The Ordway new era., 1918-10-11
THE SECOND LINE
OF DEFENSE


flaming front In Flanders Is not ns far
today as the distance from Paris to
Berlin. The Atlantic ocean Is not as
wide us the River Somme. The girl
I'm the munition factory In the middle
West Is very close to her brother In
the front-line trenches. n her work
fnlters, II one untrue torpedo passes
the careful scrutiny of the inspector.
the lives of American soldiers pay
the price.
II is MS necessary to keep the girl
who makes the shells physically fit
and high of courage as the man who
fires the gun.
The glory and excitement of war
are for the man in khaki. Grinding.
monotonous labor far away from the
flying flags and martial music Is the
portion of the girl who makes NUM-
tions.
One and hnlf million women and
girls have marched into the service Of
fhe United States government. to take
the places of the men who have been
called to the colors. with every draft
md with the opening of every NUM-
tiplied. These girls work long hours
md the work is hard and monotonous.
Furthermore. they work Mt high nerv-
Gus tension. On the skill of their fn-
gers and the accuracy of their eyes de-
pends the lives of many soldiers, the
winning or losing of many battles.
81 cnn't sleep at night because I'm
80 afraid may have passed on some
thing that was not quite true" said
one young girl not yet in her twenties.
WHO inspected hundreds of torpedoes
every day.
Unless something can make this girl
forget at night, and find some rest, her
hand will lose Its cunning.
"Nights and Sundays" said another,
81 walk and walk, and never go the
same route twice until I have worn
out Hll the others, and yet | can't for
get that perhaps some time, somehow,
during the day something may have
gone through that was not quite right"
81 was just on the edge of going
back home" said another 81 couldn't
stand It, Then the recreation leader
asked me If played basket ball, and
! tod her I was too old. I'm twenty
eight. She insisted that I just try
throwing the ball. and now I'm captain
of the basket ball team. play tennis,
and can set up and 'wig-wag,' and
they're going to make me forewomnn
of the room. That would have fright
ened me to death once. But every
thing is different now, that we have
our War Service club"
The war department had seen the
need of occupations for out-of-work
hours If the employees were to work
nj their greatest efficiency. and through
the ordnance department asked the
Young Women's Christian Association
for recreation leaders, to line up the
girls and direct their free-time pleas
ures.
The government reminded the Y. w.
c. A. that MS an organization II always
had had m interest in the right hous-
ing of girls, in the right feeding of
girls. md in the right education of
girls. and that the intelligent care of
these girls In the munitions factories
was one of the essentials in the win
ming of the war. The government
yut up recreation buildings. but when
this was done 1t was as helpless as the
father of n mOtherless girl. The gov
ernment Is composite man. He didn't
know what girl should do when the
six O'Clock factory whistle blew He
only knew she needed locking after
and he called to the one wOman's or
ganization that for half a century had
made study of the needs of girls
Vaguely. lie had an idea that she
should be encouraged TO play, that
she needed wholesome recreation and
some one. wise and sympathetic as
careful mother, to guide her social ac-
tivities.
The Blue Triangle sent Its play lady
to salute and go to work. Workers are
asked for in recreation buildings of
all the % federal industrial reservn-
tlons or munition cantonments which
have been opened this summer in sew
ernl of the states. These reservations
sprung up out of the very fields In
few weeks. They are employing thou
sands of workers. Many of these
women have come from far distant
homes. The government provided
dormitories and mess barracks. In
some places It is putting up recreation
buildings. Where such building Is
not provided by the government. the Y.
w G. A. will furnish 1t. using one al-
ready standing when available. and
building when that Is necessary All
these buildings, whether government
or nssociation-owned. will operate un-
der the sign of the Blue Triangle. They
will have big living rooms, assembly
rooms for entertainments. club rooms
and gymnasiums. The Blue Triangle
will furnish program of service work.