Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-11-07
THE SECOND LINE
OF DEFENSE

From the Mississippi valley 10 the
Banning front IN Flanders is not as far
today as the distance from Paris 10
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-lne trenches. II her work
falters, II one untrue torpedo passes
Abe 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 TT
and high Of courage as the man who
Ores the gun.
The glory and excitement Of war
are for the man I'm khaki Grinding,
monotonous labor far away from the
flying days and martial music is the
portion Of the girl who makes muni-
lions.
One and half million women and
girls have marched into the service NJ
the United States government, TO take
the places Of the men who have been
called 10 the colors. with every draft
and with the opening Of every munl-
tion cantOnment the number is mul.
tlplied. These girls work long hours
aud the work is hard and monoton0us.
Furthermore, they work Mt high nery-
GUS tension. On the skill OF their I'm
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 twentles.
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
"Nlghts 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"
81 was just on the edge of going
bnck home" said another. 81 couldn't
stand It, Then the recreation leader
asked me II / played basket bail, aud
] told her | was too old. I'm twenty
eight She insisted that lust try
Throwing the BAN, and now I'm captain
of the basket bali team play tennis.
and can set up and Wigwag' and
they're going 10 make me forcwomun
Of the room. That would have fright
ened me 10 death once. But every
thing Is different now, that we have
our War Service club"
The war department had seen the
need of occupations for outof-work
hours II the employees were 10 work
Mt their greatest efficiency. and through
the ordnance department asked the
Young Womcu's Christian Association
for recreation leaders, To line up the
girls and direct their free.time pleas
ares.
The government reminded the Y. w.
q. 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 I'm the munitions factories
was one Of the essentials In the win.
ming of the war. The government
could house and feed them II could
put mp recreation buildings. but when
this was done 10 was as helpless ms the
father of "a mothorleSs girl. The gov.
erumCnt is composite man. lie didn't
know what q girl should do when the
six o'clock factory whistle blew. lie
only knew She needed looking after
and De called Ia the one woman's or
EauizodoU that for half century had
modr % study OF the needs OF girls
vaguely he had am idea that she
should h' encouraged to play that
she needed vhoIoS me recreation. and
some one. wise and sympathetic as q
carrtu' mother 10 guide her social nc.
tiyiues.
''' i-''h'. D n itANlset'. NAttI llN INtlN l0tiN
&c salute ana go 10 work. Workers are
asked for in recreation buildings NJ
all the 30 federal industrial reserve
lions or Wuuitiou environments which
have been opened this summer IA sew.
crai ~ tho states. These reservations
sprung up out Of the very fields Ia a
few weeks They are employing thou.
sands OF workers Many Of these
women have comv from Gar distant
homes The government provided
harmiori's and mess harrock, In
seme places it Is putting up recreation
3nildingS Where such q building is
not provided hy thc government. the \.
W q A wl'l furnish It'd usiua one n.
ready standing when available and
building when that is necessary. An
these buildings. whether government