Page:Our Girls.pdf/27

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AT WOOLWICH
19

now fading, the light coming from the glass roof of the lofty, iron-framed shed as from the open top of some Roman temple.

Surely this, and such as this, is a scene proper for man's work only—for man's muscle, man's naked and blackened body, man's brain and man's nerve alone. Every instinct of our nature revolts against the thought that woman, with the infinitely delicate organization which provides for her maternal functions, should under any circumstances whatever take part in the operations such scenes require. And just as we feel that our men only may do work like this, so we must see at the swiftest glance that to any question of which of our men should do it there can be one answer only—the skilled and brawny men who can do it best. Once cross the threshold of the places I have attempted to describe, and there can be no test for the workers but one test—capacity. Capacity to fight this mighty battle with natural forces, and compel