Charlevoix county herald., 1918-10-18
The SECOND LINE
OF DEFENSE


Berlin. The Atlantic ocean is not as
wide as the River Somme. The girl
In the munition factory In the middle
West is very close to her brother In
the front-line trenches. If her work
falters, If one untrue torpedo passes
the careful scrutiny of the inspector,
the lives of American soldiers pay
the price.
II is as necessary to keep the girl
who makes the shells physically At
and high of courage as the man who
fires the gun.
The glory and excitement of war
are for the man In khaki. Grinding.
nfThotonous labor far away from the
flying flags and martial music is the
portion of the girl who makes NUM-
tons.
One and a half million women and
girls have marched into the service Of
the United States government. to take
4he places Of the men who have been
tfalled to the colors. With every draft
: and with the opening of every NUM-
uon cantonment the number Is null
tiplied. These girls work long hours
and the work is hard and monotonous.
Furthermore. they work at high nerv-
Gus tension. On the skill Of their fin
gers and the accuracy Of their eyes de-
ponds the lives of many soldiers. the
winning or losing of many battles.
81 can't sleep at night because I'm
so afraid | may have passed on some
thing that was not quite true" said
one young girl not yet in her twenties,
who inspected hundreds Of torpedoes
every day.
Unless something can make this girl
forget at night, and find some rest. her
hand will lose its cunning.
Nights and Sundays" said another,
81 walk and walk, and | never go the
same route twice until | have worn
out all the others, and yet ! can't for
get that perhaps some time, somehow,
during the day something may have
gone through that was not quite right"
IL was just on the edge of going
back home" said another. 81 couldn't
stand 1t. Then the recreation leader
asked me If | played basket ball. and
told her I as~too old. I'm twenty
eight She insisted that just try
throwing the ball. and now I'm captain
of the basket ball team. play tennis.
and can set up and 'wig-wag,' and
they're going to make me fOrewoman
of the room. That would have fright
ened me to death once. But every
ming is different now. that we have
/opr War Service club"
N The war department had seen the
Aeed of occupations for out-of-work
hours if the employees were TO work
AT their greatest efficiency, and through
the ordnance department asked the
Young Women's Christian Association
for recreation leaders, to line up the
girls and direct their free-time pleas
ureS.
The government reminded the Y. w
c. A. that as an organization II always
had had an interest In the right hous
ing of girls. in the right feeding OF
girls. and in the right education OF
girls. and that the intelligent care OF
these girls in the munitions factories
was one of the essentials in the win
ming Of the war The government
put up recreation buildings, but wher
this was done II was as helpless as the
father of motherless girl. The gov
eminent is composite man. He didn'
know what girl should do when the
six o'clock factory whistle blew. HI
only knew she needed looking aftel
and he called to the one woman's or
ganization that for half century haC
made study Of the needs Of girls
Vaguely, he had an idea that sh'
should be encouraged TO play, tina
she needed wholesome recreation. anC
some one, wise and sympathetic as {
careful mother. to guide her social &C
tivities.
The Blue Triangle sent Its play lady
10 salute and go to work. Workers are
asked for in recreation buildings OF
all the % federal industrial reserva
tlOns or munition environments which
4 hive been opened this summer In sew
eral of the states. These reservation.
sprung up out Of the very fields I'm 9
few weeks. They are employing thou
sands Of workers. Many of these
women have come from far distant
homes. The government provided
dormitories and mess barracks. II
some places II is putting up recreation
buildings. Where such building I.
not provided by the government, the
w. G. A. will furnish II. using one al
ready standing when available, ant
building when that is necessary. AL
these buildings, whether government
or association-owned. will operate un
der the sign of the Blue Triangle. The!
will have big living rooms, assembl,
rooms for entertainments, club rooms
and gymnasiums. The Blue Triangl
will furnish program Of service work
educational classes, games and enter
lnments. Military and signal corp
Srills will be in charge Of soldiers.
In Washington. the members of tn
Business Women's council. Blue Tri
angle league OF the Y. w. c. A, mad
Il ~ I'll