The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1936-08-15
MRS. SCHUYLER
S A Y S
Women Warriors


new civil war raging in Andalusia
They prod on their men, it is re-
ported, and demand the death OF
all Royalists. They erect barri-
cades, use rifles and bayonets and
are fierce and fearless.
There are those. who like to
believe that women are the weaker
sex; l believe they are also called
the gentler sex. For some reason,
this seems to flatter the male so
the notion lives on despite proof
to the contrary. Had women lived
up to this parlor idea of her cali
Der, the race would have long ago
/ persisted
History is replete with examples
of womans fierceness and strength.
When the Romans invaded England
women clad in fox skins, fought
beside their men to defend their
homes the same was true of the
women of Gaul; who has not heard
of the famous Amazons of Daho-
mey, feared as no men ever were,
the African Dianas, who with one
breast severed to show their fear
lessness, took no prisoners; and
the Senegales women who made
many a Frenchman wish he had
stayed at home. Women marched
across Europe with the army Of
Napoleon and at least one was
decorated and made a high rank
ing officer of the Little Corporal.
Before the Civil War here, the Ne
gro woman made a success of the
Underground Railroad. In the
World War the Russians had 4
battalion of women who saw active
| service. To go further back in his
tory, we find that Cleopatra rode
beside Anthony in many battles in
Mesopotamia during the fifteen
years that they were lovers, and
We are told that she was as fear
less as he. The legend of the
Greek Amazons was founded upon
fact. Even at the height of their
civilization, the Greek woman en-
shaved as she had become, still had
three days year in which she
celebrated the festival Of the
matrix. On the eve of this cele-
bration, whose roots reached far
back to the time of matriarchal
rule, all males from men to the
lowest goat, hid themselves. A
male of any species, were he so un-
lucky as to be abroad this night,
was torn to pieces.
When you see a woman lowering
tenderly over her children, or go
ing placidly about her house work,
it is easy to believe that she is the
gentler, weaker sex. And you arc
prone to forget that she is closer
to the ebb and flower of life than
men. The pains of childbirth are
frequently so terrible that death on
the battlefield would be a relief be-
side it. Compared to men, women
have few compensations, few con-
solutions, they do the hardest work
that of keeping a house entailing
constant washing, ironing, floor
and window cleaning and cooking,
not to speak of the detailed drudg-
cry of rearing children, and they
get the least pay. If they are the
weaker, gentler sex, this is hard
ly the way to treat them. But the
fact is, they aren't or they would
have long ago broken down.
The Family Survives
Not so long ago, l recall, the
family was taboo in radical circles.
Free love and radicalism, some
how, just went hand in hand. May
be it was because at that time all
the radicals nearly were young
and young folk invariably rebel
against family restraint. One used !
to wonder how the Communists
would ever have enough descend
ents to inherit the lone perfect So
ciety" If birth control was so gen
eral and responsibility so lacking.
Now, we have the answer.
Soviet Russia has just decided
that birth control is not good Mar
xism, that abortions are capitals
tic, and that easy divorces for
which they stood before the whole
admiring world, are not so good
after all. In other words, the fami-
ly, that old standby of society has
triumphed again.
The Soviets now know the fami-
ly to be the unit of a staple So
ciety They found that easy divorce
and birth control generated an un-
rooted undisciplined mob and they
are in the strange position OF
snatching furniture from the house
! that they set Attire. Within the last
month divorces fell off ninety per-
cent and bonuses began to be paid
for bigger and better families.
-O-