Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-09-05
A Letter From Miss Ethel Hale.
written to Mrs. Bynum, BelleviewD
HOSTESS HOUSE, CAMP MAC ARTHUR,
Texas, August q, 1918.

HOSTESS HOUSE. CAMP MAC ARTHUR,
TEXAS, August q, 1918.
NV Dear Mrs. Bynum-You may be
surprised to hear from me, but I as.
sure you this letter 10 the result of a
well. meaning intention of several
vseks' standing. Most of my letter
writing gets no father than the good
intentions, and I really feel like pat
ting myself on the head when l do
succeed In getting a letter written.
You may possibly have heard that
am here in this work. and before l
come to the real object of my letter
to you perhaps yon would like to
have me tell you a little about the
Hostess House work. There are 80
many phases Of war work and SO
many different camp activities that un-
less one has the opportunity to visit
one of the large environments they do
not know about all the things that are
being done for the welfare and com.
fort OF "the boys from home"
Under the direction of the War
Work Council Of the National Y. W.
G. A. about eighty.three Hostess
Houses have been built or are under
construction in the various camps
and posts in the United States. This
particular building was Of the first to
be built in the south, and was the gift
OF Edwin Gould to the Y. W. G. A,
was opened last November, and has
been in constant use since then. The
horses are all built on the general
plan ofthis one-iarge, low, rambling
structures, with screened or glassed
IN wide porches all round. A large
living room, the central feature OF
which is the big, open fireplace. This
room is fitted with easy chairs and
couches, reading tables and lamps,
bookcases with ell the new books and
magazines, piano and victrola, etc.
The porch has in the summer time its
swings, chairs and the dining tables,
each with always present growing
plants or vase Of flowers. The porch
here ia covered with Jack Beans and
moon vines, is delightfully."- cool, and
ia the popular eating place.
Adjoining the living room is the
kitchen, store rooms, etc, and the
cafeteria, where light refreshments
are served from A, NJ. to 10 P. NJ. and
two regular meals a day. These meals
are not intended to take the place Of
the regular mess, but to provide the
"extras" they do not get ordinarily
We serve a choice of two meats, three
Or four vegetables, two kinds OF salads
two or three kinds OF deserts, and al
ways pie. Positively, / never see'
anything to equal these boys capacit!
for pie. l do believe they would ca
pie if twas made Of gutta percha ant
sawdust. Next in popularity ar
cookies. Owe learned men are moth
ing but small boys grown up), an
eggs in various forms are always Il
demand.
June and July were the biggei
months in the history OF the house
and the last week in July we average
four hundred people a day for 81
days. This was at the time the II
Division was leaving, and peopl
we're coming from all over the cour
try to tell the men goodbye. tn
is the real object Of the house Il
provide a meeting place for the me
and their women relatives and friend
A rest room with lavstories and bat
dressing tables, cots, and cribs for tt
babies, are provided, and in son
houses, where the camps are not
near town, there are provisions mac
for keeping women visitors ov'
night. However, as we are on
three miles from the down.tov
section, and four blocks from Il
car line, this is not necessary here.
There are four or more staff mer
hers in each house, viz, Directt
Cafeteria Director, Hostess, .
Emergency Secretary. Just now,
am both Business and Cafetel
Director, as Miss Ares, our Direct
has gone north on her vacation. I
my usual duties are the employing
Of help, buying supplies, planning a
supervising the meals, and, Of cour
keeping the financial end Of the ho'
going. We regularly employ n
servants, white and colored, a
keep on hand four or I've humid
dollars store room stock-really
small grocery store. SO that 1t
been an enormous responsibility,
no small amount OF work and patie
and watohiuluess to make II . fin
cial success. The help problem 10
serious one: incompetent, vast
colored help, and Independent,
different white women.
The work has been intensely In
ootinu. and vary gratifying. The n