sacred duty to
make the last hours Of their doomed
soldiers as happy as possible.
Every country involved in the war
had the same problem. It was ter
ribly present in our own land, and
"war-baby" became a term so COM
mon as almost to lose its reproaeh.
There was pathos and beauty in the
sacrifice the women made. and one Of
John GalsWorthy's young beroines
paid the price with an ardor Of which
he gives an irresistibly pitiful account.