The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-08-05

demand asking that they might serve
that the government was swamped
by this desire; and the government
found it necessary to organize group
of women to direct the war work OF
women-not because they lacked pa
triotism but because of their patriot
ism; they all wanted to serve but
they did not know in what way they
could best render that service or what
the country desired of them.
The government called the women
who organized the woman's commit
tee together and they made us the
medium in directing all the war work
of the women of the United States.
What was the one cry that brought
women together? What was the one
impulse which Dire wthem, as one wo,
man? 1t was this
You remember that when Mr.. Will
son was reelected president of the
United States they said it was because
of the pacifists and women: that the
women of the West elected Mr.. VIII
son because he had kept us out of
the war-that was the cry during the
campaign. "IIe has kept us out of
the war" and therefore many people
said women were pacifsts; and yet f,
if they had used their intelligence as
they should have used it, they would
have known that from the beginning
of the war, long before our govern
ment entered into it, the women of
this nation began to organize. The
society to which l belonged went to
Washington in February prior to our
entrance into the war with Germany
We called the women of our whole
national organization together; they
came by hundreds and we formulated
a plan of service. We saw the war
was coming and we wanted to be pre-
pared. And after we had made our
preparation, deciding what lines of
work, as a society, we would under
take, we offered ourselves, our two
million women, to the government
and declared that whenever the gov
ernment called us we were ready to
respond
That was in February and war was
declared in April. and when the gov
ernment did call upon us we were
ready. l asked the secretary Of war
what it was that he expected the wo-
mans committee to do. He said.
I'VE want you to coordinate the NO
mems work of the United States, all
the war work of the women, so that
they will not duplicate, they will not
overlap and they will cooperate in
carrying out every requirement Of the
government"
Council of National Defense.
There was tremendous task, be-
cause women have been educated
through the centuries not to have
world vision, not to have a country
vision, not to have even a community
vision. We have been trained and
educated to consider persons first and
then little groups Of persons after
and then it comes my church, theme
my society and my set"-and so
it has always been the personal re-
lationship which has been developed
in women until they were not able
to forget their own narrow interests
But on the first call sent out by our
committee to the women of the coun-
try seVenty-fve presidents of the larg-
came to Washington and We formed
a group called the advisory commit
tee of the woman's committee, Coun-
Gil of National Defense, all of these
seventy-fve hocieties agreeing to give
up their individual, identical work
their individual service, as they had
been expecting to perform it, and to
come together and to unite to carry
out any plan of united service which
the government might demand,
while still retaining their identity.
What led those women to do this?
What led them to forget the training
of the past, and combine for one solid
purpose?
When the secretary OF war told me
that he wanted us not only to get
the women to cooperate and prevent
overlapping, etc. he said. I'VE want
them to cooperate" and when the
secretary said that he smiled. knew
what was in the back of his head.
| He thought il Mnuld be imnnssih hle To