The record., 1918-10-24
THE SECOND LINE
OF DEFENSE

From the Mississippi valley to the
flaming front in Flanders is not as far
today as the distance from Paris to
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.
1t is as necessary to keep the girl
who makes the shells physically fit
and high Of courage as the man who
fires the gun.
The glory and excitement of war
are for the man in khaki. Grinding,
monotonOus labor far away from the
flying flags and martial music is the
portion Of the girl who makes NUM-
tions.
One and half million women and
girls have marched into the service Of
the United States government, to take
the places of the men who have been
called to the colOrs. With every draft
and with the opening Of every muni-
ton cantOnment the number is null d
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-
pends the lives of many soldiers, the
winning or losing of~many battles.
81 can't sleep at night because I'm
| so afraid I 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,
| II walk and walk, and never go the
| same route twice until 1 have worn
| out all the others, and yet I 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 it. Then the recreation leader
asked me if 1 played basket ball, and
l told her was too old. I'm twenty
eight. She insisted that I just try
| throwing the ball, and now I'm captain
Of the basket ball team. 7 play tennis.
| and can set up and 'wig-wag,' and
they're going to make me fOrewOmau
| OF the room. That would have fright
5.9ssctf -, ed t,stttit uIce. oit every
thing is different now, that we have
our War Service club"
The war department had seen the
need 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 it 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
could house and feed them. It could
put up recreation buildings, but when
this was done it was as helpless as the
!, father of a motherless girl. The gov
: ernment is a composite man. He didn't
/ | I'm ~ IL
, six o'clock factory whistle blew. He
. only knew she needed looking after
and he called to the one wOman's or
ganiZation that for half a century had
made a study of the needs of girls.
Vaguely, he had an idea that she
should be encouraged to play, that
she needed wholesome recreation, and
some one, wise and sympathetic as a
careful mother, to guide her social ac.
tivities.
The Blue Triangle sent its play lady
to salute and go to work. Workers are
: asked for in recreation buildings of
all the % federal industrial reserva.
=. tiOns or munitiOn environments which
have been opened this summer in sew.
eral of the states. These reservations
sprung up out of thervery fields in q
: few weeks. They are employing thou
{ sands of workers. Many of these
4 women have come from far distant
homes. The government provided
L dormitOries and mess barracks. In
some places it is putting up recreation
t buildings. Where such a building is
n not provided by the government, the Y
e w. G. A. will furnish it, using one al
ready standing when available, and
Ii building when that is necessary. AL
y these buildings, whether government
o or associa iation-owned, Will operate un
II der the sign of the Blue Triangle. They
3 will have big living rooms, assembly
L rooms for entertainments, club rooms
; and gymnasiums. The Blue Triangl,
~ will furnish program of service work
!" educational classes, games and enter
IL tainments. Military and signal corp:
u drills will be in charge of soldiers.
In Washington, the members of tn
y Business Women's council, Blue Tri
:, angle league of the Y. w. G. A., mad
- up of girl government employees drill
= fSyice a week under an army Oficei
. and between five and six o'clock ol
- these days long lines of motorcars ar
- parked to watch the drill.
a. Wherever possible the recreation
for. outdoor sports.