Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-09-05
WORKING GIRL
NEEDS DIVERSION
Maryland Governors Wife Dis
cusses Problem OF Woman
In War Work
INTERESTED IN Y. w, c. A.

In the beautiful drawing room of the
Colonial home where the families of
the Governors of Maryland reside.
Mrs. Emerson c. Harrington, wife of
Governor Harrington, talked most en-
tertainingly the other morning of the
problem of the present-day working
women, and the efforts being made to
meet those problems.
When we realize that the war has
meant that suddenly hundreds of
thousands of women who have never
before left the shelter of their own
homes find themselves in utterly
changed surroundings, very often
without a guide or anchor, we must
acknowledge that the woman's prob
lem is an extremely difficult one. and
il is very comforting to know that an
organization such as the Young
Women's Christian Association is pre-
pared to meet it, This applies par
ticularly to the questions of recrea-
tion--or so II appeals to me-for it is
the nature of the young girl or boy to
wish for diversion-and they should
have diversion
81 understand that the number of
women and girls in Washington and
in other large cities where interest in
various phases of war work centers.
is extremely large. Most of these
girls are away from their homes
ties have been broken. restraint to
which they are accustomed is lack
ing, they are in fact, living their own
lives
1T is to this girl that temptation
will make the strongest appeal-not
because she is bad-she isn't bad--but
because she is lonely and young. She
may be making very nice salary
but not enough to go often to theatres
or concerts, and after a hard days
work she does not want to sit alone i'm
her little room. She wants to go
somewhere with other human beings
Ito laugh and to be entertained.
That's a perfectly natural desire.
isn't it?
1T is here that the work of the Y.
w. c. A. makes a special appeal--the
fact that ii is looking after these girls.
forming recreation centers where they
may meet people and form friendships
under careful chaperonage, find en-
tertainment, and give reign to their
natural love of diversion, is one that,
to my mind, should not be overlooked
when we are counting up the great
and good work at this time In the
recognition OF the girlish love of fun
and in preparing to crafty this love,
the Y. W. c. A. is doing a work the
results of which will be far-reaching,
and which will, ] am sure, be pre-
ventatiye of much sandness, perhaps,
save many broken hearts
Il understand that the work in
Washington especially is being done
on very large scale-the number
of women workers there makes a
great demand upon the Association.
and it does seem as if everyone should
know of ii and give all the assistance
possible to the people who are looking
out for the girl he left behind him.
In fact, the Y W. c. A. interests me In
every way-if they did nothing else
but conduct the Hostess House at the
various camps they could not be
praised sufficiently l am particu-
larly interested in Camp Meade. where
/ have been serving in the cafeteria
quite often, and it is wonderful to see
the way the boys appreciate the adj
vantages offered them there"
Mrs. Harrington is interested I'm a
number Of war organizations in addi-
tion TO the Y. w c. A., including the
War Camp Community Service, the
Baby Saving Campaign, Chile Welfare
Clinic, the Red Cross. and in addition
to these, she is an indefatiguable
knitter