The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-17
Chinese Women Awake
(By Nationalist News Agency.)

(By Nationalist News Agency.)
HANKOW, China.-"We are fight
ing with you!"
That is the spirit Of the women of
Nationalist China who have plunged
into the struggle for a Free China"
shoulder to shoulder with their men.
Soldering, nursing, ploughing, or
ganizing labor unions, holding forth
at "soap box" meetings, the sturdy
women Of the revolution tread I'M
afraid any path and all traversed by
the men.
Many Martyrs.
Many have died, martyrs These
are the women of the propaganda
corps who have dared to invade north
China, armed with revolutionary ideas
and who have fallen into the hands
of the dread militarists.
You see Chinese women of the revo-
lution-slender lovely girls in the
smart gray uniform of the military
academy, taking training with the
men for citizenship in the army; you
see square shouldered women, hair
clipped man fashion, barefoot some
times, armed with picket poles, act
ing as guards at great labor demon
STATIONS, controlling the crowds; you
see women massed, in neat blue coolie
cloth uniforms, scarlet ties blazoning
the front of their blouses, in labor
union meets.
A New Power.
A hidden pOwer--a great strength
is in these women, who, in their strug-
gle for free China, China clear of
foreign Intervention, have not ne
elected to fight for the freedom of
themselves from unequal Chinese
laws.
In the ancient law Of China, man
might exercise the power of life or
death over his wife. She was his
to kill-to divorce-to cast off-to
disinherit, as he saw fit.
Now-even as armies fight within
dozen miles of city, these women
are securing a complete revision of
divorce and inheritance laws.
The Judicial Reform Committee, a
division of the Ministry Of Justice at
Hankow, is at work at a complete
revision of Chinese law, with a view
toward eliminating discriminatory
legislation regarding women
Hupeh Resolution.
To remind the committee that they
are anxiously awaiting the reform,
the women's movement committee of
the Hupeh Provincial Kuomintang
Union adopted the following resolu-
tons recently:
Article With reference to di-
vorce, the decision of the court should
be based upon the following points:
If a wife seeks divorce and the
husband is unwilling to break the
marriage contract, she may, if she has
proper grounds, secure a decree, and
remarry in accordance with the reso-
luton adopted by the Second Nation
al Delegates Conference. She may
ask the local court to base its deci-
sion on this principle.
2.-If a husband seeks to divorce
wife who cannot support herself the /
man must continue to support his di- (
vorced wife until such time as she
may remarry or no longer need his
assistance.
3.--The wives and concubines Of
the wealthy who are often mistreated, /
may appeal for divorce and secure
alimony if the decree is granted.
Article A. A young daughter-in-
law who is cared for by her husbands I
parents may ask the local women's /
union to make an Investigation in case
of ill-treatment The local court may
give her legal aid by filming her hus-
bands parents or by censuring them.
Article 3. With reference to the
emancipation Of oppressed maidserv-
ants there are three regulations as
follows:
l.-If maidservant is cruelty
treated by her master, the local peas
ants union may ask the local court
to cancel the contract so that she may
return to her family or her guardians
or the local court may find a better
master for her, one who can pay her
for services.