Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1918-10-18
A BIT OF HOME
WITHIN THE CAMP


be taken in rs it is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing n little triangle
OF blue and the letters Y. W. c. A.
II Is a fall afternoon and The air Is a
BIT sharp. Through The 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.
The woman, who Is slight and young
and tired looking. puts lrer heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
baby she Is carrying 10 the other arm.
She listens a minute. then picks up the
luggage and walks bravery up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming aud Lis there 10 meet her. Some
one always Is In places like this. The
door Is thrown open and Kind wom-
ans voice says: ooh, do come in and
rest. Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger.
worn from long journey, tired and
sad, Is given the welcome which only
give.
She explains that she has come 10
see John before he leaves for the
front. She has been saving her money
for travelling expenses. and has come
10 surprise him. John has never seen
the baby. and now Inaybe he never
viii. for she has discovered that John
has just left on two days ferlough
10 surprise her. Before she could get
n train back 10 her home Johns fur
Tough viii have expired and he viii be
on his way back TO camp. The little
mother does NOT know how 10 meet the
situation md tears Of fatigue and dis
appointment begin TO flow.
"Well. that's too bad" says the SYM
pathetic Y. W. G. A. worker. but
cheer NJ. You can Just stay here for
n couple of days. Wen send wire
10 John az the first place his train
stops and tell him to. take the next
train back. lie can enjoy his furlough
here"
This Il done and the little family
has glorious day OF It.
The Young Womeu's Christian asso-
citation has established 81 hostess
houses Of this character for American
soldiers and sailors aud their families.
IL this brief bulletin " news lies one
of the most potent factors Ia the win
ming Of this war. Our boys are aght'
ing Tor their homes The Y. ". q. \.
with it. hostess work tn this country
end IN France Is helping to keep the
ideal Of American home life CON
sfanfly before the men who are pro
isetius II. These msu hadto 20 away
from their individual homes. but there
Is q home which follows them--n place
where they can go when they are OF
duty and meet their families and rest.
There Is room IN every Y. W. &. A.
hostess house Wiih real fireplace III
IL and domestic hearth. There are
chairs with cushions on them. the
china II not of the iron-bonnd bucket
variety necessary In camps; and best
Of alt the boys. say. there are nice
women Ia talk 10. No boy In camp
would hesitate 10 ask his mother or
sister or the girl he thinks most of to
meet him Mt Y. W. e. A. house. for
he knows that the women she Will see
there are Of the right kind. The very
fact that II Is known that there Is
real. honey place near each camp nu-
thorized by the war department and
presided over ny dlgnfed aud refined
women. has served very largely TO dis
courage the other type Of woman and
keep her away from the men she for.
merly preyed upon.
The Y. ". c. \. houses are not cs-
tnblishcd with any view 10 marking
class lines. however. although many of
the hostesses who assist led lives OF
greatest ease and bxury before the
war. Democracy rules ut the sign Of
the little Blue Triangle.
A story Is told Of great merchants
wife whose indIyldual fortune mounts
10 The million mark. This lady Is a
member of one OF the Y. W. g. A. COM
mittees. and on one occasion she was
helping IN the cafeteria Of hostess
house at the Great Lakes naval train
Ing station. little shopglrl who had
d "doy on from her work In the base
ment OF the great store owned by the
Y. w. G. A. workers husband. and who
had come to see her sailor brother, was
In State street hurry for service.
She sharply ordered the merchants
wife 10 look alive with these forks.
grille"
The lady addressed as ''glrlIe" quite
humbly saw to II that the pile of forks
was repIenlshed. Then she went over
and talked TO the girl, helped her To
locate her brother and sent her awa..
happy. The shopglrl never knew that
she had been talking TO her employer
wife.
There are two hostess houses at the
Great Lakes station, and. 1T Is Won
derful sight to see the crowds Of WON
en- relatives md friends of the sailors
who throng TO them on the Wednesday
drill afternoons. From 1000 to 5000
persons day are cared for In the
cafeterias, and the nurseries are full
of sailor babies, whose mothers can