Evening star., 1938-12-25

gainful employment, are volunteering as
colonial pioneers and social welfare
workers.
Mussolini in recent decree reduced
the number of female employees in both
public and private enterprises to one
for every nine men. Establishments en-
gaging less than 10 men are forbidden
to hire any women.
The greater percentage of women af-
fected by this law are in the lower in
come categories. For example, the many
female workers in tobacco factories and
other state monopolies are being re-
placed by men.
According to Fascist leaders the OBJ
ject of this regulation is to encourage
marriage and the production of children.
Many of these women are not satisfied
with the standard of living their prospec-
tive husbands can provide. The hope of
bettering themselves, combined with
patriotic zeal, is causing many to volun-
teer to go to the new colonial empire in
Africa where pioneer wives and woman
workers are needed and welcomed.
Quite unexpectedly one day I found
myself parading up the Via Vittorio
Emanuele with contingent of these
pioneer recruits.
Volunteer Director of Party.
had been interviewing DR.. Maria
Castellani, volunteer director Of the
Women's Fascist party of Rome. Dr.
Castellani has degree from Bryn Mawr
and Is one Of the few women business
| executives in Italy. She answered her
! telephone, speaking in Italian, and, turn
ing, addressed me in English.
"A group of our colonial women have
| just arrived in Rome. must take them
to service in the chapel Then we're
giving them tea. Will you come along?"
Delighted, accepted, expecting to
meet some dark-skinned Ethiopians.
DR.. Castellani clapped her small, black
service cap On her head. We dashed
down the stairs and through the lobby
Of the Fascist Womens Building with
its great bronze statue of the wolf suck
ling Romulus and Remus.
On the street, drawn up in marching
formation, were IS husky young italian
women in white uniforms Scattered
among them were occasional dark-robed
Catholic sisters. DR.. Castellani told me
to fall in and she gave the command to
march.
These were not my idea of African
colonials but determined to learn what
1t was all about I trotted along trying
to keep step and to obey orders shouted
in Italian.
Enter Small Chapel.
We marched into the courtyard and
up the steps Of famous old palace now
converted into the administrative head
quarters of the Fascist Bureau for Afri-
can Colonization. On the second floor
we entered a small chapel dedicated to
the dead Of the Fascist Revolution and
the Ethiopian War. The girls gave q
Fascist salute while their leader placed a
bouquet of red carnations on the altar
beneath a bronze tablet containing the
honor roll. After brief prayer we ad-
journed to the adjoining reception room
for tea.
It was then learned that these girls
had volunteered as colonial pioneers tc
serve in any capacity desired by the
state. Before being accepted they had
been put through training courses de.
signed to fit them to be pioneer wives
nurses and general workers. Having sue.
cessfully completed these courses they
had been sent to camp for six weeks ir
Libya under conditions similar to those
which they will encounter in Ethiopia
In order to be eligible for the camp every
girl had to be able to pay one-third oi
her expenses, aboutx400 lire ($20). Tn,