The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-11-21
A BIT OF HOME =
WITHIN THE CAMP

o
Stars and Stripes, which must soon
be taken In as 1t is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing a little triangle
of blue and the letters Y. w. G. A.
1t is a fall afternoon and the air Is a
bit sharp. Through the front windows
of the house the woman approaching
up the walk can see the cheerful glow
Of al open fireplace. There is the
sound Of a piano and some n Is
singing.
The woman, who is slight and young
and t~ired-looking, puts her heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
baby she is carrying to the other arm.
She listens a minute, then picks up the
luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming and is there to meet her. Some
one always is in places like this. The
door Is thrown open and a kind wom-
ans voice says: "Oh, do come in and
rest. Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger,
worn from a long journey, tired and
sad, is given the welcome which only
the Y. w. c. A. hostesses know how to
give.
She explains that she has come to
see John before he leaves for the
front. She has been saving her money
for travelling expenses, and has come
to surprise him. John has never seen
the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she has discovered that John
has Just left on a two days furlough
to surprise her. Before she could get
q train back to her home Johns fur
Tough will have expired and he will be
on his way back to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
situation and tears of fatigue and dis
appointment begin to flow.
"Well, that's too bad," says the SYM
pathetic Y. w. G. A. worker. but
cheer up. You can just stay here for
a couple Of days. Wen send a wire
to John at the first place his train
stops and tell him to take the next
train back. He al enjoy his furlough
here"
This is done and the little family
has a glorious day of 1t.
The Young Women's Christian asso-
citation has established 81 hostess
houses Of this character for American
soldiers and sailors and their families.
In this brief bulletin of news lies one
of the most potent factors In the win
ming of this war. Our boys are fight
ing for their homes. The Y. w. G.. A.
with it's hostess work in this country
md in France is helping to keep the
ideal of American home life con-
stantly before the men who are pro-
tecting 1t. These men had to go away
from their individual homes, but there
Is a home which follows them-a place
where they can go when they are off
duty and meet their families and rest
There Is a In every Y. w. G.. A
hostess house with a real fireplace In
Il and a domestic hearth. There arc
chairs with cushions on them; the
china is not of the iron-bound bucket
variety necessary In camps; and best
Of all, the boys say, there are nice
women TO talk to. No boy In camp
would hesitate to ask his mother OF
sister or the girl he thinks most of tt
meet him at a Y. w. G. A. house, foi
he knows that the women she will see
there are of the right kind. The very
fact that 1t Is known that there Is {
real, honey place near each camp au
thorized by the war department ant
presided over by dignified and refined
women, has served very largely to dis
courage the other type Of woman ant
keep her away from the men she for
merly preyed upon.
The Y. w. G.. A. houses are o es
tabilshed with any view to markini
class lines, however, although many o
the hostesses who assist led lives o
greatest ease and luxury before tn
war. Democracy rules at the sign O
the little Blue Triangle.
A story is told of a great merchant
wife whose individual fortune mount
to the million mark. This lady Is
member of one Of the Y. w. G. A. con
mlttees, and on one occasion she wa
helping In the cafeteria of a hostes
house at the Great Lakes naval trair
, ing station. A little shopgirl who ha
a day off" from her work In the bas,
ment of the. great store owned by tn
Y. w. c.. A. workers husband, and VIII
had come to see her sailor brother, wa
in a State street hurry for servic'
She sharply ordered the merchant
. wife to "look alive with these fork
l grille"
The lady addressed as grille quit
humbly saw to 1t that the pile of forl
: was replenished. Then she went owe
Y and talked to the girl, helped her
locate her brother and sent her ava
, happy. The shopgirl never knew tn
she had been talking to her employer
u wife.
a There are two hostess houses at Il
e Great Lakes station, and Ii Is q wo
e derful sight TO see the crowds Of wor
e en- relatives and friends Of the sailO
who throng to them on the Wednesd;
drill afternoons. From 1000 to 80
. persons a day are cared for In Il
c~afeterias, and the nurseries are fl