The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-15

Women's Christian associa- tion is being made this week all over the United States, to continue its war activities, I think it is we'll to point out some Of the most important work i've are trying to promote which is so di- verse that wherever and whatever way the war touches the lives of women there the Y. w. c. A. work goes on.''
 From Mrs. Merrill P. Northington, treasurer of the Birmingham Young Womens Christian association, comes this terse stirring statement; this ap- pealing, patriotic sentiment: and none knows better than Mrs. Northington just how ardently the Y. w. c. A. is carry ing on it's war work and the great ne- cessity for 1t among women and be- cause of her close connection with the work for many years, and her earnest, sincere desire to be factor In the great drive now being made for the pro- lection of women, she is na position to speak intelligently on the subject.
 sThe Hostess Houses established at training camps form sonly one small part of the field covered by the y. W. C. A. war work and this subject has already been touched upon eiaborately lately" said Mrs. Northington, and what I particularly wish to point out IS a few of the other activities which we are endeayoring to promote; first, there Is the help we want to give to the thousands and thousands of foreign women in the United States, wives and relations of the men in the army who cannot speak the English language, and for them interpreters are to be provid- ed From the 1910 census and the an- nual United States Immigration reports of the six years since the census was completed, we can estimate that there are now in America at least 3,291,5l3 worn- en and girls who cannot speak a word of English; they do not hear and cannot read of where their relatives are even.
 Second, I would name the emergency houses for the task of housing and feed ing the hundreds of women suddenly ern- ployed in the wars mushroom indus tries,'' Mrs. Northington said Eight hundred alone at Charleston--so near us almost at our doors-While equally as many may be cited in other near by places. When the government suddenly calls for a score or more of women to go to work at once in laundry, on uni forms, in a intuition factory, it is not al waays possible to supply them at once with place to eat and sleep. But, since eat and sleep they must, inamedi- ately the war work council is plunging into the business of supplying them with suitable living quarters and with food. This has been tremendous problem in England. It promises soon to be equal ly gigantic here.'
 Continuing, Mrs. Northington cited the third big and important condition, which demands Y. w. c. A. attention, saying:
 "There is the protection of the Red Cross nurses abroad, which is one of the most vital of all the things which calls for aid. Twenty thousand women, Americas volunteer army of nurses ready to stand for the battle fronts of Europe. march down Fifth avenue New York city, on an afternoon in October. This long line of dauntless women, about to offer all their strength and skill for the wounded in Europe, brought to the crowding multitudes on the sidewalks a deeper sense of the magnitude of the sacrifice that America is being called to get will be spent. Already we have Ii make in this war than any of the great