Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-08-13
WHAT WOMEN ARE nOIsG;
IN INDUSTRY: WoMEN's YORK
$3.50 NTH MEMS WORK

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The shell burst and q corps o. the
,nemy went down.
Boys fred the g7n. Girls made the
shells. If the girls should drop their
tc3is The boys wou'o lave to abandon.
their warfare, for they'd heyc nothing
to fight with.
Trenches are unsreaksble-coolles,
rats, mud and all the Vaccinations of
the enemy. But there is q variety, the
thrills of warfare and enthusiasm born
of eye to eye acquaintance. with the
enemy. .a'aFe q
Shopwork is grinding if you repeat
ar operation or a series of operations
indefinitely. In big factory girl
pushes her lever into position and
pulls it back into rest and keeps up the
process day after day, and weel: after
week.
A million and half women and
girls gre taking the places of men who
have gone into the service. They are
working for the governmental fac
tories and offices. With the opening of
twenty-five great rlunition canton
ments which The government is put
ting up, thousand are being added to
this great industrial army, which is
as integral a part of the war depart
r1ent as the soldiers themselves. Every
time there is a draft, the volume of
women workers IS multiplied. SO the
women soldiers of Uncle Sam keep
step with Ihs MAJ i"
Over in France, thousands OF women
and girls are working in munitions.
Thousands Of others are in govern
ment offices, 1900 are in Offices
of the ministry Of war in Paris
alone. The women in it are French.
some are refugees who have lost
everything in the war, some are sepa-
rated from their families, every one
is bereaved of friends in battle.
In some of the factories they are
working side by side with the most
heterogeneous medley of men that
was ever brought together-Chinese
Cngalese, Moroccon, Algerian, Span
ish, Portugesc-all the world is rep
resented H~MRiE
Here in this country, the War De-
partment saw the need of occupations
for out-o work hours If the employees
were to work at their greatest etfici-
ency Discomfort, low spirits, home
sickness above all, breed no end of
evils in the workroom. Too large a
proportion were giving up and leav-
ing.
Through the Ordnance Department
the government asked the Young
Women's Christian Association for
recreation leaders to line up the We
men and girls for free-time pleasures
In France the ministry of war also
called upon the American Y. w. c. A
for the same service. The result is
what lively French girl, called the
"Play Lady," the woman who leads
the workers in their recreation.
In this country the work is turned
over to Miss Erncst;ne Friedman, OF
the industrial department of the War
Work Council of the National Y. w. C.
A. In France it is headed BY, Miss
Mary Dingman.
Recreation buildings, social rooms
recreation fields are being provided
for in, both countries. Every NUM-
ton cantonment AMI many of the in
duStrial government centers in the
United States are ia have buildings
equipped with social and ciubrooms,
assembly hall, restaurants where need
cd, gymnasums and, where possible,
swimming pools. Each will have a
field somewhere for outdoor sports.
The, War Service Clubs for girls are
part Of the plan. Membership in
these clubs involves a pledge to serve
to the best of their ability in the
ranks of the Women's Industrial
Army, the second line of defense; and
a promise of loyalty by promoting in
every, possible way the spirit of ser
vice and good will in the community.
Any girl of any race or creed is eli
glble. The program includes service
work, recreation and educational
classes.
Five centers for munition workers
have been opened in France. These
centers, called "Foyers"' or socis
rooms are fitted attractively with
-, frh I,o,