Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-26
PROBLEM FOR THE
CAMP DIX OFFICERS
To Take Care of Hundreds of
Women Who Visit Soldier
Relatives There.

Camp Dix, Wrightstown, n. J., March
26.-Caring for the thousands of women
who every week come to the big can
tonment to visit relatives and friends
has become one of the biggest problems
confronting military authorities and So
cial workers at Camp Dix.
Hundreds of these women come from
great distances. On the same train last
week were two California women, one
with . son IN an engineer regiment, the
other with n tlancc in the same organl-
zation The problem IS the moro com
picated because the accommodations for
entertaining women visitors are very
limited, vet few seem to realize this fact
until they land here and find themselves
IN great army city with no hotels or
boarding houses.
ARMY officers are expressing their
gratitude at the manner in which the
women themselves have gone to the gov
crnments 5 aid IN meeting this serious
situation. The Young Nomen's Christian
Association, which conducts big host
ess house near the camp entrance, and
the War Department Commission on
Community Service, rs represented by
the Travellers Aid Society, have become
the chief factors in this work.
Representatives, Of these organizations
meet every incoming train on Wcdncs-
DAYS, Saturdays and Sundays, the camp
visiting davS, and at all times are under
call for emergency cases. There are
scores of these calls every day In some
cases women arrive IN camp without adj
vance notice to their relatives, only to
find that son or husband or brother has
been transferred to another division or
possibly TO overseas service, but more
numerous are the cases Of young girls
who have wandered into camp ont of
nrerc curiosity.
MAIL DELAYS CAUSE TROUBLE.
women planning TO visit the camp
USUALLY write to soldier relatives or
friends. the day before and expect the
rr1er, 10 meet them at the railroad sta
ton SAYS Miss Grace Sheppard, resi-
dent manager OF tho y W. c. A. hostess
house Owing TO delays in mail scr
v,ce, they should write not less than
tour days beforehand; otherwise thev
are likely 10 arrive here only to find
that their friends know nothing Of their
anticipated visit
Discovering there are no friends 70 |
meet them and with no idea rs to where |
they can locate their men, such visitors |
are of course greatly distressed Our |
usual plan Is to bring them to the |
hcStess house until VIC can learn If their |
riends are actually m camp Many VIC /
have to advise 10 go home by the next |
train out Of camp"
A new and important field his opened |
for the women welfare workers through |
arrangc1nents made by division head |
quarters for tho \. w. c. A. and Travel |
CTS Aid Representatives 10 be at the |
Camp Dix railroad station when troop
i 4
arc TO leave many women flock 10 the /
camp TO see them off. Overcome hy their /
grlef at the parting. many OF these /
women are in dire need Of the comfort |
ing help that the secretaries arc pre- /
pared 10 extend
Following the departure Of ono such /
troop train recently Miss HortcnSc |
Roscn, representative of the Travellers /
Aid. whose work has repeatedly won /
official commcndatlou, discovered = md |
die aged women ot refined appearance /
apparently near exhaustion from the |
scene through which she had passed in |
bidding farewell 10 her son on his way |
over there
HAD GIvT-N SON ALL HER MONEY
Miss Rosen urged the woman to 90 TO |
the Hostess House for rest The visitor |
admitted her need Of rest and that she |
had not had food since partaking Of an |
early breakfast. but she ignored the sug- !
9estion that she should eat supper
Finally Miss RoSen insisted that she |
should take some nOurlshment. Then |
the woman broke down and confessed |
thst she had emptied the contents Of her |
purse into her son S pocket as she bade |
him goodbye and that she had only her !
return trip ticket TO her home town A |
meal was given her at once and after . |
nights rest and q mutual unburdenIng |
Of troubles In a talk with other women /
who were making similar sacrifices, she |
left for home the next day much re- /
freshed IL spirit as we'll as body. This |
IS only one of scores of similar cases.
The young girls who flock to the camp |
afford another field Miss Alma Booth, /
protective officer and commission police /
xDman for several cities adjacent 10 the /
camp zone, and Miss Marion l. CLARK. |
Girls Patriotic League director for tins