Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-05

a T the meeting of the presidents
IN of national womens organiza-
IN lions called by the women's
~ & committee of the council of
national defense in June to confer on
womans work in the war, one of the
strongest and clearest accounts of &C
tivities in various lines in definite
progress was presented by Miss Anna
A. Gordon. national president of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union.
The National womens Christian
Temperance Union. comprising nearly
half a million women, already is rem
dering splendid war service. said Miss
Gordon in a personal interview follow
ing her public talk. Our order stands
for peace but when President Wilson
decided that the time had come for
this country to take up arms against
oppression and crimes against human
ity, we pledged ourselves to stand by
him to the limit of our strength. and
because of the perfect organization of
the union there was no delay in out
lining work. We believe it is our duty
to suffering humanity to unite with the
nation in defending the principles of
Christian civilization.
There are some thirty or forty de-
partments of work in our order carried
on under the general definition of pre-
ventive, educational. evangelistic. So
Clal, leSal, ana the organized WORKERS
in each department were ready to re-
spond to the call of patriotism. When
that call came each department of our
work went on war basis, continuing
its work among soldiers, sailors and
others involved along the lines on
which it had been conducted for the
past forty-f1ve years. but upon an eX-
tended and more intensive scale.
Our work is similar in many respects
to that being carried on by many other
a ora nj "a I'D
members, from one end of the country
to the other. are eagerly responding to
the call of patriotism sent out by the
national officers to the organizations of
all state unions. and through them to
the twenty thousand local unions. Each
state is particularizing in such war
work as by its location and its re-
sources 1t is best fitted to carry for
organizations in general and special
war activities.
The enlisted men of the army and
navy must be safeguarded from evil
influences. and in that direction We are
doing our utmost. For many years the
National W. c. T. L. has had depart
ment of work among soldiers and SAIL
ors. through which much effective alb
stinence and relief work has been ac-
C omplished. A supreme effort is being
made by our organization. in co-opera-
ton with other organizations of wom-
en-, to bring about the abolition of the
saloons and denS of vice near training
camps and mobilization centers Or
ganized mother love that is what you
might term our work. for with pc
culiar power the mother heart of the
nation is making itself felt in this
hour of national crisis. Out of its
anguish and born of its patriotism it is
that our soldiers and sailors
while in training and mobilization
camps shall be protected from vice.
THE relief work of our organization
is now greatly extended. and its hos
pital features are being standardized
by Red Cross rules. Mrs Ella Hoover
Thacher of Washington. National w.
c. T. U. superintendent of work among
soldiers and sailors, has outlined a
special plan of work which is being
adopted throughout the country. Our
organization has provided a Red Cross
ambulance. now on it's way to France,
Of our order beside the flag. A son of
one Of our members is the chauffeur
and his salary paid by our members"
Miss Gordon again referred to the
war work under Mrs.
Thacher. This includes the renting of
large electric fans and furnishing
fruit and delicacies for army base hos
pitfalls; the making and filing of COM
fort bags; the establishment of rest
rooms at training stations and mobili-
zation camps: what to do for the SOL
diers and sailors when they entrain and
afterward; teaching how to knit vests.