Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-01-02
Women Work for Peace
Play Important Roles in U. n. Setup
By HELEN BECKWITH

(Cuess ootxyniss for KatAlee~ Norris-
Ben syntsea.s.-wSu Featurea-
Additional evidence Of the progre.
being made by women N world a
fairs Is offered IN the role BEN
played by women in the United M
tons setup-
Main achievement insofar .
women are concerned, was the e.
Enlistment Of the commission O
the status Of women The grou
was created as a result OF the de
mand by prominent feninists tia
the new international agency shoul'
give recognition to women's inter
ests-
The United States Representative
On the commission Is Miss Doroth,
Kenyon, New York attorney and for
ner municipal court judge. Long &C
tive In women's organizations, Miss
Kenyon served as a member o.
the League of Nations committee on
the legal status of women voters.
The movement for U-N. recognl-
ton of women was launched at the
San Francisco conference, when
they succeeded In getting the prlnci-
pie of equal rights incorporated Ii
the U-N. charter.
They also got the proposal for a
commission for women put on the
agenda for the London meeting IN
the winter Of 1916. At this meeting
the economic and social council set
I'D a sub-commission on the status
of women IN the commission on hui
man rights, of which Mrs Eleanor
Roosevelt is the chairman
The commission outlined pro-
gram calling for civil, political, edu-
cational and social equality for wom-
en- They asked that an executive Of
fee on women's affairs should be set
up as a part of the United Nations
secretariai. They recommended ex-
pansion into a larger independent
commission. The economic and so
cial council approved the sugges-
ton and authorized establishment OF
a separate commission AT their
meeting IN New York IN October,
1916. the council designated the
countries to be represented on the
new commission
Work IN Secret1riat.
Although they seldom appear be-
fore the public eye, another group OF
women is playing an important role
In telling the United Nations story
to the world. This group IS COM
prised of members of the U-N- sec
retariat, who accomplish a major
mission even if their work Is prin-
cipaIly behind the scenes
Among members Of the secretari-
at are many of the new twentieth
century women who have risen from
the ashes of war. AT first glance
these girls look like smart young
women you could see almost any,
where-pretty North Americans In |
fiower-toned sweaters and blouses,
slender Chinese IN short skirted YER
sions Of Oriental dress, oIve-skinned
South Americans with liquid Latin
eyes. Lipstick, smart hats and all
that
But watch them awhile and you
viii find they are different. There
is less party talk and drinking, more
hard work for a purpose Not that
they are any less interested In men
than women always were; they SIM
ply seem to think and talk about !
them less. These women hold what
is probably the worlds largest fem
mine collection of university de-
grees.
Many speak from two TO five Ian
guages and can translate or take
shorthand in several Others are
wizards with paintbrushes. Yet
many are working for far less money
han they have made before On a
heavy schedule that sometimes ex-
ends to 10 OF IL hours day, SIX or
seven days week, with three hour
iaily communication added to that
During the general assembly they
we're soaked In a bath of work"
hat left virtually no time for shop
,ing, hairdresser, friends or play
Why do they do it7
Let Marion Dix tell you. Miss
Dix, a former scenario writer,
urned down 1000 a week IN Holly
wood to work for 500 week In the
United Nations as chief Of the film
md television section, which is pro-
Iucing a film on the functions. pur-
,oses and goal of the United Ma
ions.
Miss Dix says succinctly:
IF the United Nations fails, there
VIII be no world. 1t must succeed
\ job to help it succeed is the best
OBJ you can have right now-and no
york seems too hard"
Constance Rhodes adds few
words to that. Miss Rhodes is an
English girl who studied at the Paris
worked for the 10 in
Geneva and now is secretary to An
rev Cordier, right hand man to
'rygvie Lie. Says Miss Rhodes:
Satisfaction in Effort. Z
This kind of work gets in your
lood. once you've done II. It's fas {