Evening star., 1918-07-28
How the WV CA. IS Doing Its Bit in the War

service from the Hotel Petrograd. tho
beautiful and spacious American
hostess house recently opened by the
z. W. C. A. in Paris for the benefit
of our girls over there. The credit
for the successful 'find" she made in
securing this fine residence on the
Rue Caumartin is due to Miss Blanche
Geary, housing expert. who has trans
ferred her service as superintendent
Of the east side model tenements OF
New York to the Y. W. c. A. to aid
its war service abroad.
In Hotel Petrograd the American
war worker can secure that luxury
rare in Paris. a hot bath. She sits
down to dainty meals. cooked after
the best manner of the American and
French cuisine. and Is served in a
roomy saloon paneled with mirrors.
This hotel is In fact little bit Of
America transplanted to the French
capital to meet the needs of the great
numbers of American women who are
working in Paris. and. indeed. in
France. for any journey to France
begins and ends in Paris.
I'm our hostess houses for American
woman war workers in France we
look after their comfort and welfare
to the best of our ability" said Miss
Blanche Geary. who is also back on
workers, the Red Cross workers.
woman doctor units. college units,
Salvation Army units. and other re.
lief groups also come under our care.
and all appreciate the sense of homo
rooms inspire.
"As for the work among the French
women. II. Clemenceau said in 9
recent personal talk. delivered
only in our own name. but in the
name Of the government, we wish
to thank the American organization
for. all the work 1t has accomplished
be hard to express adequately itS
tremendous value in the minds Of
those whose responsibility 1t is to
carry the war to successful issuA'f
When the War Department under.
took to get the country's men ready
for war 1t made its plans without a
single thought for the women The
consequence was that the War De.
partment WAS q bit surprised to OBJ
serve the steady stream Of women
who began to come to the canton
ments as soon az the cantonments be-
came the homo Of the men. So tho
War Department asked for help from
the Young Women's Christian Assoc
citation. The hostess house was the
answer.
Now there are eighty-five of these
centers Of hospitality In Army camps,
either in actual operation or in course
OF construction. No one of them has
been undertaken until the command
ant OF the camp requests 1t. Mrs.
Edward NJ Townsend Of Oyster Bay
is chairman of the hostess house COM
n{ffaa The arrhffAofr v-n
Miss Julia Morgan of the Pacific coast
and Miss Catherine Budd Of New York
city.
The general plan of all is the same.
room. plentifully provided with. big
chairs and 'roomy divans, has huge
open fireplace In the center. Gay cur
tains on the windows and pretty
chtntxeS on the chairs give a piece Of
color that Is most welcome to the eye
after the khaki monotony Of the rest Of
the camp.
Half the big room is living room.
which is truly lived In: the other half
Is a cafeteria, often the only place in
camp whore visiting civilians can pro-
cure meals. In many Of the houses
there Is a nursery. shut OF in quiet
corner OF the house. where babies
may meet their soldier daddies for
the first time, and other babies are
put to nap. There are always one or
tHO SpAI6 COIS INC uOuS0 ASpl 4OE
the emergency time. when a storm
holds women at the camp all night.
or for the time when the mother of
sick soldier waits anxiously for tho
crisis. -,1
The hostess house is manned by
five women-ths hostess director in
general charge; the social hostess. re-
sponsible for the reception Of visitors;
the emergency hostess. who looks
after the outside cases which como
to the attention Of the hostess house,
and the business hostess, who keeps
the accounts and does the buying.
Where are the women to live who
arc today sfiocking to tho rovergrowing
munition' and uniform factories? One
Of the first matters the Young wom.
ems Christian Association began to put
its mind to was adequate housing for
the women and girls who, With the
sounding Of the war declaration. began
to more, from .their homes, to the oomA
munities that overnight had become
war industry cSnters. -: -.