The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1917-09-29
The Women and the Council of Ma
ti0nai Defense.


Miss Frances Robertson, in behalf of
the Council of National Defense, lee
tured to goodly number of Colfax cit
liens in the court house last Tuesday
night, large per cent of whom were
ladies. Her lecture was both pleasing
and instructive to all who heard her,
as her address was unusually good and
presented in excellent language. The
points covered in her address were as
follows:
All the women in Louisiana between
the ages of l6 and so will be required
to register on October II. but only those
who wish. need offer for service. Lou
siana wants the registration of its
women so it can know the following
facts:
1st. Who could give active service if
necessary.
+. I'd. How many are trained to any
kind of service.
Sd. How many would like to train for
service.
4th. Who can give no service at all.
1t is getting record of the woman
power of the state. During the first
months of the war transportation sys-
TENS and munition factories in England
were forced to stop because the men
had gone to war and there was nobody
TO run them. The women were ready
to take their places, but the govern
ment could not place its hands upon
them. The United States in the be-
ginning wants to avoid the mistakes
made by its allies.
Registration will be conducted the
same as in regular political elections.
That is, the state is divided into dis
tricts, the districts into parishes, the
parishes into wards and the wards into
precincts. In each precinct will be
three women commissioners and two
clerks, who will be appointed by the
governor. The commissioners duty
will be to explain and direct the women
in registering. The clerks will do the
writing on the cards. The person who
is being registered will sign her name
or make ner mark on the back of the
card to make it official. III name or
mark of the woman on the back of the
card is not made by herself the card
will not be good.
The women will not have to state
their exact ages. They will say they
are between IL and ~, between 20 and
30, between 80 and 40, between 40 and
81. Those between Is and 20 will be
group /; group Ii will be from 20 TO 80;
group hi VIII be 80 TO 4O; and group
~ Az To so.
The advantage of registering is four
fold, as follows:
Patriotism is shown.
2-The government will know where
to find any one with certain qualifica-
lions, will keep in touch with them,
and likely offer them good business
JOBS.
3-The government may start train
ing classes and train women so they
can earn wages and better themselves
financially.
4-Housekeepers will be in close
touch with the government to get sug.
gestions from it about conservation of
food and the program for defense.
The women of Colfax are taking in
tense interest in the subject of registra-
ton, and will make every effort 10 get
in touch with all the women of the par
ish, forming women's committees in
every locality and endeavoring to enlist
as many workers as possible, so that
registration cards can be put in the
hands of every woman between Is and
so. And every woman is earnestly
Urged to read it and post themselves
about registration, decide if they could
help in any way, and on October II go
to their respective precincts and regis
ter. Remember that registration is re-
CURED by the state, and all service is
voluntary.