The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-23

he didn't go home at all, but left in
about an hour on his trip up to To-
peka- The day he left to return home
found him in one of our most exclu-
sive and expensive shops buying femi-
nine gew-gaws The wife simply had
to be placated, even If it did cost close
to SIS to do it. Then he sat down
and footed up his bills. Lost $44 at
poker; spent s25 at the convention:
for love and amiability and the happy
home life SIS. Total, $S4, just thrown
woman failed to flicker at the critical
moment of 3 o'clock a. m. last Sun
day.
That this mans experience may
have a salutary effect on the conduct
of ali erring maScullnity, is the devout
hope oe AGATHA.
The following paragraphs are from
an article in the New York Evening
Sun of last Saturday, being an inter
view with Mrs. Paul Walker, who has
just returned from the east, where
she attended a conference of Y. W.
c. A. war council representatives:
No state in the Union has had to
face greater wartime problems than
Kansas, and the story of how the en-
ergetic women of that energetic state
have met and are successfully solving
those that apply particularly to girls
and women is wildly told by Mrs.
Paul E. Walker, a prominent young
matron of Topeka, Kan, and chair
man of Y. w. C. A. hostess houses
of the camps in that part of the coun-
try and member of the Kansas state
war work committee. Mrs. Walker is
at the Algonquin Hotel for a few days.
In order to understand thoroly the
situation in Kansas, Mrs. Walker as
fSrcf h a
location of the big camps and forts
that have sprung up within the last
, few months and are crowded so close
ly together around Junction City that
they seem like one great endless can
torment. There are Camp Funston,
with its $4,000 men; Fort Riley, with
it's usual large number swelled by
war training recruits; Remount Sta
ton and Army City, all within a radius
of few miles of each other, the only
town anywhere near being Junction
City and Manhattan.
1T is as if that part of the state
had been suddenly changed into a
world of armed men, said Mrs. Walk
er, land as soon as the soldiers began
to pour into the camps the wives,
mothers, sisters and sweethCarts
came, too, as well as the women who
were to do the industrial work about
the cantonments. Junction City was
simply overwhelmed The population
was almost instantly trebled.' The in
duStrial and commercial life of the
| town became five times greater than
it ever was before. And the inha bit
ants found themselves facing the i'm
possible task of caring for this multi
tude of women and girls that had
suddenly appeared in their midst. The
people of the town, rich and poor,
threw their homes open to the new
corners, but even this did not begin to
m a of he emit
inch of available space was taken i'm
mediately. Women offered to pay for
chairs in which to sit all night prices
they would have given for hotel
rooms. Girls who had been accus-
toned to every luxury slept in their
automobiles In garages. Two New
York women rented the bed of their
| jitney driver and considered them
selves lucky to get that.
Then Army City, which is a most
unique soldier city built on the plain
and encircied by brown hills, sprang
| into being almost overnight with sixty
| eight business buildings, in addition to
mum berleSs restaurants and photo gal
| leries. And there was, of course, no
! proper housing preparation for the
women workers.
Among the first influx of women
were thousands of little war brides
belonging to families of wealth from
all over the country, particularly the
SOuln ana East, LOT unSIOn was IlrSt
an officers training camp. I have
never seen so many beautiful girls in
my lifeI" Mrs Walker exclaimed. IT
didn't know there were so many on
earth. They rented all sorts of hot
little rooms over stores, and anywhere
they could get them, and they put up
with every sort of inconvenience with
out uttering a complaint but their
| lives were really tragic. They could
see their men only very occasionally,
| and there was nothing for them to do
! but knit in the interrnina BILE between
whites. They were indeed a forlorn
! lot.
so you see our problem dealt not
alone with girls and women engaged
in industrial work, for our sense of
obligation was just as great toward
these well-to-do women who had
others. both rich and poor so plunged
in grief.
The Y. w. c. A. afterward stepped
in and established a girls club
In conn ection with this were bureau
of information. where addresses could
be obtained of available rooms and a
| free employment bureau for those
wishing to obtain work. Next. the
Y W. c. A. erected a temporary DORM
| tory at Army City, and followed this
! with its first hostess house, which so
| delighted General Wood that he
| changed its first site and had it moved
opposite his own headquarters. At
present there are two hostess houses
one at Camp Funston and the other
/ at Army City. Later we erected
a number of these hostess houses
| turnout the various camps. and much
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