Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1918-10-18
A WALLED CITY
~ OF WON len


tory for single women. There are many
more of them than OF the families In
the drab little houses. The village Is
full of women--od. young, :niddle-
aged-whose faces, hands and hair
slowly are turning yellow from the
powder which 1t 10 said will eventually
affect their lungs But most Of them
are refugees and the fact that they
are giving up their good looks, their
health, and perhaps their lives In the
muntion factory is of little moment to
them. They have come into the walled
town from ruined villages and devas-
tatcd farms with their frightened little
children, their despairing oil people,
carrying all their earthly possessions
In tiny bundles. In their individual
lives there Is no future; In all their
world there Is no interest but the con-
quest of the Hun.
No one comes Into this little war
community that 'centers around the big
new munitions plant but those who
work. Because of the danger and the
blightlng yellow powder, the work is
highly paid and all the workers are
volunteers.
= The women wear overalls or apron
dresses, some of black sateen, some
nondescrlpt. The duh garb harmonizes
with the following faces and despair
Ing eyes.
Into this modern walled city of de-
spair the Blue Triangle has flashed the
first message of hope. The Y. w. c. A.
foyer Is the only reereational center
within rench. The cars which find
cafes at the end of the line n mile
away. stop running at seven o'clock to
save fuel. The city Is three miles
from the factory.
MY problem writes the Y. W. c.
A. secretary In charge, lis 10 keep the
women occupied in the evenings, to
give them good healthy amusement so
that they will forget their sorrows and
90 10 bed mud sleep, physically tired
out from playing"
She goes on to tell of some Of the
women and girls who come TO the
foyer:
There Is pretty little round, rosy
checked girl here who IS just beginning
10 show The effects of the powder. The
roots of her hair aud her forehead are
pale yellow. The palms Of her hands
IRE deep burnt orange and her hands
aud nrIns a bright yellow.
There Is an ex.professioual dancer,
an Interesting girl who enjoys the
foyer aud helps entertain the other
girls. There Is professional pianist
eho does her bit ut the noon and eve
aing hours. There is one rough-and-
ready girl who speaks English. whose
latllcr was au innkeeper in northern
France. There Is pretty little girl
&hO Is engaged 10 French soldier
Who still Is rejoicing over the five min
ntes she had with him recently during
m air raid. Ills mother is the care
laker here and he is one OF six sons In
The war. Two of them are German
military prisoners. two are civil pris-
oners In Germany and two are soldiers
In the trenches. Her home In the
north Of France was destroyed and she
escaped with a small bundle Of such
things as she could carry In her hands.
There Is sweet-faeed girl who
vas lacemaker In yaleneiennes, who
came direct TO rs FROM the German
ridden section after n hard experience
In getting away
These are the women the Blue Jri.
angle ~ helping 10 forget-perhaps
only for an hour at time--the hor-
rors that have hlackened their hearth
stones and darkened the world.
"My foyer" the secretary writes,
Consists of a hall and two large rooms
With cement fioors< One has writing
table and paper. pens and ink, sewing
machines. cupboard with teacups in
II, a large table with papers and maya
zines, easy chairs and my desk. The
other room has piano, more tables.
chairs, ironing boards and Yictrola.
There are unframed French pictures
and American and French war posters
around the room. The walls are paint
ed gray and white"
Saturday evenings they sing and
dance. First they have a chorus"
writes the secretary, such as lie Reye
Passe' or the LYNNE DIES Amateurs or
something equally thrilling, and at the
final notes OF triumph voice al my
ears begs, I'm polka. mees.' The polka
finished, there is call for the 'Hymne
Americain' and we sing the Star
Spangled Banner lie Drapeau Etoile)
in two languages"
These foyers have been established
In several munition centers In France.
Each one has cafeteria, a recreation
hall and rooms fitted up as rest
rooms, writing and sewing rooms. At
night these rooms are filed with
French girls lenrning English, book
keeping or stenography, that they may
work In the offices of the American
Expeditionary Forces. In connection
with each Is large recreation field or
park.
AT the request of the French minis
try. of war the Young Women's Chris
tim association has opened club
rooms for the sixteen thousand French
vorncn employed I'm the Offices of the