Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-19
WORK OF Y. ". CA. MEANS
MUCH TO arrays MORALE
Cantccn WOrkci. .... hostess Houses
Put Touch of Home Into
Soldier Life.
WORK is GREATLY EXTENDED
Wherever Women Take Places of
Men i'll Industry, Especially at
Munition Plants, Hue Triangle OF
Y. w. {. a. Is on the Ground.

Munition Plants, blue Triangle of
Y. w. &. a. Is on the Ground.
when you read such a statcmcn; as
that the ~ in France ovcrtoppcd all
other bids for 5000 tons of~sugar be
cause they wanted il TO make O.0G0. 900
bars OF chocolate for the soldiers you
arc likely TO give Il gasp and say TO
Yourself. Heavens. is that all these two
Zig associations 10 with their
moncy-Eive chocolate to soldicrsY "
said Miss Amy Smith. executive sccre-
'arH OF the y w. G. y. war work
council in Virginia. But let me tell
You this, the other name for those
lo.0no.O0O chocolate bars is morale
u might not mean morale To YOU. but
mats what ii means to those war
wearicd. muddy. over-tircd men in
france Tastes like home. they say.
as cantccn worker hands out bit
oil chocolate or a package OF cigarettes
or Il sandwich. You see. il puts II
thought OF home and bit OF the spirit
oil nome INTO our boys, and their spirits
go up with a bound and they are ready
10 iSht aSain-hght for home and all
that home means.
~ the same way with the nunition
workers or the Red Cross nurses in
France. They come unto our 'foycrs'
when they are dead tired with the hard
days work loading shells or cutting
wounded soldiers. and they see our
bright cretonne hansings and sink
down into comfortable chair and
drink cup OF tea and eat u sandwich
ana listen to little music. and in Il
little while they are new women their
morale is restored they are ready TO
go back to the factory or the base hos
pltal ana take up their duties again
because the bright hanGings. the com
Iorlaplc chair and the cup Of tea all
mean bit of home to them
But that" said Miss Smith. rs ONLY
very little part of what We are doing
and what we going TO do in the
way OF war work.
The number OF hostess houses We
nave built and have under construC-
'ioh IN this country is probably an old
story to YOU; but will tell YOU again
that there are eighty-siX OF them. and
thirteen are for colorcd people.
fcrhaps 1t is not an old story TO tell
you that We have lc7 ccnters or clubs
for industrial workers, most of whom
arc working for the government
when we went into the war Uncle
sam found he could take care of the
men of the country without anv trou-
pie II was when he had TO tackle the
women that he became utterly nom
Pulsed. They were problem He
didn't know what to do about them, so
ne called on the Y w. c. a.. as an as
sociation which had always dealt solely
with women and their problems. to help
him out
We began by furnishing emergency
housing Tor the girls doing government
work. Mrs. John -. Rockcfeller Jr
took charge OF this branch and buil,
houel houses in six Industrial ccntcrs
which most needed them. Charleston
> g., where about 400 women are
employed in uniform factory. has tho
hrst ana best OF these model houses for
girls. In Washington. where things
arc so terribly congested for workers
we have four houses or clubs open,
Ihen we had TO have Industrial ser
vice clubs for girls doing muni,ion
W"fk-a place where they could spcnd
'hcir rest hours and keep Interested
ana out of mischief We have "A huge
Patriotic League of nearly 500 OOD
members. and our bureau Of social NOR
atty gave 1928 lectures in ii2 comnu-
mites OF thirty seven States in the pas,
year.
over IN France we have five recrca-
tional ccnters or clubs for American
women They include signal CORPS
women te!ephonists. teleEraphists and
other women employed by the army
We have fourteen Of these clubs for
thc nurses in the base hospitals and
fourteen for French women WIN arr.
WORKING IN munition factories in
stores and Offices and with the Amer
ican army. and we are still maintain
ing three clubs and nine workers in
darkest Russia
AS each draf, sweeps the country
cleaner of men, women must move IN
TO take their places ana where the
women go the blue triangle OF the Y.
W. 1. y. follows them. Virginia is get
iihS IT'S good share OF war work In its
munition factories. These factories en-
pi"S thousands OF women, and it is our
part. demanded of us by our govern
'ncnt, TO throw around these women
| ana girls every safeguard and every
protection possible.
nave told you much Of our work -
%a'h Miss Smith, pnusing To take
breath and yet ! have left great
Part untold 1t is SO vast and so inn
noriani and ever growing that il is
ci!hcult even for us who are in III.
!iiu%t OF 1t to keep up with it, Here
| ~ virginia we are selecting county
| chairmcn and division chairmen for our
biS drive, which takes place the week
OF November IL. II takes money TO
10 war work. our personal budget for
next year is $l5.000.O00. and we are
asking the people Of Virginia for $40
600. That is the Y. w. g. A. share Of
the amount which we confidently ex-
pcct Virginia 10 give To the four as
Sociation*. the Y. ". c. A. the Y. NJ
| I. A. the War Community Service and
the American Library Association 1t
IS the first time four such great organ
iaiionS have ever co-operated and we
are expecting great things from our
| Big Four drive, for as you will see
| from what | have told you that even