Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-12-26
THE BLUE TRIANGLE
ON BABEL'S TOWER

across ner race and Shrank down on
the station platform bench as the solid
blue figure suddenly bent down over
her. Excitedly she shook her head in.
answer to the question that she could
not understand. She searched through
her red plaid waist for the paper that
Tony had folded into a little square
and given to her. The writing on 1t.
In the English that Tony knew and she
did not, told the house where she lived.
Tony had explained 1t all to her that
morning. He had told 1t to her again
at the station. Then. waving his hat.
he had disappeared into the train with
the rest Of the men. and Lucia had
been left standing oueside the gate.
There were crowds Of women pushing
all about her. They were weeping.
So Lucia wept, too.
Lucia had been betrothed to Tony
in the old country. Five years before.
with long ticket for New York
pinned into his inside pocket, her lover
had left her. He wrote in every LETT
ter that he had made her home In
the new country. Her dowry money
had finally provided her own transpor-
tation, and for two months Tony and
she had been married. Then he had
drawn a ticket with number on it,
and this morning he had gone off to
war.
To the policeman Lucia told all these
things in rapid Italian. But the po-
liceman only talked back to her as
rapidly in a language that was not
Italian. She followed him dumbly to
headquarters. An hour later wom-
an wearing American clothes gently
began talking to her in beautiful Ital-
ian.
italian Lucia was only one of thou
sands Of foreign-born women, Syrians,
Italians, Arrnenians, Russians, Lithu-
anians, Polish, who, when the draft
called their men folk to the American
colors, asked in helpless confusion
what 1t was all about. When would
their men be back? What did people
mean when they told them they would
receive money through the mail1
Where could they find work that they
knew how to do? Was there no one
who could explain 1t all to them in
their own language?
The Y. w. g. a. was ready to offer
assistance. but 1t would be Of no value
to offer 1t in English. Consequently
It had to supply corps Of women who
could talk to the foreign-born woman
at her own door In the language that
she was used to hearing in the home
land. To teach her English was as
essential factor in her .Americaniza-
ton as to find her a job. Therefore
the war council Of the Y. w. @. A. set
out to find her English.
A year before the war began in Eu-
rope. the leaders Of the Young Wom-
ans Christian association foresaw just
such a situation, and made ready to
meet It. They studied the needs Of
| the immigrant. They trained skilled
American social workers to become ia
miliar with the home habits and to
speak the language of the Lett and the
| Hungarian and the Greek and the 9TH
| er foreign mothers who brought ba-
bies and bundles over from Ellis island
/ to Battery park.
| The organization into which this eS-
pertinent has developed was named
by the Y. w. G. A. national board, 1.-THE
International Institute for Young
Women" In terms which these wom-
en- can understand, it is teaching the
\ foreign-born how to sew and cook and
4 care for the baby.
To girls like Italian Lucia, who con-
| fusedly fingered on the station plat
{. forms when the draft trains pulled out,
tho w. Y G. A. is giving direct as
sistance. Educated European women,
appointed to the regular staff of work.
ers at the camp Y. w. G. A. Hostess
Houses are able to talk to the drafted
men in their own language, assist them
in writing letters home, and in ar
4 ranging furloughs and little visits tc
the camp.
1.-THE Home Information Service fol
Foreign Families of Enlisted Men, is
doing practical relief work for the
wives and mothers. The purpose OF
the board is to help the women foil
lell DcHlllu IL ulluSIStdlil WILLY lliSll
boys are and how they are being treat
ed; how they need home support ant
cheer, how to send them comforts, an;
to keep pace themselves by learning
English and other things, so that whel
the boys come home they will not flint
their women still very un-Americal
and out Of sympathy with them.
Food conservation bulletins hay
been translated into Is or 80 languages
At the factories and munition plant
interpreters are available for the nor
English speaking women by whom TIL
real war Industries of the country ar
being largely carried on. In 20 in
portant cities International Institut
Bureaus are training American an
foreign women for full time socis
service work with foreigners. Twent!
four trained women are employed o
! the national and district field staff {
the Y. w. G. a.. On June Is there wer