Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-12-07
MRS. MEICS SPEAKS ON
WAR WORK Y. ". CA.
Thrills Audience Of 200 Women a
Executive Mansion
THE RECREATION PROBLEM
Community Work In Which Ali Women
Are Urged To Become Interested
much Money Pledged.


Harrington, wife of the Governor, the
Executive Mansion was thrown open
yesterday afternoon for a meeting OF
women held under the auspices of the
| Woman's Council of Defense. Mrs.
Theodore Johnson, chairman, for
Anne Arundel County Mrs. Johnson
presided and introduced the first
| speaer, Mrs. Lewis Dill. Some two
hundred women were present, and the
rooms on the first floor were filled.
many occupying seats on the stairway
in the main hall
The theme of the meeting was,
What are you doing for girls in war
time" and the work being done by the
Young Woman's Christian Associa-
speaker, Mrs Lewis Dill Some two
come to the women of this country
Women and girls here as well as on
the other side, need protection. One
hundred women are engaged in the
War Council work here, and one mil
lion dollars are needed for the work,
to send women "oyer there" TO teach
women to smile again, if possible, to
use to give cheer to the lives of others.
Baltimore, Mrs. Dill said, raised all
of the States allotment, $4,000, which
was subscribed at a single meeting,
and the counties were not asked to
help but that was but drop in the
|. bucket, and now the counties are ask
ed to help, and this county's allotment
is $1,000 to carry on the work of the
Y. w. C. A. The county chairman
Mrs Theodore Johnson), Mrs Dill
said, had willingly taken up the work.
Mrs. Dill introduced Mrs. John
Meigs, of Philadelphia, who "spake as
never woman spake." Mrs. Meigs is
woman of striking presence, pleas
ing personality that at once won the
attention of those present. Her man
ner of speaking is forceful, yet per-
.suasive, and her gestures carry home
her argument She gave heart to
heart talk to women and girls, and
more especially to mothers. She
pleaded for the single standard of
morality
She began by telling how the Y. w.
~.
intensely interesting to know that all
great movements start in mere trifles,
and how interesting it is to watch
them grow. She told of the young,
strong, God-like young man, trained
by a Christian mother, who had said
he would "do something" and by the
grace of God, the beginning of the
great idea" of the Young Mems
Christian Association seed was plant
ed with handful of young men, and
It grew and grew and will never die.
"If we win the war;" said Mrs.
Meigs, sit will be because the Y. w.
C. A. has made men fl. to fight" They
are fighting to make men clean and
fit to fight The Y. w. c. A. grew out
of the Y M. c. A., and it had its in
ception from a mere conversation.
Someone has said. when you want
to get anything done, telegraph, tele-
phone and tell woman" and the War
Council told the women of the work
to be done by the Y. w. C. A. 1t has
the seal of approval of the govern
ment, and women are in this work
for the camps and cantonments, not
because they wanted to get into 1t,
but because they were commandeered
By the government.
"Thank Cod" said Mrs. Meigs, the
conspiracy of Silence is broken, and
if women fight the wrong things in
this world, they generally make them
right"
Upon fathers and mothers rests a
great responsibility Kipling says.
''The only way to prevent what's past
is to prevent it before it happens"
The last ten years there has been
steady rising of the tide of immoral
ity, an increase in illegitimacy. 1t is
necessary to find the cause for these
conditions, as it is to find the cause
for yellow fever. BY way of illustra-
ton, Mrs. Meigs cited case in point
of a beautiful tree that withered and
it was found a worm was eating its
roots.
Mothers" said Mrs. Meigs, you
are responsible for the coming gener-
ation-the way you help your sons
and your daughters to bring up their
sons and their daughters.
The work we are doing, she said, is
as great as the Red Cross or the con-
servation of food, it is the conserva-
ton of the human race Ignorant
girls lack the right knowledge Of life.
We teach our girls how to dance, we
teach them table manners. how to eat,
drawing room etiquette, French,
Latin, Greek. but when it comes to
| Silence
For they are slaves as base
whose love of self is greater than for
! their race
| our soldiers are being taught
scientific butchery. this is war work.
horrible though it be.
"Woman's case is mans,
They rise or sink together"
Mrs. Meigs told of pledge taken
bv the men in camp at The Presidio,
Calf, which was
I'VE undertake to maintain our part
a-r~~@ 10 fwnS hrsafo iffv