2
TOE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 9, 1919.
--yi
Mrs. Pinktnrat, who says that after-the-war
conditions In England have
at gp a grave problem for women.
BY HELEN HOFFMAN.
HOW would you feel about being
a. girl in a country where there
seemed to be too many of you?
Would you want to run away to some
other place where they wanted you?
Would you be willing to undergo all
sorts of hardships to accomplish your
purpose?
Elsi Wilson, a 22-year-old English
girl, did want to get away from Eng
land. She is of the stuff heroines are
made of, even if government officials,
obeying necessary rileB, have been
gainst her on both sides of the
Atlantic
Of the big number of stowaways
who have made desperate efforts to
seek a new life here, far from the
misery and hunger of war-torn
Europe, Miss Wilson's case seems to
be unique.
After many attempts, Miss Wilson
finally succeeded in arriving in New
York on an American transport. Dis
guised in a flannel shirt and pair of
overalls, which a friendly American
sailor had provided for her in Liver
pool, she shoveled coal on the way
over.
This young woman's experiences In
trying to get away from suffering
England, where she says she was un
able to obtain work of any sort, reads
like a movie thriller. And the best
part of Miss Wilson's experience is
that it is real, very real, indeed.
For two years of war Miss Wilson,
a pretty blonde girl of the buxom
English type, was a member of the
famous army of W: A. A. C.'s, num
bering upwards of 60,000 women,
otherwise known as the Women's
Army Auxiliary corps, which sup
ported the British lines In Flanders
by doing all sorts of work, from re
pairing motors to cooking for the
army.
Plenty of Self-Rellanee.
This experience had the effect of
Instilling in Miss Wilson a great self
reliance. In fact, I never met a young
woman possessed of a more goodly
supply of self-confidence. At the
same time this young adventurer, for
she may rightly be called an adven
turer in the same sense that Chris
topher Columbus is so spoken of,
holds a cheerful, unquenchable faith
in the kindly determination of fate.
She hasn't much .knowledge of the
fine technicalities of international
law as applied to immigration mat
ters, but she is learning.
She has seen men win ont by a
hair's breadth of good luck In the
fighting zone and she has youth and
Its optimism and a splendid vitality.
And this is the prime reason, she
says, she had for leaving England.
"Here I" am, a strong young wom
an," ehs explained, "and 1 was anx
ious to work, but things are so dull
in England there is nothing for a
woman to do."
In this complaint the young stow
away echoed the sentiments expressed
to me recently by M.s. Pankhurst,
England's militant suffragist, who is
lecturing here now.
Referring to the women of England
women who won the admiration of
the British government and th- world
by their wonderful war service Mrs.
Pankhurst sa d: i
"Before women were employed in
any large numbers in England in war
work, the labor unions got the gov
ernment to promise that when the
hostilities ended the women would
give way to the men. During these
years of war women .have become
skilled workers and their employers
like them. . They have not, as the
labor unions feared, tried to 'under
salary' the men. They have held up
the standard of work and wages, but
today they are out of employment,
thousands of them. So serious has
the situation become that women of
wealth who worked with these women
in munitions and other war indus
tries, are discussing the advisability
of opening factories to give employ
ment to these women. There is. not
enough work now; not enough fac
tories running to employ all the
women who are seeking work."
Having talked with M.s. Pankhurst,
I understood Mill Wilson's plight.'
"There is a large family of us,"
explained Miss Wilson, "consisting of
five children. My father, a railroad
engineer, does not earn large wages.
Taking the Cbanee.
"I live just outside of Liverpool.
After being home for two months af
ter the war ended, I had become so
discouraged by January I decided to
take the great risk and come to
America. I had heard a great deal
of this country from some American
sailors I roet in Liverpool. They told
me there was lots of work to be had
here and that the wages were good.
V 111
The townrar'i arrest.
They are much higher than they are
at home.
"So in January I chanced it," Miss
Wilson went on to explain. "I had
met a young woman. Miss Daisy
Lewis, from Jacksonville, Fla. She
had been doing war work in France
and she was anxious to get home,
but she had spent all her money.
"I ssked her, 'Are you game? and
she said 'Yes.'
"I cut my hair, and dressed as
longshoremen we sneaked aboard an
American transport in Liverpool.
With the aid of the American sailors
who promised to see us through, we
hid in the hold of the ship. There
were 100 empty coffins down there
and one of them held the body of a
young sailor who had died that day.
We climbed into two of ths empty
coffins and drew the lid over us. The
only ventilation was ths shattway,
which our friends tried to keep open
for us. But we did not starve. The
sailors let down on the end of a rope
to us sandwiches, fruit and chocolate.
"On our way to Brest a bad storm
broke, and down tbera in the hold we
felt every little motion of the huge,
battling waves. If it hadn't been for
that storm I am sura I would be an
American citizen by now,
"But that is the tragedy of this, my
first attempt. Miss Lewis got aw
fully sick. So that night, when the
boys let down some food, I tied a
note on the end of the rope, telling
them I was afraid she would have to
have a doctor or she might die. The
ship's doctor took cars of .her that
night.
"The next day we arrived in Brest.
Since then Miss Lewis has married
(be captain of an American transport
and the last I heard of her she was
in England. Being a British subject
was taken by the authorities and
ABANDONMENT
CUSTOMS
Old Resident of Land of .Heavenly
tion Conn try Seems as Soundly
BY AAGE A. ENNA,
Portland Citizen Who Lived Nine
Years in China.
THE establishment of the republic
of China is today a fact which
to the world at large means that
at last the old-fashioned, quaint-costumed
eastern country with its queer
Inhabitants has overcome . all ob
stacles and enrolled among the lead
ing nations. It must, however, have
struck those who folow this question
as peculiar that since the overthrow
of the old Chinese regime "things
Chinese" have not progressed as fast
toward modern arrangements as the
establishment of a republic would
promise. One who knows the Chinese
and who for many years has lived
anong them and obtajned an inti
mate knowledge of their life and cus
toms cannot help but view this great
change of government in China with
suspicion.
With the exception of Pekin, where
the new government has stirred up
things and given the old imperial
palace a more modern aspect, China
seems to sleep as undisturbed and
unconcerned behind its walled cities
as for the last thousand years. Trav
"Too Many Idle Girls Over
There, "Says Plucky Elsi Wilson,
Who Stow (fit Away as a Stoker
and Got to America at Last, Only
to Be Held Up by the Authorities.
sent to London. They were kind to
me and garve me the money to go
home, with the understanding that I
would stay there. I intended to at
that time.
"Again I hunted for employment.
After a few weeks I grew desperate
and the ' idea of going to America
took complete possession of my
thoughts. I, managed an acquaint
ance with some American sailors in
Liverpool and they offered to help
me. Again they fitted me out with
a longshoreman's costume and I got
aboard the American transport Har
rlsburg. But before she sailed a
petty officer spied me out and re
ported me.
"I was arrested and the magistrate
told me hs would give me five years
if I ever tried it again. I was set
free on a year's probation.
"Meantime. I got some few small
jobs of substituting in shops, but the
pay was almost nothing and the de
sire grew again to get to America,
"I tried to get passage as a stew
ardess, but failed. By August my
mind was made up. I would go to
America and. If necessary, sacrifice
my life in making the attempt.
"Again, through the friendship of
some American sailors, I was able to
OF OLD SUPERSTITIONS AND
HELD CHINA'S GREATEST NEED
1 1 ' O "
Sons Gives Viewg on What Is Necessary if Nation Is to Accept Civiliza-
Asleep and Unconcerned as for Last Thousand Years, Says Writer.
elers recently arrived from visits to
the land of the pigtails do not hesi
tate openly to express surprise in
finding the same ancient rules, the
same old-fashioned customs so far
dominating that not the slightest
trace of modern influence is yet vis
ible. Some expressions o' opinion
regarding the new government were
obtained from the natives. In several
cases tha answers betrayed doubt
that such a regime was possible. In
most cases the natives showed com
plete ignorance regarding any change
of government of their country, still
harboring the belief that the heaven
ly emperor, the protecting father of
all his devoted sons, was still the
ruler of the country.
Reform Merely Superficial.
The reform of China as yet,' there
fore, is a matter of the surface. And
it would, seem astonishing that a
country of the nature of China should
suddenly tear itself away from its old
customs and adopt the most extreme
form of modern government. Such
a change, if real, would be without
precedent in the history of nations,
where the unbroken rule based
& Cfff " ' :
I LLMi' . life 2miri iWi
I . " . P -V p. , t 1 X. V f .
"We climbed Into two of the empty eoffiuo. ... Down there la tbe kola we
felt every motion of the knee, battling waves. M imm Lewis got sick. She
was awfully al-lc That nlabt when the bojrs let down some food I tied a
note to the end of the rope."
get aboard the Plattsburg, disguised
as a coal passer. We worked four
hours on and eight hours off."
At this point in her narrative Miss
Wilson bared her arm.. It was a good
strong arm, but much too white and
shapely to pans for an assistant to an
experienced stoker. However, this
time, the third attempt to reach, the
promised land. Miss Wilson was Suc
cessful. When she walked off the
upon the natural development of
human kind has been a process de
veloping from a despotic all-suppressing
reign through internal
bloody strife to more human forms
of government; through overthrow
of czar, kaiser and kingdoms for
ward -to the most enlightened of all
governments the government of the
people themselves the repubtic
- None of the old European na
tions reached its present develop
ment in less than 1000 years. How
then should China of all nations be
come at once transformed?
It is not new that a Chinese states
man should cherish hopes of person
ally reforming his country. Chinese
history is full of such instances.
Chang Chih-tung, former governor
of Shansi, made the most vigorous
efforts to stop the practice of opium
smoking among the people and the
officials, but in vain. None of his
subordinates would co-operate with
him. Yang Tse-Kal was for years
known as the reformer of China be
fore he became the first president
of China. And his followers In the
presidential chair are undoubte'ly
men who must be classed imong the
ship In the Brooklyn docks shs
breathed freely. The lights blinked
a welcome to this courageous Lnglisb'
girl; the very atmosphere seemed
charged with friendliness and
fctrengthened faith for the future.
I spoke of the determination she
rhad exercised. "Oh, that was noth
ing," she laughed softly, 'J wasn't
ths only girl, you know."
"You weren't!" I gasped Incredu
great statesmen of ths world. Those
men know the truth. They know they
receive no response from the Inner
China and their efforts can only be
rewarded with hopes, so far vain.
Yang Tse-Kal was fully prepared for
this and he remarked -upon several
occasions that he would not live to
see his great ambition and desire
fulfilled. He predicted that many
years would pass before China would
be modernized. He saw that the be
ginning should be made by over
throwing the old imperial regime.
The many men whom China is send
ing abroad, especially to the United
States, to obtain knowledge of this
country's business and governmental
affairs are constantly returning to
China to bring their knowledge into
effect in their own land and amongst
their countrymen. But all these things
taken lntd consideration and viewing
this question from the point of view
of today it Is safe to say that the re
publican movement of China as a
whole is confined to a distinct and
very small party and only on the very
surface affecting China proper.
It is so typical that while the most
important elements, such as character,
moral commercial developments and
improvements are so completely neg
lected the "spirit of war" the mili
tary element of China, in similarity
with Japan has reached a modern
shape and height which to some ex
tend must be taken Into consideration
by the foreign nations. The Chinese
are not of an aggressive nature rather
the opposite. Therefore the cause for
Clal WUmi, the S3-year-oId Ensllah girl wkMt remarkable efforts to reaeh
America have had many dramatic features.
ously, after listening to the story of
this young explorer.
"Oh, no." she explained calmly.
there were eight others. They were
disguised as coalpassers, too, and all
of us got throughout without being
discovered. I think all of these girls
were engaged to American sailors or
soldiers here and have left New York
to meet the boys in other towns and
cities."
Surely the English girls are main
taining the high reputation they won
during the war for courage, endur
ance and initiative.
Captured In America.
Bo far as Miss Wilson's pluck Is
ooneerncd it might be thought that It
deserved a better fate. 8he did get
to America, She took off her sailor
clothes. And then one of the detec
tives who had been tracing the stow
aways caught her.
A hand came on her shoulder.
"You are the Wilson girl?"
She admitted that she was.' And
then off to the detention pen. Popu
this development is rather an instinct
of defense than of attack and the de
velopment has taken place gradually
during the last 3b years which is ex
actly the space of time in which the
leading nations of the world have had
their several representatives residing
in China, and Bad to say, this then
seem to be the only actual effect the
foreign presence has had upon China:
to arouse the warring instinct. The
Chinese are keen observers; they have
perceived nothing in the conduct of
any one of the states of the west that
could lead them to the conviction that
those states are actuated by motives
of an elevated and ideal nature. The
2,000,00 troops which China possesses
is in reality only a very meager
protection for the country's 400,000.
000 inhabitants and an absolutely In
adequate protection for a country of
China's enormous area. The commer
cial development of China, about
which so much has been said and
written is also at the present moment
a question of doubtful importance.
Railroads, communications through
the entire country amount to worse
than nothing and practically forbids
any commercial intercourse with the
outside world a matter which is ex
clusively confined to Shanghai and
the other great ports of the Chinese
coast where the foreign elements is
dominating. The Chinese In the In
terior do not deal with the foreigners
such as we see in Japan. There is on
the one hand small desire for that
which is new and on the-other no de
lar sympathy favored her. Men wrote
offering to marry her. But one who
was most insistent did not appear in
time. The law had to be vindicated.
Laws are not made for individuals,
but for the mass, and mass necessi
ties made it essential that England
and America should play each an
other's game fairly. Thus the final
ruling was that Miss Wilson, after all
her desperate efforts, must go hack.
At this writing there seems little
likelihood that the ruling will be re
versed. If only the young man who
saw the picture and heard the story
had. arrived in time and had beea
permitted by the girl herself and by
the officials to marry her! fc
Yet I don't doubt, and I don't be
lieve that you doubt either, that tha
girl will win at last. Such fighting
qualities, such endurance and persis
tence do seem to deserve some spe
cial reward. The reward of being
able to at last be an American might
be about the right thing. Who knows?
Perhaps it will happen.
sire at all. or even willingness, to
give up the old. Behold a land four
times the size of tne United States and
with total amount of rails of some 100
miles against 360,000 in America. Tele
graph lines seem more developed
though of a very troublesome nature.
During my experiences In China in
terruptions of the lines and heavy
delay of all the traffic was of daily
occurrence due to a complete igno
rance of the Chinese toward the pur
pose of a telegraph line. When the
line force arrived at the spot of dis
turbance the cause was generally
found to be that the Chinese had cut
the lines dragging them into their
huts and houses and using them for
the purpose of drying their clothes.
It the old does not go, the new
does not come" we are told, and er
tainly with truth. And of all obstacles
of China which stand most insuperable
to the acception of civilization apd
modernization the custom of the
walled cities stands foremost. As- it
ones upon -the time was the idea
started but never completed to build
a wall around the heavenly empire
of China to guard China from out
side interference so . is the principle
of having; walls around all the cities
of China dominating today. Behind
these walls the Chinese live their own
old-fashioned life of a millennium se
cluded from the outside world and
with no interest whatever for what
happens outside. The higher and the
heavier the walls the more comfort
able and confident the inmates.