The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1918-10-31

"A BIT h ON \!
WITHIN HE CAMP
a long, low bull ding Of frame con-
struction, attractively planned, with
wide Yerandas and a homelike aspect
Outside are hanging the flags the
Stars and Stripes. which must soon
be taken In as It is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing little triangle
OF blue and the letters ". sC. A..
1t is a fall afternoon and the air is q
bit sharp. Through the front windows
of the house the woman approaching
up the walk can see the cheerful glow
of an open fireplace. There Is, the
sound of a. piano and some one is
singing.
The woman, who is slight and young.
and tired looking, puts her heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
baby she is carrying to the other arm.
She listens minute, then picks up the
luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming and is there TO meet her. Some.
one always is in places like this. The
door is thrown open and a Kind Wom-s
ans voice says: Oh. do come in and
rest. Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger,
worn from a long journey, tired and
sad, is given the welcome which only
the Y. w. 6. "a. hostesses know how to
/ give.
She explains that she has come to
see John before he leaves for the
front. She has been saving her money
/ for travelling expenses, and has come
1 to surprise him. J ohm has never seen
4 the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she has discovered that Ohm
has just left on two days furlOugh.
to surprise her. Before she could get
a train back to her home Johns fur
Tough will have expired and he will be
on his way back to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
!. situation and tears of fatigue and dis
i appointment begin to flow.
''Well, that's too bad, says the SYM
pathetic z. w. g. "a. worker. But
cheer up. You can just stay here for
a couple OF days. Well send wire
Y, to John at the first place his train
stops and tell him to take the next
train back. He can enjoy his furlough
here"
! This is done and the little family
: has glorious day Of it. ;,
} The Young Women's Christian assoc
citation has established 90 hostess
houses Of this character for American
soldiers and sailors and their families.
In this brief bulletin Of news lies one
of the most potent factors in the win
ming Of this war. Our boys are fight
e ing for their homes. The 7. w. @. a
y with its hostess work in this country
: ind in France Is helping to keep the
ideal Of American home life con
stantly before the men who are pro
tecting 1t. These men had to go away
from their individual homes, but there
is a home which follows them--a place
where they can 60 when they are OF
/, duty and meet their families and rest
= There Is a room in every y. w. q. q
= hostess house with a real fireplace II
3 1t and a domestic hearth. There ar
. chairs with cushions on them; thu
china is not of the iron-bound buckle
= variety necessary in camps; and hes
= of all, the boys say, there are mic
FL women to talk to. No boy in CAM
e would hesitate to ask his mother Q
if sister or the girl he thinks most Of t
: L \ - " ~ "A hnnC0 tf0
= he knows that the women she will Sc
:, there are Of the right kind. The yer
u fact that 1t is known that there lis
=. real, honey place near each camp al
e thorized by the war department an
presided over by dignifed and refine
women, has served very largely to sdi
courage the other type of woman an
20 keep her. away from the men She TO
q merly preyed upon.
The Y. w. g. A. houses are not e
tablished with any view to lmarkin
~ class lines, however, although many
m the hostesses who assist led lives (
as greatest ease and luxury before tt
war. Democracy rules at the sign
C. the little Blue Triangle.
I'd A story is told of a great merchant
m wife whose individual fortune noun
to the million mark. This lady is
member Of one of the Y. w. g. A. col
- mittees, and on one occasion she WI
~ helping in the cafeteria Of q hoste
on house at the Great Lakes naval trai
nd ing station. A little shopgirl who hi
"day Off from her work in the bas
let ment of the great store owned by T
as Y. w. C. "A. workers husband, and wi
,er had come to see her sailor brother, W
in State street hurry for servit
u She sharply ordered the merchan
- wife to 'look alive with these forl
- grille"
re- The lady addressed as "girlie' gu
humbly saw to it that the pile Of for
was replenished. Then she went oy
and talked to the girl helped her
locate her brother and sent her aW
-. =, . n1l,x, ebon ri never knew ff