Licking Valley courier., 1918-10-31
A BIT OF HOME
WITHIN THE CAMP


Outside are hanging the fiags-the
Stars and Stripes, which must soon
be taken in as it Is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing a little triangle
Of blue and the letters Y. w. G. A.
1t Is fall afternoon and the air Is a
bit sharp. Through the front windows
of the house the woman approaching
up the walk can see the cheerful glow
of an open fireplace. There is the
sound Of piano and some one Is
singing.
The woman, who is slight and young
and tired-looking, puts her heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
baby she is carrying to the other arm.
She listens minute, then picks up the
luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming and is there to meet her. Some
one always is in places like this. The
door Is thrown open and kind wom-
ans voice says: "Oh, do come in and
rest. Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger,
worn from long journey, tired and
sad, Is given the welcome which only
the Y. w. c. A. hOstesses know how to
give.
She explains that she has come to
see John before he leaves for the
front She has been saving her money
for travelling expenses, and has come
to surprise him. John has never seen
the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she has discovered that John
has just left on a two days furlOugh
to surprise her. Before she could get
train back to her home Johns fur
Tough will have expired and he will be
OH his way back to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
situation and tears of fatigue ani dis
appointment begin to flow.
"Well, that's too bad" says the sym
pathetic Y. w. G. a. worker. "But
cheer up. You can just stay here for
Il couple of days. Wen send u &ire
to John at the first place his train
stops and tell him to take the next
train back. He can enjoy his furlough
here"
This is done and the little family
has Il glorious day of 1t. u
The Young WOmen's Christian assO-
citation has established 92 hostess
houses of this character for American
soldiers and sailors and their families.
t-iii-tAlS-Jrrii'cff 6fheSIis Hes one
Of the most potent factors in the win
ming of this war. Our boys are fight
ing for their homes. The Y. w. G. A.
| with its hostess work in this country
and in France is helping to keep the
ideal OF American home life con-
Stnntly before the men who are pro-
tecting it. These men had to go away
from their individual homes, but there
| is home which follows them-a place
where they can so when they are Off
duty and meet their families and rest.
| There is room in every Y. w. G. A.
hostess house with Il real fireplace in
1t and domestic hearth. There are
chairs with cushions on them; the
china is not of the iron-bOund bucket
variety necessary in camps; and best
of all, the boys say, there are nice
women to talk to. No boy in camp
would hesitate to ask his mother or
sister or the girl he thinks most of to
meet him at II Y. W. c. A. house, for
he knows that the women she will see
there are of the right kind. The very
fact that it is known that there Is a
real, honey place near each camp au-
thorized by the war department and
presided over by dignified and refined
women, has served very largely to dis
courage the other type of woman and
Keep her away from the men she for
merly preyed upon.
| The Y. W. c. A. houses are not es
p JahllShed with any view to marking
class lines, however, although many o.
l the hOSteSses who assist led lives o
greatest ease and luxury before tn,
S war. Democracy rules at the sign O
the little Blue Triangle.
A story is told of great merchants
5 wife whose individual fortune mounts
, to the million mark. This lady is
: member of one of the Y. w. c. A. com
T. mfttees, and ON one occasion she wa
| helping In the cafeteria of u hostes
$ house ut the Great Lakes naval train
I ~ A 81 nl hn hn,
}. day Off" from her work in the base
ment of the great store owned by tn
Y. W, c. a: workers husband, and VIII
y had come to see her sailor brother, wa
n In Il State street hurry for service
. She sharply ordered the merchant
u wife to look alive with these forks
, grille"
=. The lady addressed as "girlie" quit
=. humbly saw to it that the pile of fork
r. was replenished. Then she went owe
|. and talked to the girl, helped her I
locate her brother and sent her ava
= happy. The shopgirl never knew tn,
= SHE had been talking to her employer
Is wife.
A, There are two hostess houses at ii
n Great Lakes station, and II is wo
= derful sight to see the crowds of won
/. on relatives and friends Of the sallo
= who throng to them ON the Wednesd,
IN drill afternoons. From 1000 to 80,
" persons day are cared for in Il
cafeterias, and the nurseries are II
Of sailor babies, whose mothers c,
lr leave them there safely while they a
T. on the grounds.
Sc N addition to the hostess hou
to work in this country the Y. w. G.
al has established the famous Hotel |
It. trograd in Paris as center for tr0
sient women war workers overse,
nd There are also many foyers or recr,
IT, tion centers in France where girl n
m nitions workers, signal corps girls Il
m others are refreshed and brighten
IT. by association with the play lead,
lao ne thn ~ ,vh, hn,.n la