Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-18
WOMEN'S AID IN WAR
PLEDGED BY DIR. SHAW
Suffrage Leader Tells Norris
town Weaker Sex" Will Bear
Large Burden
STILL TRUE TO CAUSE

Presently the ubiquitous click of the
knitting needles will interrupt the frozen
silences of the North and drown out the
timorous tinltle Of the ukulels on the beach
at Waikiki
In little while the fur-clad housewives
of Alaska will begin thinking up new ways
Of economzing on Arctic grass and the
ratiia-clad DANES Of Hawaii will hold pow
vows in the interest of making one banana
give the nOurshment of two. At the same
time the women Of the Philippines in their
beads and birthday suits or whatever the
correct afternoon attire may he, will gather
together for the purpose of discussing the
best methods of doing their "war bit"
For all Of the women who call the stars
and stripes their flag--be they red, yellow,
black or white and regardless of whether
they live in igloo, tepee, bamboo hut, or
brownstone-front-are to be organized in a
grand feminine army to help Uncle Sam
make our war with Germany a short sharp
and effective one.
1t was something like this, and great
deal more, that DR.. Anna Howard Shaw
told an interested audience in NorristOwn's
Opera House yesterday afternoon.
At the outset of the war when the Coun-
Gil of National Defense was formed, Pres-
dent Wilson "conscripted"--to use the word
Of Doctor Shaw-ten of Americas biggest
women-only she didn't say that--to COM
prise woman's board of the council The
purpose of this board was to form a clear
ing house, through which the work Of the
women of the nation could be co-ordinated
and, in a day when waste of energy more
than anything else is a high crime, pre-
vented the overlapping
Doctor Shaw, as the chairman of the
board, is giving her precious time to the
work of mobiizing the women for the big
job ahead of them Today she will tell
the women of Orange n. j., how they may
serve effectively. Yesterday, in a stirring
speech, she explained at Norristown what
the board has done and what it expects
every woman to do.
ut is our purpose" Doctor Shaw said,
"to use the women's organizations that are
already built up. In this way it will not
be necessary to create any new machinery.
Thirty States have already been organized
and by the end of this week every State
in the Union win have made plans to use
the energies of its women where they are
most needed. Then we shall begin on
Alaska Hawaii and the Philippines
Everywhere the interest of women is
aroused" Doctor Shaw continued. "The
board has even had letter from the club
women of Uruguay, South America, asking
If they cannot help US.
"The women are willing, but they must
be careful to cooperate and to keep the
work of the different organizations from
overlapping The men expect so much of
us - the honorary president of the Ma
tional Woman Suffrage Association drew
her mouth down into a humorous little
smirk-"they expect us to furnish the en-
thusiasm and the patriotism and the ex-
citemcnt that will work them up to the
enlistment point. And then they expect us
to provide all the sanity and calm that we
can muster. We must keep the home going
and be domestic and sane and orderly; and
yet we must keep business on a level plane
and fill the mems places when we are
needed.
1--WE must economIze; and yet we must