Show 4 J Y From All the uell Enslaved Her Native Land Landy y 1 Baroness s BaronessA A ali inThe r The Barones an cr hus ref Y in posed her front band who IS of one of for f er the paintings ninon a countrywomen c cA w h i c h she brought with 4 a aher her f rom r o m mr r Spain to show A to American art lovers e HEN Baroness Bareness de I W Mosquera the beautiful ad ad- ad adventurous venturous and highly talented Spanish noblewoman recently ar- ar arI arrived arrived ar arrived rived in this country for an extended I visit visit she came with a double purpose I IOne One of the objects of h her visit is isto isto isto I to exhibit to her numerous admirers in the United States some of her I VI I herI latest masterpieces of painting But the more important one is to I the feminist movement in America and to try to to glean from it ideas I that will help her to ead her der tJ- tJ r en- en enslaved en enslaved slaved fellow countrywomen to a greater degree of self self and self onLand i x personal liberty than they have bave ever I known before I In song and and story Spain js is famed as the land of roman romance Abut I but bilt in it reality it is a land laid where where not not only romance but bat every of life involves forthe for the women the wearing of of of the most irksome irksome cha chains s and fetters S-fetters I fetters Centuries of stern stern stem customs customs and traditions traditions jr have sunk the charming charming and s senoritas noritas tas of Spain into la R a deer deeper r a more or abject s slaverY slaver than the women women II of any ay other civilized liland land and All U s sa a matter of deep r gi t to to to the the cul- cul cultured 13 11 refined refined and widely wide- wide widely D ly traveled Baroness Al- Al c She u ea eager r to see ier fellow country wOr women i and she believes the the surest Iway way to bring th that t about is to introduce ce into Spain some t of the the idas eid ideas as a which have given America's Amer- Amer America's ica's iea's ica's freedom w women o 0 men m e n greater ater freedom than Ulan th those se of any an any and made them them-at the them at least so o many the think think the happiest and most useful useful women on n the face of the the globe Many visitors from Europe are shocked shocked by by the frequency of f divorce in inthis inthis Inthis this country country and by the extraordinary liberty which we allow our young girls and other unmarried women But Baroness is not one of these On the contrary she thinks both these called called so-called evils are really blessings in disguise and she believes her her- native land would be Infinitely better for a taste of them In her picturesque studio where she has been exhibiting her paintings in Bos ton the Baroness recently discussed with witha a representative of this tiis newspaper newspaper h hr her r ideas of girls and freedom of love love mar mar- marriage marriage marriage and all their complexities complexities- American women dont don't realize realize- how lucky the they are the Baron the Baroness sald America is trul truly the country of ro romance mance the land where youth Its ita mate according to the dictates dictates- of of the heart and not according to law and and cus eus- custom custom tom V Even the so-called so divorce evil evil Seems deems to TOO me me a blessing in disguise For di- di divorce divorce di divorce vorce fundamentally means that a r f G S Sr y yu u r S Sr r in 44 l ss J 4 r y c ese 4 A 4 E f- f iw 4 f Zt q ea ei 55 V The very conservative English born Queen of Spain who does not agree with Baroness views about the wisdom of easy divorce woman even cven if it she has made one mis mis take do does but s not have to live a slave to her error but caa can n free herself and enjoy love again I I believe that three four even ten husbands ds are better than provided one one that the one one is not the right one There is nothing like love to develop a woman to make her wise beautiful and and strong strong- in iA in her affections Yet love loveis love S is not not easy easy to find find It may take several experiments before i a a woman can dis- dis discover discover dis discover cover the man who is best fitted to be beher beher beher her real companion After After she has found him she is better rather than the worse for her lier other experiences I believe that divorce should be mad made easy not hard There is nothing more anoro J 5 5 4 y yH H humiliating more destroying to soul and mind than to be bound by by marriage law to a union without love I have come to America to study the divorce laws and other conditions of life here and to carry back to my country country- countrywomen countrywomen countrywomen women in Spain some idea of the won won- wonderful wonderful wonderful freedom of heart and mind which American women enjoy Baroness is one of the few representatives of the feminist move move- movement movement ment went in S Sp ln in She is noted as a poet a a painter and an adventurous journalist She was recently selected by tide Spanish government to go to Morocco as a war correspondent to cover the Ruffian war She dressed during her unique assignment in the uniform uniform of an officer of the regular Spanish forces Her extreme bravery under fire as aswell aswell aswell well as her heroism during a long long and terrible confinement in a jail won for her a commission as honorary captain She feels that s she e has bas a a- a definite mis mis- mission mission mission sion to perform for tor the women women- of Spain whose intellectual moral and nd spiritual slavery she resentS resent resents keenly It is not so much that Spanish women behind It is are the times she says that their point of view as far tar as free free- freedom freedom freedom dom is concerned Is limited by the con con- conservative conservative con conservative customs of an ancient civilization civilization civilization tion which still bears the tho mark of Ori- Ori Oriental Oriental Ori Oriental influence Tradition rather than impulse rules the Spanish Spanish wom woman n That is what keeps her in subjection to customs which limit her development I In Spain divorce is almost unknown Women are arc content to abide by their fate marriage in in marri ge even if it is an un- un unhappy unhappy un unhappy happy one one They do do not even under under- understand understand understand stand the American attitude toward di- di divorce divorce di divorce vorce They They do do not realize that love is more important than custom that it is better freely to cast off the bonds of a humiliating humiliating humiliating marriage than to succumb to it for the sake of tradition or social stand stand- standing standing standing ing I believe that American girls and women are aro far happier in in the main than Spanish women And And I believe that this happiness is the direct direct di- di direct result of their freedom free free- f dom dam In Spain for instance it is almost impossible for young girls to go to public places with young oung men unless they are chaperoned It is especially frowned upon to permit them to go to dances under such con con- conditions conditions con conditions A Spanish girl is wooed according to strict tradition not according to the free impulses of her heart She cannot help herself To try to do otherwise would be to forfeit her good name Even after a woman is married she does not have the liberty of the Ameri Ameri- American American American can wife Cust Custom m and tradition still bind her and the Spanish woman is a great believer in custom and tradition A CIA married woman in Spain cannot keep her position in soci society ty if she is seen dining alone with a man not her husband or a near relative She may not motor alone with a man nor enter enter- entertain entertain entertain tain him without a third person present Spain is supposed to be the land oty ot romance as a matter of fact there is ismore ismore ismore more romance in one little city in Amer Amer- America America America ica than in all Spain I want to carry back to Spanish women a message of American freedom I want to show them that the liberty of American girls and wives is a wonderful thing that it is the only way to attain happiness No woman can have too much love love lovein lovein in her life Im I'm not a believer iI in pro pro- promiscuous promiscuous pro promiscuous love and I think that love is far too serious a subject to beI be I ap- ap approached ap approached lightly and flippantly put ut surely it is better to love lave and lose and lose then love than again again than to remain bound to a man after love is dead I also believe that the easier divorce laws ar are made mado the happier marriages will become Women will wm then have no reason to marry for any other consideration consideration tion tion than love The more marriage is stripped of its traditional meaning of the enslavement of women the mord beautiful it will become I find th that t the American American married woman who works usually makes a happy wife In my country that condi condi- condition condition condition tion is just now almost impossible Yet YetI I cannot see why a woman should not develop herself her talent and ambition ambi ambi- ambion ambition tion on just as much as a man should In Spain women are arc loved only be- be be I 1920 b ohn Fu ura In S 'S 4 rI i ri r o oS S 1 r Y t tr p Baroness de Mosquera celebrated artist and andone one of the most for forceful leaders of the feminist movement in Spain I cause they are women for tor their femi feminine nine appeal alo alone e In America they are loved for other qualities for their talent and for the personality which their freedom has developed This I believe is the basis for a much more enduring love It will take time for American ideas to go into effect in Spain But already there are a few v women who rea realize ize what freedom means I want to help their theire e cause use all I can and it is to America I have turned for this help One of the things that instantly im- im impresses impresses im impresses presses most American visitors to Spain is the tho fact that among the peasant classes the man has all the rights the women only duties The peasant women work constantly at the hardest of tasks They till the fields They move their families when moving is necessary and andin andin andin in Andalusia it is no uncommon sight to see a strong young woman scurrying from one house to another carrying a or a bureau They are water carriers which in a measure accounts for their wonderful carriage and poise and if it necessary they work in the to- to tobacco tobacco to tobacco bacco factories The women of the leisure class really are leisurely They have but one course of life to follow to become very charm charm ing lug ing young girls to wod wed to rear children They grow old and die and theres there's an end of it it Aa Iu girls the cultivation of their charms occupies most of of their time It cant can't be said as many students of Span Span- Spanish ish life have pointed out out that it occupies most of their thoughts In the first place placeit it is not necessary for the Spanish women to think and in the second place there is nothing for her to think about Custom carved out her niche in life ife so many generations ago that all she has to todo todo todo do now is to follow tradition Girls attain the marriageable age very early in Spain and since there is noth noth- nothing nothing ing else for them to do they marry education Co education has been possible in Spain for generations but it is a sadly neg neg- neglected neg- neg neglected neglected opportunity There are arc about a dozen universities there which permit it it but since there is no reason why a woman should be educated the percent percentage age ago of girl students is very small In fact it is considered such a very bold daring thing to do to g go to college that no small number of the ones on s who did go just went a step farther and mas mss 0 t f as men and had bad all manner of interesting and romantic adventures while they were doing it it Needless to say Spanish society felt very bitterly toward these bold bad creatures Shielded beautifully from all such ideas of becoming a horrible modern modem woman the little Spanish girl ca can take her life day by day and relax and en- en enhance enhance en enhance hance her charms and be happy happy-as happy happy as she can with so little fr freedom dom She gets up early in the morning dons her mantilla and goes to plass mass No mat mat- matter matter matter ter whether she prefers Parisian or Eng Eng- Engish English Eng lish lish ish clothes for afternoon the good Spanish girl wears wears her mantilla t to church After mass there there being nothing fot for her to do the rest of the morning phe he reclines on her sofa or perhaps em- em embroiders embroiders em embroiders broiders or plays the harp any harp any sort ot of occupation becoming to her station and not requiring thought She knows both by instinct and training from her older sisters how to dress her hair hold her lips curve her elbow flash her ankles flicker her eyelashes and toss her head to make herself utterly alluring and since that is the end and aim of her life there is no need to bother with superfluous details She reclines on her sofa all morning and in the afternoon she has her siesta Later if it it is- is isa is a festival season she may dress up and go to a horse show a bull fight or what what- whatever whatever whatever ever feature of the fiesta appeals to her herbut but she goes heavily chaperoned Nor Is Isher Isher her chaperon the sort that can be hood hood- hoodwinked hoodwinked winked easily There may be very devoted swains of hers in the crowd and she may openly smile at them and flirt as muchas much as she likes The man may smile and sigh languishingly in return but he would never be so offensive as to speak to her In the evening after the dancing Is all allover allover over and the young senorita has retired for the night the suitor may go and stand under her balcony If he isa is a musician he may serenade If he is not so accomplished he only sighs heavily at rhythmic intervals Still he must not speak Sometimes these visits continue at intervals of months even years be- be before before be before fore the suitor decides it is time to ad- ad address ad address dress the father of the girl It is more thrilling of course if the suitor is rejected and has to abduct the lady of his heart Being abducted is the romance of a Spanish womans woman's life Ifs I C |