Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-01-03
A WALLED CITY !.
OF WOMEN

tory for single women. There are MANY I
more of them than of tile families fniI
the drab little houses. The village is
full of women-old, young, middle
aged-whose faces, hands and hair
slowly are turning yellow from the
powder which it is 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 |
munition factory, is of little moment to |
them. They have come into the walled |
town from ruined villages and devas- |
tated farms with their frightened little |
children, their despairing old 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
blighting 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
nondescript. The dull garb harmonizes
with the yellowing 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 recreational center
within reach. The cars which find
cafes at the end of the line a 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. G.
A. secretary in charge, sis to keep the
women occupied in the evenings, to
give them good healthy amusement so
that they will forget their sorrows and
go to bed and 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 a pretty little round, rosy
checked girl here who is just beginning
to show the effects of the powder. The
roots of her hair and her forehead are
pale yellow. The palms of her hands
are deep burnt orange and her hands
and arms bright yellow.
"There is an ex-professional dancer,
an interesting girl who enjoys the
! foyer and helps entertain the other
girls. There is a professional pianist
who does her bit at the noon and eve
ming hours. There Is one rough-and-
| ready girl who speaks English, whose
father was an innkeeper in northern
France. There is a pretty little girl
who is engaged to a French soldier
who still is rejoicing over the five min
utes she had with him recently during
an air raid. His mother is the care
taker 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 a sweet-faced girl who
was lacemaker in Valenciennes, who
came direct to US from the German
ridden section after hard experience
in getting away" i
These are the women the Blue Trf
angle is helping to forget-perhaps
only for an hour at time-the hor
rors that have blackened their hearth
stones and darkened the world.
"My foyer" the secretary writes
Consists of hall and two large room!
with cement floors. One has a writing
} table and paper, pens and ink, sewing
: machines, cupboard with teacups il
1t, large table with papers and maga
, zines, easy chairs and my desk. Th
, other room has a piano, more tables
} chairs, ironing boards and Victrola
/ There are unframed French picture
} and American and French war poster
, around the room. The walls are paint
: ed gray and white"
3 Saturday evenings they sing an
, dance. 'First they have a chorus,
r writes the secretary, "such as LIE Rev
Passe' or the 'Hymne des Amateurs o
, something equally thrilling, and at tn
final notes of triumph voice at m
ears begs, I'm polka, mees.' The polk
finished, there is call for the Hymn
q Americain' and we sing the 'Stal
:, Spangled Banner lie Drapeau Etoile
in two languages"
= These foyers have been establishe
in several munition centers in France
Each one has a cafeteria, a recreatio
hall and rooms fitted up as res
: rooms, writing and sewing rooms. A
S night these rooms are filed wit
r French girls learning English, bool
n keeping or stenOgraphy, that they ma
Il work in the offices of the America
= Expeditionary Forces. In connectio
e with each is a large recreation field {
p park.
g At the request of the French mini
try of war the Young Womens Chri
It tian association has opened clul
s rooms for the sixteen thousand Frenc
n women employed in the offices of til
l. war department.
a So successful has been the foyt
T. work in France that a call has CON
r from England to the American 7. '
Y G. A. to bring its Blue Triangle hui
> and foyers across the channel. TT
g English Y. W. G. A. has establishe
n centers for munitions workers on
# smaller scale, but after inspection (
q the American work in France the fol
Il English representatives to the Allie
j. Women's congress in Paris in Angus
q officially requested that the America
# Y. w. G. A. undertake similar work
England. --