You know the old saying, that men should work and women should weep?  That is not true, for it is for all of us to work and for all of us to weep when there is occasion to do so.  Therefore, it is because in the French Nation you have splendid qualities combined in both sexes, because the history of the French Nation is so magnificent, because the French Nation has contributed so much to civilization, and so much in art, beauty, and in great qualities, it is our duty to stand by France, and to prevent her being crushed by the oversexed, that is to say, overmasculine, country of Germany.

It is our duty as women to do what we can to help our country in this war, because if the unthinkable thing happened, and Germany were to win, the women’s movement, as we know it in Europe, would be put back fifty years at least; there is no doubt about it.  Whether it ever could rise again is to my mind extremely doubtful.  The ideal of women in Germany is the lowest in Europe.  Infantile mortality is very high, immorality is widespread, and, in consequence, venereal disease is rampant.  Notice, too, the miserable and niggardly pittance that is being paid to the wives and families of German soldiers, while nothing whatever is being paid to unmarried wives and their children.  True security for women and children is for women to have control over their own destiny.  And so it is a duty, a supreme duty, of women, first of all as human beings and as lovers of their country, to co-operate with men in this terrible crisis in which we find ourselves.

If all were trained to contribute something to the community, both in time of peace and in time of war, how much better it would be.

What bitterness there was in the hearts of many women when they saw work and business going on as usual, carried on by men who ought to be in the fighting line.  There were thousands upon thousands of women willing, even if they were not trained, to do that work and release men, and we have urged the authorities to take into account the great reserve force of the nation, the women who are or might be quite capable to step into the shoes of the men when they were called up to fight.

The Board of Trade issued its appeal to women just before Easter to register their names as willing to do national service in any capacity during the course of the war.  I want to tell you tonight that I am very proud of the women of the country.  When the first recruiting appeals were made to men, the hoardings were covered with placards and appeals and they were making efforts by recruiting bands, in places of pleasure—­everywhere in the columns of the newspapers there were recruiting appeals to men.  Then the time came when the Board of Trade wished to know to what extent it could depend upon the services of the women of the country, and what was done in the case of women?  There were no posters for us; there were no recruiting meetings for us; there were no appeals from great names to us; no attractive pictures, “Your King and Country Want You”—­nothing of that kind.  And yet, in spite of that, in one week 34,000 women sent in their names as volunteers for a national service. [Loud applause.]