The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-15
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INF o r A TION
BURE AU
FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Director.
~OFFICERETTES
Washington. d. c.

sexes were ABOUT equally Represented,
now. there are about five hundred
men to every woman. Add to this
abnormal condition the abnormal
lure of the uniform for femininity in
general, and you have the problem
that women officerettes have recently
been detailed to solve in American
training camp towns.
The o4f:cerette is entirely a war
time product. She has appeared sud
denly and unostentatiously in every
town in the vicinity of training
camp, unheralded and distinguishable
only by the small badge of office
" hich she wears beneath her coat
Altho a policewoman, she avoids the
use of a uniform, and, although de-
tective, she has no need for theatrical
DISCUSSES. Her own personality is dis
guise enough-for she may be your
mayors wife, your daughters schooi
teacher, or the chairman of the ladies'
guild of YOUR local Methodist church,
or a regular plain clothes police
woman.
Early in it's work the war depart
ment commission on training camp
activities decided that the problem OF
protecting young girls in training
camp towns was one for women. Ac-
cordingly separate committee on
protective work for girls was ap-
pointed, headed by Miss MAUD n.
Bjner, a we'll konwn socioloslst, VINO
was at one time probation ofIlcer IN
the night court OF New VOTE ~ ~,
other prominent women serving on
this committee are Mrs. Baker, wire
of the secretary of war; Mrs. James
B. Cusnman, of New York; Mrs. VIII
liam =. Drummer, Of Chicago; MIS-
Duncan McDuffie, of San Francisco
and Mrs. Daniel G: Nugent' OF
Louis. Mr.. John Egan, of Atlanta
80 Abr,bam F1exner. of New York,
are also members.
This committee is responsible TOT
the officerettes, as well as other IN
genious institutions for the protec-
ton of training camp town girls. II
has a subcommittee in each OF these
towns whose work is divided into two
sections: protective. and reformatlve.
The personnel of this committee IN
cludes town and county officials, MEM
bers of women's clubs and other in
terested organizations and individuals
who are willing to contribute their
services to the cause. Usually,
trained social worker is sent out by
the national committee to get the work
under way.
Miss Virginia Murray, a trained So
cial worker, for example. was sent to
Atlanta q short time ago. With the
help of the city officials and civil and
military police. Miss Murray succeed
ed in establishing a house of deten-
ton for feminine offenders; in ap-
pointing corps of policewomen, and
in equipping a free ward and dispen-
sary for delinquent girls. Atlanta will
now carry on this work itself.
Each training camp town has it's
own peculiar problems to solve in pro-
tecting young girls. First, there are
the girls of the town who, perfectly
safe in normal times, are carried away
by the general excitement of war and
rs
are the young women who flock in
large numbers to the training camp
towns. inspired by the opportunity for
a higher wage or by the lure of the
military uniform.
The second phase of the problem is
frequently complicated by an alarm
ing lack of housing facilities to care
for this sudden influx of women
workers. At Camp Funston, Kan, for
example, the committee experienced
great difficulty in providing housing
facilities for 200 women employed as
laundry workers at the camp. Natur-
ally, the first effect of uncomfortable
living accommodations is to turn a
large number of women in search of
recreation upon the street.
Hence, housing and recreation are
the chief factors in the program of
the committee on protective work for
girls, and, fortunately various organ
izations have come generously to the
aid of the committee in this respect.
In town in the vicinity of a southern
training camp, where hundreds of
young women have recently arrived
in search of employment, the Young
Women's Christian association has es-
tablished a model village. Dormitories
with a capacity for fifty girls have
been built around central dining and
living rooms; small houses have been
mi 1oft fa6 70, -
preferred to do their own housekeep-
ing, and clean, comfortable lodging
houses esta blished for still others
The girls who live under the pro-
lection of this organization are happy
and comfortable. There is a central
clubhouse, with a good dance floor,
a victrola and player piano, and small
library where they may spend thsir
evenings. The magnetic uniform is
always visible in this town. Hun
their days off" there, but rarely is
there any difficulty in protecting any
of these Y. w. q. A. girls The men
often come to the clubhouse and thew
frequently are invited to dances there,
SO that the girls are not forced into
much more freedom than the average
boarding school girl, altho they have
practically the same amount of ,oro-
lection.
his IS only one instance. Many
other diplomatic measures have been
instituted by other organizations for
the protection of young girls In
many training camp towns girls clubs
have been formed to carry on patri-
otto activities, such as knitting sur
gical bandages and, in lighter vein,
amateur theatricals, musicales church
sociables/and dances for the soldiers
in the outlying camps. In this way
the mingling of the girls and men is
brought into the open, made a mat
ter. of community interest and pride,
and the girls are made to realize the
high plane of their responsibility both
towards themselves and the men.
Girls who come to the towns in
search of employment are also visited
by various matronly women, who try
to see that they obtain the right sort
of employment and pleasant housing
accommodations. Wherever it is
pOSSihIe to Org3 Dize these oir1S into