Evening star., 1945-04-24

Ou0 OF the mO6t interesting
women We know Is person who
discovered along the line that the
world begins. not ends. at her own
welcome mat. Her enthusiasm
bounds along like = SNOWFALL, pick
ing up new interests constantly.
Being q woman, q new hat in
trigues her-but she. finds equally
intriguing the people she meets,
the places she sees, the hows and
why's and wherefores Of her work,
Of an idea. No small accomplish
ment this, the business Of being in
terested. It's a mental habit that
requires more than a little nurtur-
ing, with the odds all in favor Of the
little lady who learns the trick
young.
You've probably heard Of the
Camp Fire Girls. Maybe you know
q good deal about them-or maybe
you have vague idea that they
must have something to do with the
out OF doors, are probably proficient
in all kinds Of trail blazing, and
can build terrific fire with q little
serious scraping together Of sticks.
We've discovered that the Camp
Fire organization also happens to be
one Of the best interest-developers
available. That 1t takes in develop
ment in home craft, hand craft,
camp craft, health, nature, business
and citizenship. not to mention a
little interest in the streamlined
attributes sought after by young
girls, appearance, poise and self
confidence. And this bundle Of in
terests is all tied up with the fun
that goes into working and sharing
and playing with ones contempo-
raries.
One current feature of the Camp
Fire program, and tying in with an
inevitable problem Of parents come
summer, Is the Camp Fire Girls
summer camp, Camp Mawavi,
perched on a hill between noun
tains near Luray, Va. It boasts of
q recreation hall, a mess hall, ar
infirmary, craft house, and sleep
ing quarters. Camp Fire Girls
from Z to 18 years of age in
the Potomac area dncluding the
District, Alexandria, Arlington
County, Montgomery County, and
Prince Georges County, may at
tend, for q nominal sum, as well as
limited number of non-Camp Fire
Girls from 10 to 10 years Of age.
The inevitable visit to the Luray
Caverns Is included in the activi-
ties, as well as camp craft, hiking,
music, nature lore, dramatics, and
sports such as tennis, badminton,
volley ball and archery. The camps
season runs. from June % to August
%, and girls may attend either two,
four, six or eight weeks. Incidental
ly, it's necessary for a girl to be
registered a month in advance of
the date she begins attendance-for
example, June Is the deadline for
children who will start at the first
session. The children are divided
into the three Camp Fire Girl units,
the Blue Bird unit, from through
8 years of age; the intermediate
group, or "Middlers," 10 through 13,
and the senior unit, IA through 18.
A staf1 Of is runs the camp, includ-
ing a director, unit heads for each
group, a registered nurse and other
trained counselors in different crafts.
Actually, the "Middlers" tthe in
termediate group, are the full
fledged Camp Fire Girls and con-
stitute the core of the year round
program. The younger Blue Birds
graduate into this group. In an ef-
fort to meet the needs of the more
mature teenagers, the Horizon Club
has been organized, endeavoring to
help the girls in that precarious
plunge from childhood to adult
hood.
The groups meet in homes. churches
or schools, under volunteer leaders.
There are approximately 900 Camp
Fire Girls in this area, organized
into 40 groups. The initial require
ments are quite simple-a girl who