The Washington herald., 1918-08-01
FIVE HUNDRED WAR BRIDES
SERVE NEAR CAMP SHERMAN
Community House Provides Visiting Place
for Wives and Mothers, Helping to
Sustain Morale of Soldiers

"oh. indeed. And are you permitted
to see him much?"
Certainly" she replied. He car
come to my room every evening be.
tween and 10, and can spend tive
| nights a week with me-"
, rs that so? And where is youl
room?'
why. right over there in the Y
W. C. A. Building"
Excuse me. child" said, "but how
long have you been married."
Since last June" she replied. How
many Jumps of sugar. please?'
NO sugar" said i. Are any otheI
girls here married to soldiers?"
why. we all are!' smiled back the
plump little body. 1--WE are all war
brides. There are only four girls In
this building who are not married to
soldiers"
And that is why I went to see the
local representative Of the War Com
munity Service, and learned from him
that $50 wives of young soldiers are
being employed In and adjacent tc
Camp Sherman at Chillicothe, Ohio
cast my eye about on the young
women who check the coats, answer
the telephones, wait on table and sell
the goods in the Post Exchange, and
asked more questions.
Influence In Helpful.
II seems that the government is
taking no chances Of losing per-
fectly good soldiers through de-
bauchery and bad habits INDUCED
in during leisure hours The
War Camp Community Service has
organized the Commissions on
Training Camp Activities of the
War and Navy departments to throw
helpful influences about our boys,
and to steer them straight in their
pleasures as well as in their duties.
The above is one of the many ways
in which the War Camp Community
Service is doing this, and the thing
is working well.
Chillicothe, Ohio, was like the aver
ave small city. Then suddenly 1t
hustled and whirled with the ac-
uvity Of building a huge camp for
many thousands of men, receiving
those men and making a profit out
of the job. Public spirit in Chill
licothe was neither low nor high.
1t was average; which generally
means that what is the business Of
the United States government is not
the affair of the local drygoods mer-
chant or druggist.
Plan Has Quick Success.
However. along came a couple OF
men, strangers to Chillicothe, and
proceeded to get into its good
graces and to organize 1t. These
two men were L. H. Weir and w.
c. Miller. hired and sent there by
the War Camp Community Serv-
ice-and they knew how to do It.
They enlisted the support Of the
Red Cross and secured a building
200 feet long, built in the shape OF
a Greek cross, located on land
leased by the government Just out
side the cantonment limits, and
within a thousand feet Of several
barracks. This is the Community
House. the ground floor Of which
can be ana is used for a large hall
for assemblies and dances.
Hither come the wives, mothers,
sisters and sweethearts of the men
and visit over week-ends, or at any
time. 1t steadies and heartens tho
men, and It no less steadies and
heartens the folks back home. Do
they come? They certainly do. They
quickly filled the Community
House. and the demand caused the
building Of additional rooming
houses forming a hollow square
nearby. The Y. W. c. A. built a
house for 125 people; the Masons
built one for so, the D. A. r. one
for 100, the City Of Columbus one
for so.
The houses are unpainted, but not
crude. The furnishings are not ex-
pensive, but they are tasteful. The
effect Is that of q great summer
hotel. A single room rents for one
dollar q night. q double room for
q dollar and a half. The project
is selflsupporting.
Approved By Comnander.
Gen. E. +. Glenn. who is In charge
Of the camp is more respousfhya for