Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-05
The College
Woman's Bit

nsn no less inspiring than That OF the
male college student in khaki. Her scr
vices arc "a varied AZ her capabilities
College women are teaching food con
hsrvation; they nre filling the Iobs of
office executives and laboratory assistants
left yncant by young men taken IN the
draft, and they are IN Europe serving
soup TO refugees. But these are only Anew
OF their activities.
Before the war there may have been
doubt in the minds of some people as TO
the merits Of a college education Tor
women. Certainly one often heard the
assertion that such an education WAS
useless in the career that most OF the
women followed marriage. There ~
no doubt now College training ~ con
stantly justifying itself. And TINS yeer
the glrl graduate is not looking forward
to an idle vacation with possible be
trothal at the end, instead, she IS hunting
Job that will be Of service to her country. !
In order TO meet the shortage IN trained |
nurses. which is now acute, many college |
women arc making arrangements to take
the summer nursing course soon 10 he |
opened at Vassar College under the aus
plcps of the Red Gross. Graduates 81 |
approved colleges Of high standing, who |
arc members Of the class Of 1918 or who
have graduated during the past ten
wears. are eligible for This course Ap-
picanfs will be required To pass q physical
examination, since good health IS an
essential to nursing The student lee Tor
this course IL sos. 10 cover the cost OF
registration. board, room and laundry
The cost of the faculty which will be
especially distinguished il TO be carried
by the Red Cross
lUsr = PRELIMINARY.
OF course. this three months training
represents merely preliminary labora-
| tory course When it az over the student
| will enter n hospital and receive her next
| eighteen months If training free OF
| charge This IS The arrangement now
| being followed BY several worDen's col
| leges including Smith. Wellesley and NJ
| Holyoke. which have opened nursing
| courses
! MANY college women are also preparing
10 remain m college ell summer IN order
to study agriculture All the large WON
ems colleges had farms last year Vassar
| had a farm tract Of 740 acres which was
| farmed by twelve girls selected from thirty
three who volunteered II was hard
work They ran the entire farm from
June IL to August / blowing with a
tractor and two-horre pillow, planting
crops. milking four cows apiece. nendlnV
fences and doing all the other cba~es
necessary in the administration OF q
farm. Mount Holyoke, Smith and
C,oucher also had farms in which the
women made especially good showings
This wear SIC colleges will not only CON
tnue their farming courses, but they are
| supplying many superintendents Tor the
0rniIns of women farm workers ipc.uded
IN the womans land army Led by girls
who have learned the intricacies OF agrl-
culture on college farms these groaIps OF
women are travelling throughout the
eastern farming sections, carrying their
! uwu living accommodations IN the form
Of saucepans and tents. and ere dong
the farm work in sections s-hrre male la
Dor 10 not 20 be had.
THE SHORTAGE or TEACHERS.
The shortage Of teachers q also being
relieved bv college women Many Of
them are accepting small salaries TO teach
in CITY schools because those schools
might have TO close II they didn t, such
IA the scarcity of schooimarns. Others
are Joining the ranks OF the woman ;
committee of the Council Of National
Defence to assist IN teaching food con
servatIon and the work of Amerfcanlza-
! ton. The demand for teachers n food
conservation Ia especially large. 4 ssueo
of food conservation was OpeneS IN 81
Louis and within thirty days 1enty-
/ eight branches had been established. BY
the end OF the next month hfty-thres
, schools, working night and day, vert
teaching food conservation TO the peopN
of ST. LOUIS.
Other college women are going directly
into government service. The draft has
left a big shortage in bacterologists snC
Lob
executives and dTaughtsmen, which posi-
lions usually require college education
The recent expansion Of the force OF IN
States relations service OF the Department
of Agriculture has also offered an op
portunity for patriotic service TO coIleg
women. One college woman who recent.
became county agent has pertorIne'
particularly valuable work IN the south
where she has been organizing cannln
clubs In one place she persuaded
number of business men 70 advance IN
money to buy cans by the carload, an
then got q number OF wholesale grocers
agree to take at market price all the foo
the women canned, provided its Quallt
was guaranteed by the county agent
In this way local consumption was sup
piled by local produce, thus utilizing q
possible waste and 1t the same time re
leving the strain on transportation.
HELPING IN TRAINING CAMPS.
College women are also helping /
training camp problems, They are form
ing leagues and secret orders anon
, Young girls for the purpose of keepln
l. them occupied and impressed with the
4 high responsibility toward the natior
MANY Of these leagues and societies NEE
Z in gymnasiums or at recreation ground
4 where they play gamB and indulge !
Z healthful exercise
I. In Massachusetts a special commute
!. from the womens colleges has provide
= club houses and homes for soldiers
I local training camps They are home
I where the men may find recreation, frienC
4 " interest and congenial surroundings
4 the kind of homes from which the ms
Il horiIy of them have come Each home
7 provided for by a separate college grou
Il made up either of the alumng or undel
Il graduates, or both, and is supervised b
Il a college mother" The latter is pc
Il manent, but her helpers may vary trol
II week TO week Some Of the girls CIV
4 their services in the home itself, viii
+ Others provide the necessary furnishing
4 including games, books, pianos an
Il victrolas These homes have prove
II particularly popular in the vicinity
Il reserve officers training camps, whel
Il there are usually many COLLEGE men.
r College women have not confined the
|, IN their pxxu soil Several /