Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-02-14
A BIT OF HOME i,
WITHIN THE CAMP

A long, low building of frame con-
struction, attractively planned, with
wide verandas and homelike aspect.
Outside are hanging the flags-the
Stars and Stripes, which must soon
be taken in as it is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing a little triangle
of blue and the letters Y. w. G. A.
1t is fall afternoon and the air is
bit sharp. Through the front windows
of the house the woman approaching
up the walk can see the cheerful glow
of an open fireplace. There is the
sound of a piano and some one is
singing. -.
The woman, who is slight and young
and tired-loOking, puts her heavy suit
case down on the walk and shifts the
baby she is carrying to the other arm.
She listens minute, then picks up the
luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one has heard her
coming and is there to meet her. Some
one always is in places like this. The
door is thrown open and a kind wOm-
ans voice says: "Oh, do come in and
rest. Let me take the baby" The
baby is passed over and the stranger,
worn from long journey, tired and
sad, is given the welcome which only
the Y. w. G. A. hostesses know how to
give.
see John before he leaves for the
front. She has been saving her money
for travelling expenses, and has come
to surprise him. John has never seen
the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she has discovered that John
has just left on a two days furlough
to surprise her. Before she could get
a train back to her home Johns fur
Tough will have expired and he " IL be
on his way back to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
situation and tears Of fatigue and dis
appointment begin to flow.
"Well, that's too bad," says the SYM
pathetic Y. W. G. A. worker. But
cheer up. You can just stay here for
a couple Of days. Well send a wire
to John at the first place his train
stops and tell him to take the next
train back. He can enjoy his furlough
here"
This is done and the little family
has a glorious day of it.
The Young Women's Christian asso-
citation has established 90 hostess
houses of this character for American
soldiers and sailors and their families.
In this brief bulletin of news lies one
of the most potent factors in the win
ming of this war. Our boys are fight
ing for their homes. The Y. w. @. A.
with its hostess work In this country
and in France is helping to keep the
ideal of American home life con-
stantly before the men who are pro-
tecting it. These men had to go away
from their individual homes, but there
Is home which follows them-a place
where they can go when they are off
duty and meet their families and rest.
There is a room In every Y. w. @. A.
hostess house with a real fireplace in
it and domestic hearth, There are
chairs with cushions on them; the
china is not of the iron-bound bucket
variety necessary in camps; and best
Of all, the boys say, there are nice
women to talk to. No boy in camp
would hesitate to ask his mother OF
sister or the girl he thinks most of to
meet him at Y. w. @. A. house, for
he knows that the women she will see
there are of the right kind. The very
fact that 1t Is known that there is q
real, honey place near each camp au.
thorized by the war department and
presided over by dignified and refined
women, has served very largely to dis
courage the other type of woman and
keep her away from the men she for
merly preyed upon.
The Y. W. @. A. houses are not es
tablished with any view to marking
class lines, however, although many Of
the hostesses who assist led lives ot
greatest ease and luxury before the
war. Democracy rules at the sign o1
the little Blue Triangle.
A story is told of a great merchant
wife whose individual fortune mounts
to the million mark. This lady is {
member of one of the Y. w. G. A. com
mittees, and on one occasion she wa
helping In the cafeteria of a hostes
house at the Great Lakes naval train
ing station. A little shopgirl who hat
"day off" from her work In the base
ment Of the great store owned by tn
Y. w. G. A. workers husband, and VIII,
had come to see her sailor brother, wa
in State street hurry for service
She sharply ordered the merchant
wife to "look alive with these forks
grille"
The lady addressed as "girlie" quit
humbly saw to 1t that the pile of fork
was replenished. Then she went owe
and talked to the girl, helped her t
locate her brother and sent her ava
happy. The shopgirl never knew tina
she had been talking to her employer
wife.
There are two hostess houses at tn
Great Lakes station, and it is a wor
derful sight to see the crowds of won
en- relatives and friends of the sailor
who throng to them on the Wednesda
drill afternoons. From 1000 to 800
persons a day are cared for in tn
cafeterias, and the nurseries are fu
Of sailor babies, whose mothers ca
leave them there safely while they ar
on the grounds.
In addition to the hostess hous
work in this country the Y. w. G. A
has established the famous Hotel PC
trograd in Paris as a center for traI
silent women war workers overseas
There are also many foyers or recre,
ton centers in France where girl MI
nItions workers, signal corps girls an
others are refreshed and brightene
by association with the play leader
of the Y. w. G. A. who have intr,
duced American gymnasium class(