The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1918-10-25
THE SECOND LINE
OF DEFENSE

From the Mississippi valley to the
flaming front in Flanders is not as far
today as the distance from Paris to
Berlin. The Atlantic ocean is not as
wide as the River SOmme. The girl
In the munitiun factory in the middle
West is very close to her brother in
the front-line trenches. If her work
f%alters, if one untrue torpedo passes
the careful scrutiny Of the inspector,
the lives Of American soldiers pay
the price.
It is as necessary to keep the girl
who makes the shells physically fit
and high of courage as the man who
fires the gun.
The glory and excitement Of war
are for the man in khaki. Grinding,
mOnotOnous labor far away from the
flying flags and martial music is the
portion of the girl who makes muni-
lions.
One and n half million women and
girls have marched into the service OF
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 NUM-
ton cantonment the number is null
tiplied. These girls work long hours
and the work is hard and monotonOus.
Furthermore, they work at high nerv-
Gus tension. On the skill OF their fin
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 I may have passed on some
thing that was not quite true" said
one young girl not yet in her twentieS,
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.
Nights and Sundays said another,
ri walk and walk, and / never 20 the
same route twice until I have worn
out all the others, and yet | cant 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
back home" said another. II couldn't
stand II. Then the recreation leader
asked me If / played basket ball, and
I told her | was too old. I'm twenty.
eight. She insisted that l just try
throwing the ball, and now I'm captain
of the basket ball team. | play tennis
and can set up and 'wig-wag,' an(
they're going to make me forewomaI
Of the room. That would have fright
ened me to death once. But every
thing is different now, that we hav,
our War Service club"
The war department had seen tn,
need Of occupations for Out.of-wOrI
hours if the employees were to worI
at their greatest efficiency, and througI
the ordnance department asked tn
Young Women's Christian Associate
for recreation leaders, to line up tn
girls and direct their free-time pleas
ures.
The government reminded the Y. W
c. A. that as an organization il Away
had had an interest in the right hou,
Ing Of girls, in the right feeding q
girls, and in the right education q
girls, and that the intelligent care q
these girls In the munitions factOrle
was n Of the essentials in the wiz
ming Of the war. The goverumer
could house and feed them. It coul
put up recreation buildings, hut whe
this was done II was ms helpless as tn
father of Il motherlesS girl. The gO'
eminent is n composite man. He didn
know what Il girl should do when IN
six o'clock factory whistle blew, II
only knew she needed looking aftC
and he called to the one wOman'S q
ganization that for half a century ha
made a study Of the needs Of girl
Vaguely, he had m idea that 81
should be encouraged to play, thu
she needed wholesome recreation, an
ZONE one, wise and sympathetic as
careful mother, to guide her social a
tivitics.
The Blue Triangle sent it's play lad
to salute and go to work. Workers al
asked for in recreation buildings ,
all the % federal industrial rescryu
lions or munition environments whiC
have been opened this summer IN So
eral Of the states. These reservation
sprung up out of the very fields I'm
few weeks. They are employing mo
. sands Of workers. Many OF the,
women have come from far diStal
homes. The government proyid,
dormitorics ana mess barracks.
some places it is putting up recreatl,
buildings. Where such a building
not provided by the government, the
w. G.. A. win furnish 1t, using one ,
ready standing when available, 40
building when that is necessary. 4
these buildings, whether governmp
or aSsociation-owned, will operate O
der the sign Of the Blue Triangle. Tn.
will have big living rooms, ASSENT
rooms for Entertainments. club room
and gymnasiumS. The Blue Trlgul
will furnish a program Of service wor
educational classes, games ana emit,
tainments. Military and signal cor
drills will he In charge of soldiers.