New-York tribune., 1919-03-16
Women's Committee
Is Disbanding After
Doing Big War Work
Noted Group of Dollar.a-
Year Workers Leaves
Washington; Wilson Gives
High Praise for Work
By Hannah Mitchell
.Nem York Tribune
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON, March 14-Another
group of dollar-a-year workers has
left Washington. They are members
of the Women's Committee ef the
Council of National Defence Presi-
dent Wilson'S acceptance of the resig-
nation of the women's committee has
started disintegration of country
wide organization of women.
The womens committee was ap-
pointed as an advisory committee to
the Council of National Defence on
affairs concerning women. 1t soon as
sumed proportions superior to all other
advisory committees, because women
had no other organization through
which to concentrate their war activi-
ties. Organizations were started in
every state, county and city. There
were many neighborhood and ward com,
mittees.
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, Miss Ida
Stanley Mccormick, Miss Agnes Mes
tor. Miss Hannah ]. Patterson, Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Gait. Mrs. Josiah
Cowles, Miss Maude Wetmore, Mrs.
Joseph Lamar and Mrs. Antoinette
Funk were the women's committee.
They are all dollar-a-year women
Departments were established as
follows:
(D Registration, CD Food Produc-
ti0n and Home Economics, 60 Food
Administration, (4) Women in Indus
try, CD Child Welfare, CO. Mainte-
nance of Existing Social Service
Agencies, CD Health and Recreation,
t8) Educational Propaganda, CO..
Liberty Loan and 00O Home and For
eign Relief
Was Propaganda Organization
The committee was frankly an agency
for creating public opinion upon GER
tain subjects when the stress of the
times made it necessary that the people
of the country should think thus and
So. One of the last campaigns planned
although 1t was never carried far be-
cause of the cessation of hostilities
was that of building up the home
morale of soldiers families. This would
have been particularly important at the
time of the second draft law.
War gardens were doomed through
the women's committee. When a re-
cruitlng campaign for army nurses and
nurses assistants was needed, the COM
mittee did vast work with posters ard
published articles and plans for COM
munity campaigns. Part of the work
OF getting young women to relieve the
shorta- e of agricultural labor was done
through branches of the committee.
New ways of conserving food and
household labor, SO that more time
could be given to the Red Gross, were
spread broadcast
A large amount of the work of Chill
dren's Year was carried on by the com
mittee.
Recruiting young women to take up
war work and other work which men
were leaving was done by the commit
tee.
Equal Voice With Men
The committee was the connecting
link between the women of the country
and the headquarters of the council
No real business could be done with
voluntary organization except through
the small units. The central commit
tee had no real power except that
which comes from direction of bodies
that know no Independent way to 90
about the work they wish to accom-
plish.
The work of small units became so
important in small communities and so
much part of the mems work that
part of the women's committee was
united with the state councils division
IN the field division of the Council of
National Defence Men and women in
toned to carrying on their civic work
together. Before the field division was
created they did their war work to-
gether, although the men were under
the state councils department and the
women under the women's committee.
In the field division of the Council
of National Defence women had equal
place and an equal vote with the men
on ali activities. DR.. Anna Howard
Shaw was vice-chairman of the field
division. Mrs. Mccormick, Miss Tar
bell, Miss Patterson and Mrs Lamar
were members of the field division In
resigning from the womens committee
these members do not relinquish their
places as members of the field division.
AT meeting of the women's com
mittee on February II the members
passed resolution that, since their
work was finished, they would resign.
Secretary of War Baker asked them to
wait until President Wilson returned
10 this country. In the week the Presi-
dent was IN Washington he accepted
the designations, with appreciation of
the work they had done