The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-12-05
!. Y. {. A. IS
ENDEAv0R|NG TO
SAFEGUARD GIRLS
HELEN +. BARNES, NATIONAL
.CRETARY, TELLS OF ASSO-
CATIONS WAR WORK.

ITO preserve the manhood and won
anhood of the world Is now the grea
task set itself by the Young Women
Christian Association" said Miss Heller
+. Barnes, special war worker of tn
national council of the Y. WI C. A., il
ana interview yesterday. fThere Il
now a great army of women and girl
which is stepping into the ranks lef
vacant by the army OF men In khaki
The conditions under which these thou
! sands and tens of thousands of womer
and girls are working at the big muni
! ton factories, near the army canton
ments and at the allied camps abroad
are so deplorable that the associa tior
is putting forth every effort to help the
recruited girl who is doing her part In
the great world war. Many of these
girls and women who are doing the
work of men, whole they are in train
ing or at the front, have had no pro
vision made for their comfort; they dc
not have nourishing food or proper
sleeping places and are working at top
p-tch speed. 1t is this state of affairs
that has aroused the Y. w. c. A. to
their crying need for help" said Mrs
Barnes
soldiers are trained for their work
but who thought of training the girls
who were to fill their places? Is II
not just as essential that women be
trained, developed and made ready for
their work as II is that the soldier
should have his months of drill and
practice? OF what value will IL be TO
safeguard the soldiers if on their re.
turn they find the women weakened
in nature?
These women. who, by the vicissi-
tudes of war have been taken from
their natural sphere and placed among
unusual environments, are subjected to
unaccustomed freedom, loneliness and
WEAKNESS. but are as much in need Of
love, development and protection as are
the men whose work they are doing.
In order that the standard of the ma.
ton may be upheld, the Young Won.
ems Christian association is now ap-
pealing to the men and women of the
country to safeguard its girls and to
preserve the strength of the nation by
conserving the physical nature of wom-
en-. Some towns are swamped by the
influx of soldiers and hostess. recrea-
ton and club houses are means to this
end said Miss Barnes, "and therefore
am going about helping raise the
s4,oOO,OOO which is promised for this
work by the tenth of December"
Miss Barnes has been a national Y.
w. c. A. secretary in Australasia for
nearly six years, and has seen three
years of war. She came to Ardmore
direct from st. Louis, where she spoke
at the great loyalty meeting of women
which was preceded by a big parade
in which 200 girls took park, marching
from the association rooms to the thea
ter. There were fifty organizations of
st. Louis women in line, the Red Cross
first aid graduates first, carrying
large Red Cross banner, 700 girls of
the Y. w. C. A. drill corps, and 100
members of the Red Cross w. c. A.
unit, wearing the regulation wells. The
debutantes were in line marching with
the organizations with which they were
the Rice-Stix Liberty League.
st. Louis Loyalty League. and the ia.
nous Barr girls fife and drum corps
discoursing martial music, were also
In line. A band and platoon of police
headed the procession which was illum-
ined by torches and flambeaux.
Miss Barnes addressed a meeting at
Hall last night in the in
terest of the Y. w. c. A. war council
work and at the close an organization
was effected and pledge cards for the
purpose Of raising money for the pur.
pose OF raising money for this move
ment OF the association. were distrib-
uted. The canvass for funds and work
Of the local organization will be car
ried on under the direction of Mrs.
Charles Won Weise, who was chosen
chairman. Miss Dorothy Dickson was
made secretary and treasurer.