Milford chronicle., 1919-07-25
HOW THE Y. w. C. A. HELPS
THE SBRIDAL SERVICE.
(By Grace Goulder)

Bordeaux, France, July-Lessons in
American cooking are given to French
brides Of the United States soldiers
by an army mess sergeant Instruc-
ton is entirely by sign language as
4 the mess sergeant "parleys" badly and
the brides mo cOmpris" in English.
The cooking classes are part of the
instruction in the bridal barracks
maintained here by the Y. W. c. A. for
the brides while they wait for sailing
orders for their new country. There
are also gymnasium classes, lessons in
English, talks on American geography
and American customs. There are
even hints on American styles and
I American laws.
The Y.W.C.A a. secretary in charge Is
called the commander of the camp,
and the assistant the lieutenant COM
mander. The camp is run entirely on
military rules. the brides getting up
with reveille, obeying taps and eating
mess" on schedule time. They must
stand inspection in their rooms and
personal belongings exactly as soldiers
do They are compelled by the army
to live in the Y. W. C. A. camps be-
fore sailing.
command greeted the Y. W. C. A. sec
retaries when they came to (take
charge something like this: I'VE know
all about your work with the war
brides in other parts-were very glad
you've come here-relieved, in fact
You can count on the military here to
the last degree for anything that we
can do to help you"
naFn~n ha y A Il.
opened the brides were housed on the
fifth floor of the Red Cross building
where there was no water supply and
they were forced to draw their water
in the offices on the first floor.
The Red Cross furnished the chairs,
rugs, lounges and hangings for the
living room Of the new barracks and
the army equipped the kitchen and
bed rooms. The food is supplied the
brides free, through the cooperation .
of the Red Cross and the Y. W. C. A .
Secretaries returning home do SER (
vice on all transports carrying brides.
The workers assigned to transport
duty report at the port camp several
days before sailing that they may be-
come acquainted with the brides and
their special problems. In this way
they are to continue during the trip
the instruction begun in the camp.
Bridal service means more than
port and transport work. Brides we're
arriving in great numbers in Paris
and became hopelessly confused with
of official papers. After
| Y. W. c. A. secretary had given per-
ional assistance to one of the brides,
he American embassy In Paris re- {
lueste dthat a secretary be assigned
for work there with the
,rides.
The official list of brides is obtained I
md personal greetings are sent to the
'oung women before they leave their
ZONES, assuring them that the Y. w.
:. A. is ready to serve them through {
he port and passage days, until they !
an land in America and even after
hey reach the communities to which /
hey are going in America. t
All kinds of requests have come. [
young French girl came to the Paris (
eadquarters the other day asking the I
ssociation's help in investigating the
amily and financial condition of a c
ertain American soldier whom she /
-ished to marry. A soldier asked the T
=. w. c. A. to visit his wife who was
lken i'll on her way to the port and 4
as detained in a military hospital i
l town some distance from where
e was stationed. I
The Y. w. C. A. has bridal camps in t
ordeaux, in st. Nazaire and Brest, a
le Brest camp being largest with h
lpacity of 1000. Col. Lyon, director .
army welfare work In France, said 1
this work of the Y. W. C. A. with
-e brides: 1T is the most human
ing I ever heard of an organization =.
'ing. Only an organization with a =
Q heart couId do II