The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1918-09-28
THE BLUE TRIANGLE
AT RUSSIA'S FRONT

The Blue Triangle clubrooms I'm
Petrograd were In half shadow. A
few scattered candles flung CLEANS as
persistent and as vague AS Russias
hope of liberty. A hundred Russian
girls and six young men were guests
OF the first Young Women's Christian
association In all Russia. IL was a
gala afternoon tea but IL was dark
because the winter days end at three
o'clock and there is restriction on
the use OF candles and kerosene as
well as OF electricity.
The girls were making merry even
In the gloom OF winter. the twilight
and the tragedy OF war One slender
white-faced girl with purple Swallowed
eyes was merrier than all the rest.
Her wit and ringing laugh were con-
tagious.
"Sonya is wonderful tonight" one
girl whispered 10 another as she
stirred gently into her tea the one
lump OF sugar doled out carefully for
the party. The Y. w. @. A. secre-
taries had been saving the sugar for
months-putting aside at each meal
one OF the two Jumps served with the
coffee In the restaurant, that there
might be a bit of sweet for this first
party. There was no bread.
"Sonya is not drinking her tea"
her paie little 6dmirer went on, yet
she tainted this morning at the fac
tory and the forewoman said she was
hungry"
Were all hungry" was the mo-
notonous reply. 1T wasn't that"
Something stopped the laughter and
talk suddenly but the hush that fell
In the dlmly liz room was as joyous as
the gaiety. One OF Russla's greatest
singers stood by the plano and lifted
tears and heartbreak that people at
peace call thrills.
They went away early when the
music was done--these sad-eyed. half
starved little guests of the Blue Tri-
angle-for danger turks I'm the dark
OF Petrograd streets, robberles and
murders-sharp little by-products OF
a nations chaos and a world at war
Sonya fingered after the others
were gone. She was standing close
by the secretary-hostess' chair when
she turned from saying goodnight TO
the last one OF the other girls. The
laughter had died out OF the girls
eyes and the galety from her voice.
"Will you give me note TO the
factory superintendent" she asked
telling him I'm attending classes
here at night?" She spoke In French,
for she knew no English, and the sec
rotary, no Russian.
ayes. II It will help you" The sec
rotary was glad TO give her such
note but she was curious. Tell me
why"
"If he knows the girls are going 10
night classes he won't put us on the
night shift. He viii let us work days
30 we can come. Yesterday asked
for the night shift. Today have
changed my mind"
The secretary wondered. Sonya
had not been In any OF the classes.
Had the bright little party given her
an interest IN the work of the associa-
tionl Had the friendllness Of the
American secretaries reached her?
Was It the music that had given her
an impetus TO study toward something
beyond n factory1
"What Is II that interests your" the
secretary asked her. "You are not In
any OF the classes now, are you? What
Is II you want TO take up?"
This morning looked out the fac
tory window" and Sonya's voice re-
minded the secretary OF the call OF n
night bird before a storm. Down In
the courtyard was crowd and three
men were killed. Killed by the po-
lice-the bolshevik police, while
stood there and watched. They said
they were anarchists. One was my
brother. Another was my sweetheart.
came here tonight to forget. But
cannot forget. Always I will remem-
Der. l want nothing now but to car
~ on their work, and to do that must
study and Learnt must learn English
and many other things. l want to go
III uli the NihNNfS. II the lOTeinhu AL
the factory knowsI do that, he will
help. He Will let me work days"
In the dark. the hunger. the cold.
and the terror of Petrograd, the Blue
Triangle IS sendlsg out its shining In
vitatlon TO the bewlldered women and
young girls OF Russia. IL Is offering
little oasis In the midst OF the
chaos where they may come and rest
and relax. play games. listen 70
music, study English, French, stenog-
raphy. bookkeeping. or music, and ms
one tired girl expressed II, forget for
the moment that they are In Petro-
grad Most OF the girls who gather
at the sign OF the Blue Triangle are
bookkeepers and stenographers, but
scattered among them are factory
girls, domestics. and girls who never
have worked.
"In Petrograd and elsewhere In
Russia" says Miss Clarissa Spencer,
world secretary OF the Y. w. 9. A.
who started the work I'm Russia, girls