Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-04-14
The Lone Woman Goes fO War
By MARY AUSTIN. Author of The Ford, The Man Jesus, etc.
THE YOUNG WOMAN AT HOME. HOW SHALL SHE DO HER
 BIT FOR THE WAR

What shall she do. the young woman at home, who is neither the mistress of the house nor a wage earner? How shall she turn back to the general a2- count the care and schooling she has had, and how satisfy the hungry de- sire to serve her country, which is, thank God. as characteristic of your young women as our young men. Every hour since the war my tele- phone has been ringing with question like these
 Young men are explained and gen eraled. Expert supervision of their patriotic service is at their elbows. They have the splendid inspiration of togetherness, music, banners, should CTS touching shoulder. Even wage working women have sense of drec- tiOn; they see the work that passes through their hands pushed steadily to an end But the young woman of brains and education and leisure must captain herself She must find her own job herself.
 It is all very we'll for mother to knit and roll bandages in her spare time, which by that process becomes time
 
 ly patriotic to save food at the expense of time spending after all, household economies can only be practioed by those having houses. Red Cross nurs- ing is privilege of the fit; and re- quires long training which few can either physically or financially afford All these special duties leaves wide margin of capable women who ache to serve.
 In France and England the lone wo- man had no problem, unless it were the difficulty of deciding which of the many things to be done were to be done first But in America labor lead CTS have warned against clOgging the wheels of war industries with crowds of unskilled women who know none of the necessities of the wage earners This is the wage-earners opportunity also, and no excess of zeal on our part should roh them of the chance to car ry, as they are, the national burden But that does not mean that strong, well-educated young women shall have no part in this war than the tradition al handwriting from the balcony.
 The first condition, however, of the young woman's getting a specific thing to do is for her to be able to do some thing specific. There is great deal of formless capacity going to waste in every cOmmunity-WaSte of talent and waste of skill And it is being wasted largely because we have, as a people, fallen little into the weakness of democracies, and imagine we con do nothing by ourselves. We thing of something which seems desirable to have done, and we rush out and or ganiZe vast machines for cleaning the streets, when all that was really need ed was to sweep out our own front yard. Women who wish to fill a place in the plans of the Government must first trim themselves into some defin- ite shape. as clerks. as secretaries. as mechanicians, or what not.
 The trouble with much of our Amer 1can life is that it has made us like those cooks who can cook delightfully."- only so long as they have an unlimit- ed amount of the most expensive ma terials. We have come to think that we can do very little of anything with out the most expensive teachers and pedagogic equipment.
 But it is not only in food that we must economize now; we must econo- mize in skill. In every community of 5000, or even less. there is enough neglected skill to turn all of it's unat- tached young women into first rate workers
 Take your town bank, for instance. There is an expert accountant there, probably eating his heart out because he is too old or physically unfit for field service. He would be happy to pass on his S5 years of expertness to you, to be used as the government is going to have to use women account ants.
 In your fathers store very likely, there is man who could make book keeper out of YOU in three months, and have the thrill of patriotic service at het same time. If there is Carnegie Library in vour town, there is some body there who can teach you card catalcguing and filing. If you are fortunate enough to live at the coun- tv seat you opportunities fer learning varieties of clerical work are greatly increased.
 Typewriting you can teach yourself Learn the touch system and how to make clean cartoons. A textbook comes with every machine, and if you can not afford a machine, borrow one. or clu btogether with two others and rent one for S3.
 Three months of conscientious work should make you expert.
 Stenography can also be learned from a textbook. as have proved for myself though it gees better with teacher and with two or three studying together. Your mother will always read to you. and there is the Sunday sermon to report. After you have learned, some business man in your own town will give you enough prac- tice work at least to enable him to testify to your fitness.
 Indexing and filing are both in de- mand in all departmental work; tho 1t will net he so easv to find opportun- itv for learning them in towns under 10000. But tolegraphv can be learn, edeven in the rural districts, A few hours from an obliging local operator a oOOd fnythoOk apd q Cr,oU Morco