The Working Woman

Eva Perón, the idol of the people, has been laid to her final rest in a glass casket set up in the largest of the squares of Buenos Aires, so that the woman who loved her people, and whom they loved, might remain forever before their eyes. Today, two months after her death, the square around her glass casket still teems with thousands of her devotees. The people have offered two million wreaths of flowers, which surround the casket to great distances and have risen to a height of thirty feet, and the workers have sworn to lay a wreath upon the casket every evening for as long as they live. Nor will the idol of Argentina be buried; rather, the people have cabled His Holiness the Pope asking that the papers of beatification be sent, confirming her sanctity and enrolling her among the saints of the papal Church. Among the letters received by the American magazine Time was this one:

Sir, we the people of Latin America respect and greatly admire your own Eleanor Roosevelt, even though she is constantly attacked by most of the newspapers; so we beg you to show greater respect for Eva Perón, who died this past August and who was a singular personality, whether you people of the North like it or not... And the publisher of Time magazine replied, saying:

Sir, Eva Perón attained an exceptional degree of greatness and won the hearts of the people as no other American woman has done or ever will...

Since 1935 the Turkish woman has enjoyed all her political and social rights, and she has sat in the Turkish parliament since that date. Today there are more than 100 women working as judges and deputy prosecutors, while the women lawyers and university professors are beyond counting; and in every Turkish embassy or legation abroad there is more than one woman. This month the Turkish woman drew the world's attention to something deep-rooted in her — tradition and the keeping of it, or pride, or call it what you will. The Turkish Miss Giseli Basar was chosen from among 12 beautiful girls to be Miss Europe. But Giseli refused to wear the bikini bathing suit, which is the favorite wear of Europe's beauty queens today, and insisted on remaining in the modest bathing suit she had on. Miss France, who ranked just below her, whispered, "Her hips are not trim and beautiful — that is why she is afraid of the bikini." Giseli did not stir at this challenge and insisted on keeping to the modest costume, while the judges insisted just as firmly. The first prize was a contract with a motion-picture company, which the company presented to the winner; but the Turkish Miss refused the contract with the utmost pride, saying: "I want to return to Istanbul to complete my studies in the arts." And so the somber Middle East, as the English newspapers put it, goes on drawing the attention of the West.

In the American state of Illinois there is a small town called Europa. The girls of this town were alarmed to find that the young men had gone on strike against marriage, so they thought up a new remedy. First the girls invaded the posts that had been reserved for men, entering and filling them, from the office of mayor down to the office of jailer. Then orders went out to the women's police to arrest every bachelor who could not produce reasons to justify his remaining unmarried. The arrests began, the prison doors were opened, and the prisons filled up. Then the young men were brought to trial before a judge who was also a woman, and the lightest sentences she handed down were a fine of 40 shillings, or two pounds sterling, on condition that the young man pledge to marry as soon as possible. As for the young man who would not pay the fine, his penalty was to have a quantity of his blood taken and sent to the war wounded in Korea. The result was that a great number of the young men made haste and got married, while many hid in their houses and stayed away from their work for fear of falling into the hands of the blood-sucking women's police!!

★ A women's association has been formed in Zurich, called the Zurich Ladies' Association, whose aim is to fight vice and the drinking of liquor. It has succeeded in securing legislation that curbs late nights and liquor drinking, under which all cafés and public establishments close at eleven o'clock in the evening... This association then established hotels, cafés, and clubs of a special character of their own, which permit neither the drinking of liquor nor the giving of tips; they contain, moreover, every means of enabling the family to spend its time in an atmosphere far removed from corruption, and they have prepared special places for the children's play and exercise and means of amusing them, and they have shown great art in the serving of spirituous drinks... The men, especially the influential among them, encourage the Zurich Ladies' Association...

★ In the corridors of the United Nations great efforts have been made to grant woman her political right, and obstacles have likewise been raised to keep her from being granted this right. This struggle between woman and her adversaries lasted two years, and at last the Commission on Women's Rights at the United Nations approved granting her this right. The Economic Council, and then the Social Council, approved it, and it was decided to lay it before the General Assembly at its coming session for its approval. Mrs. Ana Figueroa, the delegate of Chile, says that it is the duty of women's associations in every part of the world to work with effort and complete devotion to move the members of the United Nations General Assembly to give their approval. As for these rights, they are as follows: woman shall have the right to vote in all elections exactly as man does; woman shall have the right to hold all the public offices provided for in the local and national constitutions of the states, exactly as man does.

★ Woman took part in the Olympic Games held in Helsinki, coming from every part of the world to join man in this round of the games. The newspapers and the camera lenses recorded a magnificent leap through the air by Miss Shirley Strickland, who came from Australia for this purpose and set a record in this event.

★ President Truman's wife dreams of the happy days when she used to do her own shopping, and she says that today she feels as if she were in prison, because the servants perform every task for her. Mrs. Truman is a simple lady in everything, and especially in her clothes. She once entered the elevator and heard a lady behind her say, "Imagine — the President's wife wearing that plain dress!" Mrs. Truman answered at once, "And why not? Is the President's wife any different from other women?" She once wished to buy an evening gown, when the present Queen of England, before she became Queen, was thinking of visiting America; but she waited and did not buy the fabric until she could be sure the report was true, and when it did not come to pass she gave up buying it. It is well known that it was Mrs. Truman who prompted her husband to retire from politics...