The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-02-28

ssssaxsss
MRS. BELLE S. sPURR
ton not yet being revealed. Mrs
Spur will go direct.to New York city
for an interview with Mrs Porter and
Miss Bartlett in charge of the nation
al headquarters located in that city,
From there she will proceed at once
to Washington to report to Dr. Anna
Howard Shaw, chairman Of the Wo-
mems National Council of Defense,
from which she will receive her ap-
pointment This will, Of course, be 4
federal appointment, and Mrs. Spur
is the first North Dakota woman to
receive this particular honor.
While in Baltimore, Washington and
New York, in January, Mrs. Spur
received a number of flattering offers
for national service, but finally de-
cided to align herself with the work
of the Y: w. C. A. in general, and
that of the Hostess House in particu-
lar. The work of the Y. W. c A. in
many lines of activity reach ng out
to make better the conditions not
only Of soldiers and soldiers at home
and abroad, but also great work for
the thousands of girls and women
suddenly thrust into the whirlpool of
industr al life. Particularly conspic.
uous is the Hostess House plaza
plan which provides temporary
home Tor women visiting in the camps
to meet son. husband, brother, or
! friend in khaki Here under proper
supervision and in the most delight
fully home-like and hospitable sur
roundings. the visiting ladies are en-
. tertained. cheered and refreshed I'm.
til such tines as their solder friends
are at liberty, when quiet nook or.
pretty cosy corner furnishes the SCI
clusion and comfort desired for al
good visit. Their value to the country
, cannot be estimated.
During the three weeks which Mrs
! Spur has spent at Valley City as
! guest at the home of her sister. Mrs.
i Wylie Nelson, she has scarcely had
moment to herself, having been the
! honor guest at a number Of social af-
fairs, and having assisted in a series
Of MISSION study classes in the Epis>
COpal church. Last Saturday both at
! ternOon and evening, she gave address
ses on women's war work at the home
of Mrs. S, A. Zimmerman. at Hostess
House, parties. Sunday evening she
/ left for Bismarck, delegate to the
| WOmen's state conference on nation
! al defense; and on Tuesday afternoon
, and eveningshe again spoke twice at
| the remaining two of Mrs. thinner
mans entertainments.
| Always engaged in the activities
which make for community and indi-
! vidual improvement. this woman has
!! been a member of the SOrosis club
/; here since it's organization many years
ago, and of the p. E. o. since 1917.
! In the struggle for equal suffrage
Mrs Spur has done valiant service,
and had the honor Of carrying the
North Dakota banner in the great ma
tional parade on March 3, 1918, the
day proceeding President Wilson's
; first inauguration, parade participant
ed in by many thousands. the first in
the country to be planned and man.
aged exclusively by women; parade. !
too. so long that she steadily marched
for six hours.
Mrs. Spur was the first woman to
be elected county superintendent Of
school in this state, assuming that
position in Barnes county in 1885, and
remaining in the Office six years.
| 1t was she. too. who wrote the con-
stitution for the North Dakota State
Teachers Association, over thirty
years ago.
During the past twenty-five years
much Of her time has been spent in
the South and East, part. cularly as
she always accompanied and main
tanned a home for her son, Clinton,
as he took not only B. A. and law
courses at Yale, but also four year
railroad engineers course on the B. |
& o. Railroad going from place to
place so constantly that they made
their home in twenty-five different
, places in four years.
Previous to Cl:nton's entrance at
Yale. Mrs. Spur spent three years at
Valley City while Clinton was in high !
school. Here she established the
Episcopal hall and presided as ma
iron there.
In the fall of 1915 she returned to
the city for brief visit and was pre-
vailed upon by President Mcfarland !
to assume the position of dean OF
women in the State Normal school. a
position in which she endeared her.
self of hundreds of girls and many
hOusehOlders, often renewing acQua!n-
tances which had begun back in the
frontier days when she was county
superintendent.
Euripp tho nresent winter Mrs.
Spur has spent several weeks visit
ing at Camps Grant and Merritt. re-
naming with her son. Lieutenant
Spur. until his departure for France.
Her camp experiences revealed to her
the value of the Hostess House plan,
and she now leaves to take up this
worthy line of work The best wishes
of the entire community go with her.