The Washington herald., 1917-02-03
Army and Navy News

The recently formed National Commit
tee of Patriotic and Defense Societies will
be supported by the Loyal Legion,
Daughters of the American revolution.
sons OF the Revolution. Navy League OF
the United States, National Security
League, Military Training Camps Asso-
eiation, Army League Of the United
States. National Association for Universal
Military Training, American Defense So
ciety, and Aeronautical Society of
America.
The committee is to be composed Of one
member from each organization and five
at large, not more than one OF whom shall
be from one organization already repre-
| sented. The different societies will be
authorized to designate three alternates
so that a large representation can be
had at each meeting. Aside from the CO.
ordination of the work of all of the Or
ganizations 1t is proposed to establish a
bureau of information at Washington for
the purpose Of supplying the societies
with reliable information relative to the
necessities Of the nations defense.
The first meeting of the National Com
mittee of Patriotic and Defense Societies
will be held here on February 81, at which
the details of organization and the scope
of work will be determined.
The committee plans to cooperate with
the Council of National Defense and the
Advisory Commission. The council Is
composed OF Secretary of War Baker
Secretary OF the Navy Daniels, Secretary
OF Agriculture Houston, Secretary of the
Interior Lane. Secretary of Commerce
| Redheld, and Secretary of Labor Wilson
The Advisory Commission is composed OF
DR.. Hollis Godfrey, OF Philadelphia, chair
man; DIR. Franklin Martin, of Chicago;
Howard f. Coffin, of the Council of Ma
| tional Defense, Washington, D. c.; Ber-
f., nard NJ. Baruch, New York City; Julius
Rosenwald. OF Chicago; Samuei Gompers
president OF the American Federation OF
Labor, and Daniel Willard, Of Balti-
moro, Nd.
War Department officials are much in.
terested in the organization of a pre-
paredness league by the women of the
country for the mobilization of every
able-bodied woman for cooperation In
| the event OF war
The organization committee is com.
posed Of Mrs Willis Martin of Phil.
edelphia, Pa; Mrs. Barrett Wendell. o:
Boston Mass, Mrs c. A. Severance. OF
Minnesota; Mrs. J. Borden Hartman
of Washington, D. c.; Mrs. f. r. Hewitt
and Mrs Lewis B. Stillwell, of New
Jersey; Mrs. F. B. Hammar. of st. Louis
Mo-; Mrs. Lindsay Paterson, of Wins
! ton-Salem, n. c.; Miss Anne Morgan, oi
| New York City, Mrs George Hoadley
Of Cincinnati, Ohio; Mrs. Thomas Owen
of Montgomery, Ala: Mrs. William s
Story and Mrs. Coffin Van Rensselaer,
of New York City; Mrs. Hugh Scott, oi
Washington, D. c., and Miss Grace
| Parker, who is to be national com,
mandant and who may be addressed
by women interested at the New York
| City headquarters.
| The basis ef the work is to he found
in a system of standardized physical
| training, with which all the member
| must conform, and upon which will bt
constructed the specialized efficiency
| provided through the instruction to be
given the different national groups
| Choice Of the group to which they wish
I to belong to Is left to the individual and
the unit will extend from a local de-
tachment. consisting of from ten &c
| twenty members, and who will be under
the direct administrative supervision ot
captain. Two or more detachments
will constitute a local section, OF which
! the State sections will be comprised, the
whole coming under the direction of the
| national organization, made up of State
sections.
Each national division is to be under
the leadership of a woman who will T.,
| the best authority possible to secure
In that department of the work, and the
same high standard Of executive and ad-
ministrative efficiency is to be demanded
of the State captains and of the local
captains.
There are to be annual state encamp-
ments OF the women I'm which all the
State sections and local detaChments
will participate and at these encamp'
rnents there will be inspections and ex'
amlnations which shall determine
whether or not the separate detachments
shall be continued or disContinued-this
to be governed entirely by how well they
measure up to the rules and requirements
of the organization.