New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-24
ONE MOTHERS PREPAREpNv,,
How Woman Fitted Herself and Hr,.
Sons for Americas Grid,
To the Editor Of The Tribune

10 the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: In the midst Of American vr.
committees and conferences regardip, ~
contribution to the public welfare "a -.
of war, may recite the effort toward s.
paredness" of the writer Of this letter,
! am the mother Of two soma Nv A..
son. for year and half of his bowl,
was In an Adirondack camp, where \. l,.-',
with thoroughness how to shoot, to swim =
paddle, pack a kit, blaze a trail and O.,N
valuable and unfOrgettabls woodersft
The younger boy was on farm for 49,.
where he learned with equal thorOugb,.-
all that farm life ordinarily offers. =.
came good dsiryman, earning his s,a
month and "keep." He had previously A.
two years In a school in Switzerland 49,,
served his apprenticeship under the uni,,,,.'
Swiss military training.
was in Italy when the European
broke out. had lived previously two VA.
In Germany and knew that country ana -
peoples temper tolerablY well. With ..
eral knowledge not only Of Germany, =,
craft and her desire for world domi,,s,.
but also Of the jingoism of high tinanc. a,
secret European entanglements and intrir..
as we'll ss the capitalstic svarics at w.,
in our own nation, | realized the Uui,I
States would be drawn in. In that .v,,.
what could and my two sons contrbu,. :.
our country?
In June, 1916, both my sons enlisted /,
New York City regiment. Within a v,.I
they were at the Mexican border, and ser,,
there till the end Of November.
Knowing If war came a helpless and N,
defended woman was an anxiety to N. M,
of her family who were at the front and :,
burden to the authorities, had taken IN "a
volyer practice in January, 1916, at one !.
the city armories, and became an erD.y
shot. / was the only woman, believe. /.
using her time and energy at that period
Knowing that war in this country vOup
present conditions somewhat similar to tAs,.
Of the European conflict, | realized that thO,
sands of women Of my class on small fr,i
incomes would be impoverished.
A helpless, non-self-supportng woman |,
an anxiety to her men az the front and
burden on some potential private or pubs
charity, so | took out a commercial psssUCr
when sailed for France in August, 1914
could have taken out passport as p..
cial correspondent of two papers, as vel q
on two other grounds, but | sought Ii, %.
portunity of beginning self-supporting I'd.
ure, should that need arise.
| A trained eye for line and color, quick a.
cision and certain kind Of ability were hs
assets on which | counted in this final n, q
: preparedness"
| fulfilled in Paris the commercial e.,
rand for which my passport was taken oa
and found that, with some further training
could take up business career in an emsf
gency. Later in Paris / entered on u,
"bienfaisance," which was another motive Of
my trip.
Many months ago registered at the No
tional Special Aid Society for three dfsHn
tasks to which / could be assigned in case q
war.
] have attended no women's committee,
conferences or discussions on preparedness
so frequently marked either by more ha
than light or by discouraging ignorance q
practical needs. One has little patience az
less use for the type Of woman unable to
think out and quietly and solidarity attain 9
certain standard of efficiency before the slsV.
enth hour of emergency arises
Those who can think and act only on con-
mittees or in groups Of tens and tsenns
are inherently useless in a crisis and hirca
the capable ones.
This recital, representing a course Of co.,
duet lacking in spectacular and self-sdysr+
ing features, will not interest large e.ln
of persons who think and act only under h'
/ spur Of noise and numbers, but It Is eer'alt
that there is an equally large class Of Ih's'
ligent and high-spirited women whose ION
bears, like my own, were officers in the hs'e-
{ luton and whose heritage Of noblesse oohs'
compels a carefully thought oct and eon'''
emily adhered TO line of conduct.
MRS. MABEL THAYER LACCACi'
| New York, Feb. %, 1917.