Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1918-11-09
THE BLUE TRIANGLE
ON BABEL'S TOWER


her. Excitedly she shook her head IN
answer TO the question that she could
not understand She searched through
her red plaid waist for the paper that
Tony had folded into q little square
and given to her. The writing S1 j..
IN the English that Tony knew and she
did not, told the house where she lived
Tony had explained IL all 70 her thai
morning. He had told II 70 her sgzin
at the station. Thea waving his h2rs
he had disappeared into the train wiEA
the rest Of the men, and Lucl2 had
been left standing oueslde the gate
There were crowds Of women pushing
all about her. They were weeping
50 Lucia wept, too
Lucia had been betrothed n Tosy
In the old country. Five years before.
with q long ticket for New YORK
pinned into his Inside pocket, her lover
had left her. He wrote in every let
ter that be had made her 6 ho1e II
the new country. Her dow-y money
had finally provided her Own tranSpor-
tetion- and for two months Tony and
she had been married. Then he had
drawn q ticket with number Oh it,
and this morning he had gone OF TO
war.
To the policeman Lucia told all these
things In rapid Italian. But the %
nceman only talked back 10 her as
rapidly ln a language that was not
Italian. She followed him dumbly 10
headquarters. Al hour later WON
an wearing American clothes gently
began talking to her in beautiful Ital-
ian.
Italian Lucia was only one Of thou
sands Of forelgn-born women, Syrians,
Italians, Arrsenians, Russians, Lithu-
enians, Pos4sh, who. when the draft
called Their men folk TO the American
coiors. asked In helpless confusion
what IL was all about When would
their men Be back7 What I'D people
mean when they told them they would
receive money through the mail?
Where could they find work that they
knew how 10 dof Was there no one
who could explain 1t all 10 them In
their own languageI
The Y. W. c. A. was ready 10 offer
assistance. but Il would be Of no value
TO offer # In English. Consequently
It had 10 supply q corps Of women who
could talk to the foreign-born woman
at her own door IN the language that
she was used 10 hearing In the home
land To teach her English was as
essential q factor In her AmericaniZa-
ton as TO find her a job. Therefore
the war council Of the Y. W. c. A. set
out to find her English.
A year before the war began In Eu-
rope. the leaders Of the Young Won
ans Christian association foresaw just
such q situation. and made ready to
meet It. They studied the needs OF
the immigrant They trained skilled
American social workers 70 become IA
miliar with the home habits AMI to
speak the language Of the Lett and the
Hungarian and the Greek and the 9TH
er foreign mothers who brought ba-
bles and bundles over from Ellis island
TO Battery park.
The organization into which this ex-
pertinent has developed was named
by the Y. W. G. A. national board, THE
international Institute for Young
Women" In terms which these wom-
en- can understand, II Is teaching the
foreign-born how to sew and cook and
care for the baby.
To girls Ike Italian Lucia, who con-
fusedly fingered on the station plat
forms when the draft trains pulled out,
the W. Y. c. A. is giving direct as
sistance. Educated European women,
appointed to the regular staff Of work.
ers at the camp Y. w c. A. Hostess
Houses are able TO talk to the drafted
men In their own language, assist them
10 writing letters home. and In ar
ranging furl0ughs and little visits to
the camp.
The Home Information Service for
Foreign Families Of Enlisted Men" is
doing practical relief work for the
wives and mothers. The purpose Of
the board Is to help the women folk
left behind to understand where their
boys are and how they are being treat
ed; how they need home support and
cheer, how to send them comforts, and
10 keep pace themselves by learning
English and other things. so that when
the boys come home they viii not find
their wcmen still very un-Amerlcan
and out Of sympathy with them.
Food conservation bulletins have
been translated into IS or 10 languages.
AT the factories and muniuon plants
Interpreters are available for the non
English speaking women by whom the
real war industries Of the country are
being largely carried on. In % I'm
portant cities International Institute
Bureaus are training American and
foreign women for full time social
service work with foreigners. Twenty
four trained women are ,,roloyed on
the national and district field staff Of
the Y. W. c. A. on June Is there we're
Jos trained women working at Ameri-
canization.
When more than 5000 Chicago men
filed ont their bfvo on~1s So a.. c..