Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-21
Y. W. C. A. CARRYING ON
EXTENSIVE WAR WORK
Organization, Now Half Century
Old, Is Extending Bounds
OF Usefulness.
HAS MANY BIG WAR ACTIVITIES
Hostess Houses in Training Camps
Have Met Genuine Need, and Work
Is Now Extending Into Great War
CenterS Abroad.

| To-day the Young Woman's Chris
tan Association is half century old,
and in all the fifty years of its life its
| one object has been the care and pro-
lection OF young women. II still cares
! for and protects young women, but
| with this difference. that whereas it's
activities were formerly to the young
| women of America. to-day it has
| stretched out it's protecting arms across
! The seas to offer shelter and succor 10
! the daughters OF our allies-of France
and Italy and Russia and England.
In the past year the activities OF
the y. w. &. ~. in this country have
I been stupendous. y few months ago
| the demand for war work resulted in
the organization OF n y. w G. y. war
council whose personnel includes some
of the best -known women In the coun-
try. Mrs. James s. Cushman. of New
York. is chairman of this council: Mrs.
Henry p. Dawson is treasurer. Among
its members ere Mrs Newton D. Baker.
Mrs. Robert Lansing and Mrs Leonard
Wood Mrs. John y. Rockefeller, Lr..
heads one OF it's most important COM
mittees and Mrs. John II. Mott is chair
man Of foreign war work.
Almost ;.e first act OF the war coun-
ell was 70 meet the demands OF the
camps ami cantonments scattered
through ihe country by building n hos
tess house n each camp whose COM
mander requested il. The way the COM
mander looked az il was this: that Il
city OF 10000 or 10000 men without a
woman in sight was an abnormal sort
OF dwelling place. The men needed a
glimpse of home life and home cheer.
They needed besides some place In
which they might meet their mothers
and wives and sweethearts. The hos
tess house answered this need
and today there arc eighty-five hos
tess houses in operation or definitely
under construction. Some OF the camp
officers asking for two and even
three hostess houses in their canton
mcnts. Ten OF these hostess houses
are for colorcd people and under the
direction OF colored people.
HOSTESS HOUSES HAVE
MET GENUINE NEED
y hostess house is manned by five
women. and the cost for building and
equipment which was originally COM
puted at $4,000 has now, by virtue Of
the increase III labor and building ma
tcrials, risen to 2I,o0O. y. -. FoSGiCk,
chairman of the commission on train
ing camn activities. says he believes
there Will never be another army post
without lis hostess house. and En- Pres
idcnt Taft wrote 10 the secretary Of
tho !. W. {. ~: II saw Your hos
tess houses at n number of army camps
and they are adequately and delight
fully equipped and are serving n most
useful purpose l am able to say this
/ from personal visit to a number Of
them in my tour through the drafted
army environments"
The hostess house is only one Of
| the many war work activities OF the
/ Y. w. {. \. Wherever the girl worker
/ goes the y w c. ~ follows. The
/ girl workers-thousand OF them
have gone into munttion and chemical
and powder factories. ana near these
factories the Y ". C. \ has bull,
| industrial service clubs. so that the
girls may have plenty Of recreation
when their work is over. These clubs
contain baths. a gymnasium and as
semb!y hall ANA cafeteria and every
/ form Of hea!thful recreation is devised
/ 10 give the girls a good time whc!
they are off duty.
The war council has even undertaken
10 build dwelling houses for the en-
ploycd girls Mrs. John H. Rookie
Teller has the emergency housing IN
charge, and houses have already been
built in sin centcrs for girls in uni
form factories. laundries. restaurants
and ship%ards.
williamsburg is one Of tho Indus.
! trial ccnters in which an industrial
service CLUB has recently been buil,.
while the club 1T Penniman. which has
| just been completed is one OF The
| pretticst in the country. The y w.
| G y. follows the American girl TO
! France as the Y. NJ. c. A. follows the
American man. and looks after her
/ in pretty much the same fashion. The
Hotel retrograd. which opened las,
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