Evening star., 1937-09-12

Ut VIC Oftt.
ciplined striking force similar to the
former German army. So to insure
this he is henceforth soft-pedaling on
combatant women, as BELTS a state
steadily growing more bourgeois. He
may use girl snipers and parachutists
for first-line purposes. but more likely
has made up his mind to keep such for
defense only-as for the defense of
Madrid.
Yet conscript Soviet women must
aid the war machine in other ways.
They will share in protective measures
against gas and air attack on towns;
they will drive the tractors in the
fields when the men have gone to- op-
crate tanks at the front Denin's widow
is experimenting this angle), they will
pack the auxiliary services of the red
army, also its center of war industry.
AS a case In point, over 10000 young
women recently left European Russia
TO settle in Far Eastern regions rich in
resources and vital to national de-
tense, but as good as unpopulated. The
new colonists-assuredly the first time
in history such one-sex migration
has occurred-will be attached TO Or
ganizations of the red army and navy
When they are not employed in the in
dustrial centers Of Khabarovsk, Vladi-
vostok, the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Sakhallen Island and Northern Ko-
lyma. Spirit Of the new times For
long time every Trans Siberian train
leaving Moscow had two specially
equipped sleeping cars reserved for
these strapping, enthusiastic girl pio-
neers.
Latin Situation Differs.
Can one envision Mussolini ordering
or inspiring similar trainloads of
Italian women in the direction of
empty but richly endowed Abvssinia
where the climate is no more of an
enemy than Manchuria S? One cannot.
And here We come upon a central
factor IN this woman conscript busi-
ness 1t all depends on the lady's COM
position. heredity and natal climate.
and the northern women win every
time. Vsryingly self-reliant and
man-equal. hardy and cool-headed
practical and zestful, they are all that
the still part-orientalized and unvot-
ing, languorous or sapped Latin chat
tel OF the burning sun Is not.
doubtless the Duce has considered
tnls Anyway. he says he has 5000 :
ooo permanent male bayonets. which
should be enough to go on with.
Further. the Holy See would frown
severely on any move to rope young
italian women into auxiliary military
service of the armed forces
be tnat as it may, Mussoljni is re-
serving his womanhood to keen the
nome fires burning, to spin the wool
10 entertain returning warriors to
increase census figures, to till the
fields and take over in industry as
lar as she is able-which is not
much-to nurse and to march and
parade for propaganda purposes.
something OF the same kind is eyi-
cent with the Latin sister" France
InS Is curious when one considers
that in the past France has led the
held with woman soldiers. Leaving
aside the Maid and Jeanne Hachette
OF Beauvais, many were the militant
Frenchwomen to stand out above
their sex in the Revolutions of 1871
and l848, in the Napoleonic wars and
in the Commune Of 1871. Feminine
militia, vivandieres. cantonnieres and
other kind of "ieres" were never lack
ing. Those OF 1848. "les Vesuviennes. {"
may or may not have been so christ
ened because Of the temperature their
behavior generated
OF Greatest Fame.
Those to gain greatest renown
were Theroigne de Mericourt. Louise
de Bennes and Angelique Duchemin
Ihe first, known as "the Amazon of
Liberty was at the taking of the
Bastile; she died. mad. in the Sal
petriere in 1917. Louise was in the
Army of the Princes, at Coblenz. in
1892. Her husband fought beside her
and both were wounded at Louvain. he.
mortally. But Louise carried on. and
20 years later received the Cross of
Saint-Louis from Louis XVIII.
Similar tardy recognition came to
Lieutenant Angelique when. nearing
30. she saw the Legion of Honor
pinned on her breast by the newly
self-made Napoleon III. Fifty-four
years before, she had been uniquely
promoted to commissioned rank bv
acclaim Of the officers of her regi-
ment.
Legally, all Frenchwomen under
bo are subject to national service in
view OF the Paul Boncour law of
1880, covering the whole country in
an emergency. Yet French laws are
very apt to be forgotten, as this one
is likely to be, since nothing has yet
been done to implement it, red
) revolution would assuredly see a repe-
tition of Frenchwomen standing by
their men at the barricades: but short
OF that modern French girls are not
built that way" Nor are they en-
couraged to be the Amazon They
also serve who only-look attractive.
Against this, the French employ
more women on the secret side than
does any other country As decoys
and for pumping suspects. as
watchers OF the contacts and mode
OF life of authentic male spies in the
French service. Frenchwomen can
be useful, possessing an intelligence.