Emmons County record., 1918-10-10
A Bit OF HOME
WITHIN THE CAMP

A long low building Of frame con.
struction. nttractively planned. with
wide verandas and horncliEc aspect.
Outside are hunging the f!ags-the
Stars and Stripes. which must soon
be tflsen in ns II Is nearly sunset. and
another flag bearing n little triangle
Of blue and the letters Y. W. c. a.
II is fall afternoon and the mir Is
bit sharp. Through tho front Windows
Of the house the woman approaching
| up the walk can see the cheerful glow
Of an open fireplace. There Is the
sound OF piano and some one Is
singing.
Therwoman. who IL slight and young
and tired-lookins, puts her heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
bnby she is carrying to the other arm.
+, She listens minute. then picks up the
Luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming and Is there to meet her Some
one always Is In places like this. The
4, door Is thrown open and kind wom-
ans voice says: "Oh, do come In and
rest Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger,
worn from Il long journey. tired and
sad. IS given the welcome which only
the Y. w. G. A. .hostesscs know how to
| give.
She explains TINT she has come to
see John before he lenves for the
| front She has been saving her money
| for travelling expenses. and has come
| to surprise him. John has never seen
the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she hns discovered that John
has just left on Il two dnys, furlOugh
to surprise her. Before she could get
train back to her h8me Johns fur
Tough will have expired and he will be
on his way back to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
situation and tears Of fatigue and dis
appointment begin to flow. ~
We'll. that's too bad" says the sym
| pathetic Y. w. G. A. worker 'But
cheer up. You can just stny here for
II couple of days. Well send wire
to John ut the first place his train
stops and tell him to tnke the next
train back. lie can enjoy his furlough
here" ="
This is done and the little family
has glorious day of it.
1 The Young WOmen's Christian assO-
ciation has established o. hostess
houses of this character for American
soldiers and sailors and their families.
In this brief bulletin of news lies one
of the most poten. factors In the win
ming of this war. Our boys are fight.
ing for their homes. The Y. w. G. A.
with Its hostess work in this country
ind in France is helping to keep the
ideal of American home life con-
stantly before the men who ure pro-
tcctini. 1t. These men had to go away
from their Individual homes. but there
is II hci.c which follows them-a place
where :!:ey can go when they are of
duty and meet their families and rest.
There Is Il room In every Y. ". CA.
hostess house with a real fireplace In
it and domestic hearth. micregare
chairs with cushions on them; the
china Is not Of the iron-bound bucket
I variety necessary in camps; and best
of all. the boys say, there are nice
women to talk to. No boy In camp
! would hesitate to ask his mother or
sister or the girl lie thinks NEST of to
meet him at n Y. w. G. A. house. for
he knows that the women she will see
there. nre of the right kind. The very
fact that II Is known that there lis u
real, honey place near each camp ali-
thOriZed by the war department. anil
presided over by dignificd and refined
women. his served very largely to dis.
courage the ether type of WOMAN and
keep her AWAY from the men She for
merly rrcyed upon. 100
The j.. W. CA. houses are not es-
t:lbished with any view TO marking
cl:tss lines. however. although, miHy OF
the hostesses who assist led lives of
greatest ease and luxury before the
war. Democracy rules at The sign of
the little Blue Triangle.
A story is tclh, of II great merchants
wife whose individual fortune mounts
TO the million mark. This lady is n
member of one Of the Y. w. C. A. com.
mittees. and on one occasion she was
helping In the cafeteria of a hostess
house ut the Great Lakes naval train
} ing station. A little shupgirl who had
Il "day of" from her work In the base.
nent Of the great, store owned by the
Y. w. G. A. workers husband. and who
had come to see her sailor brother, was
in Il State street hurry for service
She sharply ordered the merchants
) wife To look alive with these forks
. grille"
The lady addressed us -girlie" quite
humbly suw to 1t that the pile Of forks
was replenished. Then. she went oyel
) and talked to the girl,S helped her t.
locate her brother and sent her ava!
happy. The shopgirl never knew tha
: she had been talking to her employer.
wife.
There are two hostess houses mt tht
; Great Lakes station, and 1t Is won
derful sight to see the crowds of WON
; en- relatives and friends of the sailor.
who throng to them on the Wednesda.