Evening star., 1942-06-02


Henry McIemor.. General Hobby
or General Mrs. Hobby Gust how
do you write thatO was prepared
for that. 1t would be asking TOO
much of American men TO ask them
to refrain from seeing something
humorous In a woman laying down
her compact for a Srand, or sud
denly switching from the study OF a
four spade contract, doubled and
redoubled, for a study Of maps.
military strategy and the inner
workings Of a machine gun.
But TO insinuate that the mem
bers of the WAAC won't be tough.
eficient and capable Of carrying
out any duty assigned to them, is
to admit a terrible ingorance of
Americanus femalus. The WAACs
may look under their cots or IN
their closets for Japs, but Heaven
help any Japs they happen TO find
hiding there. BY the time they
finish their training course the
WAAC girls will be top-nght
soldiers.
But even II they didn't turn out
to be good soldiers, the creation OF
the WAAC would still be justified.
It's critics forget that the training
the girls will get is sure to make
for more peaceful, comfortable lv-
ing for the menfolk OF the country
after the war is over. AS a matter
Of fact, long-range observers be-
lieve that not until the war Is
finished win the real value Of the
wAAC be appreciated.
The stern, Spartan, military way
of living will nd the girls Of many
OF the female frills and frippertes
which have long bothered men.
Consider the business Of eating.
The WAAC girls will eat plain,
solid fare on plain, solid tables, and
In plain, solid fashion.
A few months OF this and they
will have forgotten the use OF the
centerpiece on the dining room
table. long q cross that American
men have had 10 bear. You know,
that flower garden or miniature
Sherwood Forest, which obscures
half of the dishes on the table, and
makes 1t impossible to see the per-
sons sitting across the table from
you. Many q time we have missed
a helping OF succotash or some
other delightful dish simply because
1t was hidden deep IN a tangled
garden Of ferns and Wild flowers
that decorated the center OF the
table and was not discovered until
DAYS later when q gardener or yard
man was brought in to trim the
shrubbery.
The wAACs will get over the use
of candles for table lighting, TOO.
The love Of hair ribbons is no
deeper ingrained in women than is
the love Of eating in semi-darkness,
with only the Pickering glow OF
wobbly candles to light up the bill
OF fare. There are times when
candle lighting is m order, and its
soft. gracious illumination Is to be
desired-but for the life OF us we
canr remember tust what they are.
The WAAC will teach women how
to dress quickly. This will add 10
years to the life Of the average
American man, as well as reduce
his insurance premiums. The
American record for dressing and
getting ready to leave the house
with her husband is l:l7:5, and is
held by a Mrs. Bertha Thumpton
OF East Gosse, r. I. The average
mean time required for a woman
to dress and primp land when We
say mean" time we mean Just
that is l:52:4 There are no more
meaningless words than those
called out from upstairs by a wife
when her husband asks how long
she will be.
"I'l be right down, honey"
"I1l be ready In the shake OF
lambs tail"
1--WE Just to powder my nose
"You go get the car out of the
garage and I'll be ready"
When a man hears this he can
safely settle down with q copy of
"Plutarch's Lives" fill his pipe and
get ready to wait half an hour.
The wAAC will put an end 10
this. The girls will have to learn
to get ready in Is or 40 minutes.
OF course, when the top sergeants
start coming home there may be q
problem or two-but let us not think
about that.
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