WOMEN WARRIORS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 733, 4 February 1910, Page 3

WOMEN WARRIORS.

•THlilß' SEX' NO ■ BAR.

'» ithe Salvation Army, does the' same, work as a- man,] rises ;by yir,t'ue ': of . her .'ability'; to tion ;'as : a.man ;';.her' ses : is; absplntely' rio, : tar.tb; her,''arid she."shares the''dri.ties.,aud.' th'e; '.opportaiii -the ,meri:she.'.has'.an';added: advantage; in; the fact v that "she! 'is -a' - woman;; and; has' fur-ther-opportunities; of'; seryiceli. peculiarly her own "

-• "IJhat. is v stalenieht '■ of the. woman's positiori'.-'iri 'the'rVtriny as ; summed- ,up by'* 'Mrsi (; Hay,, who'.'isj.fierself'-ah/-officer :: of. high Ani nk, - andrfas' one : m eeting-.' I her; would;sqon.'firid-'out, : :if one' didn't; already .know. woman- of ■ very marked- abil-; ity.'; She ' is,/ the : mfe. ;bf.. Commissioner, :Hdy '.wlio came.frpm-.England !&ve.'monttis .ago, 1 ; 'to 1 ;-sup'erintendi'-;tKov'wbole 1 , work of :the;.Salvation -Army.,in.'Australasia, j,and, that 'h'er'' Kusbaiidis.'- a. ;inatf'."of. excep-, .tipriallyV'fin'e. judgment .'and,/shrewdness, | is prbvejJ-by' a' .his. which' Mrs.' Hay;-, woman's; is; an', even'.'greater.-force.-'than'':. a man's reason ", V-It • ithey 'have 'proved.Mt'oVer.jand'pver :again' i . .worn en " can v deal .successfullyi, with: cases; to'o -hard: to: be influencedi'Dy;any. man'.'f"."One, .of.-c the.'. bir strong'; officers'; .wilLjcome in ; and'-' say, 1: can't: do - any-'. thinß Tvith ' that man; ; 'Nottiing: will touch-; him,'; and.;.then','we' 'say-' to; one >f , the. lasses^-a,'little •'bit of- -a.,,timid v girl;, "You'd bfetter./seerwhat yoti/can :do/' and ■so :she: tof iritemew the bard' case, and : treatment ' works:- like magic:. tShe;,succeeds-where:,the -man. was: bound to. fail." • • . -.:

■ ' Mrs. "Hay-has been, forV seven' and; a! ' . half '.years f in-- charge,' 'of vall' the • slnm work done by the "Army ".in- London—a most arduous rand; important-position— ' and! she^talks-'.about; it; 'enthusiasm; in: i amost fascinating: way. : She ' does. indeed,:' .:- if. , any ■ woman ./who .cares'; the-betteriri'ent. of. social • conditions,:-.-does ' not./want-.-to. join' the - ranks/ of? the Salvation, 'Army, .-she'd:-,bet-' , ' '.thestory':she"tells;;and" tie'rW.ay - she'tells" its'goo'd'old-sense.::' .' ; hand? 'of/- them'.fundert.tKoScomnian'd lof £ .'Mr's. v , Hay;(these'..'Soventy' in,: their,',turn'' being ; aided . by; the-..field wbrkers; rank, and file. ' ■■V : ''J^hd:■•^work : ;^Vfls-':better'•'■d6no'; , l)y,■. : wo-' men,'.;, says )Mrs.;.,pay, v'-for : 'so"many,\thirigs";tha);:.a.'man.-cbuld'-npt\d 1 ,They - went, into' the.t homes of •: the ' people; ' ■No,' ••ffiey ; to .visits^ wliere' the-police-daved 'not go alone, they - THeir' uniform-/was ; a sufficient , protec-- ; tibn./ifor.Ktheijpepple'i-of- Ithe'-^slums-f']do'. thoroughly.'ii.understand.''that-.the-: tAirmy'people, are,--their.:.friends.'-,"The.:policeman; goes ..down/-to.wth'e - slums in,, the name whole': community, -i .TheVArmy' .women :go' as'., the friends ..of; the individuals/to help' jtheV.i^yeryi-.wprst, ;cases themselves; '- As-: they :'■visit' about; ,■ these: soldiers^real. wo'-; 'men women.- ; ;h6w ; to-, care!.for . their homes'aiidtheir .children; andi'/no'v/.to cdok: ( plainj-.wholesome: food, 1 -,th?jr-;iii^.sflie7BSdiir^ : ilobk>afta-'.thß ' The ' poverfy*,'of ''course is.' bitter,: and ,-it'is ;in.- ; .tHe;-!-yß^ j; ""places.>V , w'hero : erty- ' is- deadliest :'that ' thoir ' work 'lies' ;most.j-'There': are.Xprga :help.; ,There -are' children,. :and '-the .''suppers 'given -,to .the, grow:n-up's. ' AH.: night, long ./soldiers''of; this":?Army''p!itrpl/the:''Vict'ofiar Embank, ment ~a'nd'r tHey itiring'.'inV tlie;; men '/and. women: whom -they : find , there/miserable arid-'homeless.' 1 During, the winter a', snp-'; per/is one. o'clock: in: the "morn-.; -ing, . aiid ;this.' iriust' ".be -a ; .;truly /impres-, rive]iunction,' for : : the '.number ofguests' 'attending'; is ..imriiense.-:,-' It ''starts' -some. - where: ; abb'ut":tiyelv'e;; hundred; . and there: have,: Pn'many oMa'sions,;-.been' seventeen' hundred .guests,' the;most forlorn. in 'Lon-: don/ :-,TheriV.;there '-are; ,the : .'shelters ...to wliidh are.;brought ; the .men 'and ;.women : whP;require;a:,helping.!hand';and a freshstar t.;iri., : life.;., They,.,are : 'fittod . ''and;..work : ;is:jfourid' : i-for.-':them,'and then ; their .'.new; ,hopeful, story • !\: -"No't' : by .any .-means: all. t£e dwllers ;iri : . ; the"slutris',afe. slum-folk,'',savs"Mrs. : :Hay, : '•'an'd.;thatVis : :alraost; > the saddest part of ; : it,,: tp ; find,^amqngjtlie,':m'ost, ; .sriual4'd' sur- : .Toimdings,' tiie people^,who :.have - known •better : days;,/and;,have'; drifte'diitill' they . come, with' ;■ tbo wreck'ago'.of lives." :But Mrs'.' Hay.; thlks ;most '.optimisticaiiy , about tho ' iuture 'of .her . people. r The > -wort/, of v the ; Salvation, "Army :■■ has : ' done" ; ;iriuoh ;mbrß( : : . submerged, city,, and: she' is corifident that ; •tt''-is.-g6^ > pn^tt'S'omulative.;i:ißfei- - ■ The' results) "already :l achieved. have' ■ been ; so,'satisfactory,/-that'' 'feels sure that the;years to come will see prpportionately ,- - greater., successes." . •. . /' , Thereiis .here ,'a' great .tifld":for', women's; work, - and . Mrs./. Hay/ earnestly' wishes ' .that more yeurig-: wpinen.- wpuld come' forward,'' riot, to'. work-in 'the'; Salvation Armyalone. vbut vto join'«' that , ivre'doirig'similar worlc.'; There are many' ■. of-them. ■; ~

: Ihe workers' in the.Ar myat -Ho me comprise women; from' practically every. andvmany.; of. theni'/are'women of ' good 1 education; -and-'.'often-: women.' of! ;wealth; 1 whohave:.devoted ■ their \ fortunes to the wort of-the Army..- .There are also, 1 among .■the-,.officers,'' women:who, have .come v from . a : ,less leisured'cldssi ;a'nd -whose devotion' and natural;; aptitude:' l 'for .', the - task - has made . thehi -. : ;most: valuable . workers. | Obviously: the -work - of. the Army, where so-, much sympathy, tact/ aDd . common -.sense, is with: quickness ■in- dealing, with'.unusual : situations, can-not,bo'-undertaken without careful training,:, and the .officer. .who. attains any. important rank,' Has previously had/plenty •of . training ;in .the. .different branches of the work... . - '- •

One; of.' the''greatest'reasons- of .the Army's,, success ;is' v its ! naturalness,' - and :its ! : adaptability,; and. Mrs. Hay. - says that the/quickness, with'.'which.'.popular airs' are, captured ,by .the Army and used'as hymn tunes, accqunts 'for much.-of their success . in' : getting -'hold' '.of.! the .masses,' and. she Vis ..'pleased to. know that their latest has. :been ..fitting : a hymn to the tone' of ."Afraid to go Home, in. tile Dark." Many a man, fuddled with .drink,nnd'.;hardly, {knowing. what he. was. .doing/■ has'. been' attracted: by some ;,catehy 'air,'./and...drifted ..into. - the. .hall," where ho lias come: under 'the,in- : : lluenco 'of' th'q.lArmy, and 1 , been reclaimed. Looking'at:the;;matter ; 'from this point, of vieiv,' ~one ; feels'.quits" .sorry ,that'.' {the haunting'tune of "Harrigan 1 isobviously •.beyond ; the ingenuity {'oven of'the- Salvation: Army 1 {musicians,- and'{ r-thai the "Jung. of.Cadotua" is., so wanting; in' catchy- airs /that, :it. is likely-Y.tobe; of littlß.-service, to ''.them." : • ;. ;■' • ; During ' .their: ,visit - to .New •: Zealand, which ,'is :rdther: a doorstep ".call .than a I visit, -so brief is it;; most of the' public speaking;-will {be done by the Commissioner, /but -'Mrs, Hay' .will. speak • several • times 'on Sunday, and in the : :{ afternoon she. will tell, lot us 1 hope to; a;itery; large, audiorice,' the intensely .interesting' story, of -her.;life--as. commander of the forces ' stationed'in 1 - the' London' slums. • '■