Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-17
Women Have
Role in War:
AuxiIiaries x
Some Shrink. but SO Pet.
Favor Consumption
BY BENJAMIN DE CAsSERES

CHOULD American women go
~ TO war?
According 10 a Gallup poll, SO
per cent of those polled, say yes.
They indorse the creation by
Congress of the Women's Army
Auxiliary Corps, which con-
scripts women between the ages
of II and 35.
Personally. think the idea a
good one, so long as the dear
gals are not allowed TO fight
like the AmaZons of old.
But some demur. Among the
letters received on this subject,
here is one of the most interest
ing. II is from X. NJ. Read,
whose sex is unknown to me:
"The women of Greece be-
came martial-minded and took
II upon themselves to protect
their husbands and sons, and
Greek culture lost Its chaste
and classic beauty and fell into
political and moral corruption.
The same conditions preceded
the fall Of the Roman Empire.
The marching women Of France
led 10 the obscenity, blood and
vlleness Of the French ReyOlu-
ton.
The WOman's Battalion of
Russia was just the outcrOpping
Of the welter Of despair Of the
Soviet regime, the = enc h Of
which reaches ones very soul In
the last 20 years.
THE raising OF n wOman's
army to be trained and paid as
soldiers will repeat the unwrit-
ten shame and scandal Of the
Hast war in England and on the
continent. l know whereof 1
speak when l say that during
those years women lost their re-
spect for manhood, their own
belief In wOmanly chastity or
reverence for their bodies as
the temple Of the spirit"
WELL, 7 don't agree. Mr.. or
Mrs. *. NJ. Read. Fighting
women. no. But an auxiliary
army for those things that
women can do best. yes.
Women are not the weak
lings. the trails Z" the spirit
ual' beings that we romantic
fellows think they are.
In fact. they are something
much better-'human natures
daily food" as Wordsworth says.
And If il is necessary to fight.
well. there's one glorious thing
among the femmes they have
no notion of civilized" warfare.
and few Of them fear death in
a row.
Bring on the gals!-behind
the lines
NVOU might have Knocked
me down with a feather"
Is an old English saying.
II denotes the power OF sur
prise or the unexpected.
When we consider how sur
prised we are every day in these
{ i m Show the unexpected
seems 10 be the very law of
events-it is remarkable 10 me
how grownup. intelligent ESQ
called persons go on planning"
for a postwar world in books.
newspapers and magazines.
On this subject of the uncer-
talnty of all our future. / rec
ommend a reading OF DR.. Ed
ward Spencer Cowles' article
in Good Housekeeping entitled
The Law of Surprises: One of
the laws Of Life" ! give you a
stimulating excerpt:
you take walk downtown.
going nowhere In particular. and
YOU run into an old friend who
Invites you to party. and there
YOU meet some one with whom
YOU fall In love.
you pick up a book. and your
eve falls on paragraph which
gives you an idea that may be
worth thousands to YOU.
You twist a radio dial, ard n
strangers voice speaks words
alone. words that g'vo vcu tho
solution TO sor1e problem that
has baffed you.
You miss a train, and while
YOU wait for the next one YOU
enter into conversation with n
stranger, and eventually a new
and better job comes out Of that
chance meeting"
WHAT which holds true Of in
L dividualS. Of course. is true
~ nations. which are only COL
lcctionS OF individuals.
In 1917 we entered war ito
make the world safe for democ-
racy" We were surprised by
getting MussoIini. Hitler and
prohibition. not 10 speak Of a
re in Communist stock in
ArNcrica.
So let's not talk of the -four
freedoms" or make any postwar
plans We NAV be surprised"
as Doctor Cowles would remark.
Tic job in hand is 10 annihi-
late Germany and Japan as eco
nomic and political factors. Let's
get on with that.
When we've finished that
maybe we can do a little short
time PLANNING" and cushion
ourselves for further surprises
In tho nnnsf sllr.nrisinO of Nnrlds