THE NEW WOMAN IN GERMANY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9177, 7 August 1895, Page 4

THE NEW WOMAN IN GERMANY.

The age of the German hausfrau is rapidly passing. Among no civilised people has the woman been more strictly confiaed to her children and cookery than with the Teutons; but even German women are now claiming a wider outlook on life. The leader of ilia revolting daughters, Frau Gizyaki, was " \ recently in Loudon, attending the conference of the Y. W.U.T.U. It wouid be hard (says an iutci viewer) to find one belter fitted to ' lead such a crusade than Frau Uizyski. Young, lightly built, with an intense spiriluelle face, and with frank, open man. 1 uers aud freedom from restraint and quiets A self-possession, she wine a way for her mes.,"« P> sage where it could not otherwise reach. f -''. She is a grand nieci of the groat Napoleon, and daughter of a General in the German army, and spent the first of her life amidst the Court circles of Prussia. The success of a literary venture induced her to enter on a course of study'in Berlin,' and here she fell in love with, and after a romantic courtship married, her teacher iv ethic 3, Professor yon Gizyaki. The Professor was a politician of au advanced type, and under his guidance his wife Blurted her movement for the emancipation of women. Wheu he died, a'four mouths ago, she took J up his work, and she now edits his Ethical I Journal and a periodical devoted to the I women's campaign. 1 ''The idea that the Gorman woman is I notbirg but a housewife is not true," eaid <I Frau Gizyaki, in answer to tny questions. % "It may have been so ten year.* ago, but' /■ Isince then great changes have taken place. . Among the women's movements there is that of therjocial Democratic Federation, which has declared itself in favour of Female Suffrage. The membership of the Federation is made up almost' solely of . working people, and almost all of-the ia* telligout working women belong to it. lb has ehowu itself in favour of all tnatisgood for woman. No other- political party is favourable to our having the Suffrage but it. The others ate all opposed, though - some members of them may advocate the higher «ducation of women or the appointment of female factory inspectors." - ~ '" Do I understand, then, that the Suf- - frage Party support! tho views of the Social Democrats on marriage and religion, . as they are given, say, in Bebol'B book, 'Die . Fi-au?"* "Oh, no ; not necessarily. I know Bebel well, and he alwayß advocates our cause, . but all of us do not agree with all his views. The Social Democratic par&y makes its work its religion. I " Bub there is another women's moveI menb beside this." Fran Gizyski continued. _ ; 1 "'That of tho Social Democrats is confined to the working class ; this is among the - bourgeoisie. It is divided into groups. The oldest is in favour of the higher education of women ; the other, which I was, perhaps, " the first to begin, would give her the vote. When wo commenced I expected much mote opposition thau I received. When 1 first t spoke iv Berlin to an audience of perhaps ,2000, all the newspapers wrote about it, and only two were unfavourable.. "The work has to be carried on under very great difficulties. By tho laws of the . land women are not allowed' t»- f«fc political associations or to take an-interest so politics, though they may speak in public. So all ocr work has to bs done individually, nob through societies. When we speak \ policemen stand on either aide, and any moment they can say, * You must nob speak about this.. It is forbidden.' i'hs police have never yet prevented mc from saying anything, bub they often stop our working women speakers." \