Show DESIGN r taw 4 i. i r f S S r i it 4 N r r u w wr r r r Ai r. r 0 4 By ROBERT H. H MOULTON AR All brought the men of America to the camps of the country It brought the women too too mothers mothers wives sisters aunts sweethearts The government had m made de Its plans for the men but It had made them without thought of the wom wom- en Then the women came t to visIt vis- vis i It U their soldier relatives The camp commanders looked looked at the stream of ot femininity coming steadily toward them and asked what was was to be done Th Then n the war d department beg began n nto to think of the women and finally It asked t the e Young Women's Christian association for help The Hostess house was das the answer five Eighty o of oi these unique establishments are now either in operation or are definitely under under under un un- un- un der construction They are put up only at the direct request of the camp commandants Some of the commanding officers were vere a little doubtful at first as to the practicability of f the scheme Now these same Bame officers are asking for second and all third Hostess houses In tl lr Ir cantonments s. s Wherever colored troops are stationed d buildings build build- buildIngs buildings build build- ings are erected for t their use and social welfare welfare wel wel- fU fare work wk under trained colored leaders Is carll car- car ll tied fled d. d oh h. h These centers of hospitality are under the supervision of the war departments department's commission commission commission commis commis- sion on training camp activities They are area a part of the governments government's war work The war work council of the Young Women's Christian association promotes them as one phase of the associations association's work for the country In this national national national na na- na- na emergency Since women are a allowed lowed to come to cantonments cantonments cantonments canton canton- ments to visit their soldier folk places must be provided for tor their recreation Camp Lewis at American Lake Washington state Is seven miles long ong Camp Lee Virginia contains contains- men Each camp covers acres of ground laid out In Inthe Inthe inthe the bewildering monotony of company streets lined with barracks The discomfort of the camps for visitors Is often extreme The thermometer went down downto to 27 degrees below zero at Camp Devens Mass 1 last winter The Kansas Kansas Kansas' mud at Camp Funston could be put in a mucilage bottle and used for glue Camp Okla sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times hides itself in lust dust And as for heat In summer no visitor has has has' been able to decide where the thermometer goes the hl high high- h- h est The Hostess houses are refuges for the elderly parents worried wives and admiring friends whose love of the soldiers draws them to the camps One phase alone of the Hostess h house nse work would Justify their existence E Each ch house Is Isa Isa isa a directory a n street guide a map a n telephone tE exchange a n finding bureau and and it a writing room for visitors When a n soldier is under orders for for France his family faintly ly come come tl to to bid him good-by good If it ft Is within coming dIst distance At one cantonment cantonment cantonment canton canton- ment a n father mother and three sisters Iter came hurrying Their particular soldier was not at nt atthe atthe the entrance where they were to meet him Like sensible people they went straight to the Hostess hostess Host host- ess house There the they learned that the camp had three entrances The hostess by the aid of telephone and mrs s paged each of these stations The man mon was found at nt one of them and brought to the Hostess house This Tills is Is' Is surely a great Improvement ement on the game of cross tag so often orten played by excited families with their belr impatient nt soldier sons among the barracks At Balboa Park Cal they call the hostess the tally lady who finds your friends An Interesting feature of the Hostess house Is that the architects In charge of the construction construction construction tion are Women Miss Julia Morgan Is on the Pacific coast Miss Fay Kellogg has bas charge of the Southern field Miss Katherine Budd Build builds In to the middle West x i The general plan of construction Is the same adapted to local conditions A large largo room Is usually divided Into two parts by a n huge chimney chimney chim chim- ney with fireplaces on both sides In winter A l leaping fire gives cheer and In sum sum- summer finer mer evergreen evergreen branches fill the big stone open- open Ing Interior decorators make the houses beautiful beautiful beau beau- with the dignity of simple lines and harmonious har harmonious colors Gay curtains at the windows give brightness brightness' even in stormy weather The chintz cushions in the chairs are good to look at as well as comfortable to lean against Half Halt of ot the bl big room is used used for a reception hall holl and the other half forms the cafeteria There Is always alwa's a rest room for tired travel travel- ers A nursery with bright quilts and curt curtains Ins Is waiting for the babies who come to visit th tk r fathers Not ot unusually unusually ih the house houte contains contains sleeping rooms for the hostesses hostesses- One or or two spare cots are frequently provided for very exceptional exceptional exceptional ex ex- ex- ex cases where it Is Impossible for women to leave camp that night Sometimes a bad storm effectually holds them prisoners Or the mother of a sick boy waits anxiously for a crisis in in the the- Illness A Hostess Hostess h house se Is m manned nned by bY five women the hostess director having general charge of everything ng The social hostess Is chiefly responsible responsible responsible re re- for the reception of visitors The emer emergency ency hostess looks after outside cases which come com to to the attention of ot the workers The cafeteria hostess Is concerned with the food The The business ss hostess keeps the accounts and looks after the buying Certain qu qualifications are essential for these offices Of course course the cafeteria cafe cafe- cafe cafeteria teria terla director must be a trained dietitian a graduate of a recognized domestic science Institute institute In in- and an nn experienced domestic economist The business hostess Is one who Is accustomed to running a large establishment on an economIcal economical economical econom econom- ical and efficient basis The emergency secretary secretary secretary secre secre- tary If Is somewhat like the social worker Experience Experience Experience Ex Ex- Ex- Ex In settlement work or orsome some some oth other r t form rm of welfare work worl affords a n good training She must know and utilize all the government agencies agencies agencies agen agen- cies charitable institutions and pI philanthropic n organizations or or- The term social hostess sounds somewhat vague but put more than shaking hands Is Involved involve In n her position Sh She must have had experience in dealing with large numbers of people Tact which takes her to a desired goal without friction Irk fric tion is necessary Endless patience a n kindheart kind kindheart kindheart heart and a shrewd brain are fundamental fundament l. l The director of a Hostess house must b be all the four others other rolled into one Poise Is a prerequisite pre pre- requisite When a n tornado rolled the roof back from the house at Camp Taylor Louisville and then returned It to Its place with a n bang the work went right on as If It nothing had lad happened Every sort of a demand Is made upon the wom worn women women en en employed In n Hostess houses They made san sandwiches for President ex-President Taft at Camp Funs Funston on The number was not too man many for tor him him and and md his admiring audience A worker at nt Camp Cody Tex was taken talen aback for tor a n moment moment mo mo- ment when a woman inquired Can you tell me where ii L can get a u baby But she re recovered her breath In time me to find one for or adoption Wand Wandering mothers lost In n company streets are returned to anxious sons Homesick soldier boys are arc accompanied to movie shows Rooming RoomIng RoomIng Room- Room Ing and boarding places In the neighborhood are found for soldiers soldiers' relatives Mothers are chaperoned chaperoned chap chap- babies fed letters written ritten and info given en On every very subject from the future life t to fountain pens T Tire The e IIo Hostess te h house use t does s not shut up shop shot when visiting hours are over oer Not Net only for guests does It lt It exist but for the soldiers them them- selves sel In In one house It has b been en discovered that as soda soon soon as the boys have seen their friends off oft on the train they came pelt moll pell back t 15 seek comfort com corn fort and food Then the cafeteria which has hus worked so hard all aU day hands handa out pie and coffee to the disconsolate ones The cook at Camp Meade fo forgot got her pass pass o one e morning She told a soldier soldier- at the Ute gate gate who she the was Are you the cook who makes that tomato soup asked the tho sentry S I am she replied Pass decreed the soldier saluting I want some of that soup this noon The cost of building and equipping g Hostess ho houses ses has increased dUrl during the pa past t year Just as has everything else Originally was was expected to build and equip a a. a house suitably Lumber has gone up Wages are are higher Furniture Furniture Furniture Furni Furni- ture Is almost unattainable able Transportation is difficult Constant delays delays' occur Nevertheless Hosi Hostess ss houses must be built bunt The appropriation tion m must st be sufficient to cover over all these Twenty-seven Twenty thousand dollars Is is not too much to Invest In one of these hospitality centers liven Even Even after the house is is bu built t alterations and additions must go on n. n The military sanitary ary regulations must be f fulfilled even If it they Increase increase in In- crease in severity With summer comes comes' thes the s screening necessary Yet every house Is worth to the community and to the nation In general all aU th the money money Invested in it Of the budget appropriated by the war var work council of the Young Women's Christian association 1750 Is Is being devoted to Hostess houses Another work of the greatest imp Importance which has just been undertaken by bI the Young Women's Worn Wom ens ens en's Christian association is the housing of women women women wom wom- en workers in connection with our our great great Industrial industrial industrial Indus indus- trial establishments While this is not strictly a a new problem created by the war the calling of many women workers to war war service makes the situation Immediately acute Obviously the providing or of of proper housing for these newly called women workers since It is a part of the war program must be done by the govern govern- ment The Young Women's Christian association association association tion is now constructing at Its own expense two buildings as a demonstration one at Camp Sherman Sherman Sherman Sher Sher- man man Annex Chillicothe and another er at Charleston Charlesto Charles Charles- to ton S S. S C. C for the women employees In the navy y uniform factory The latter Is being built atthe atthe at the request of Secretary Daniels If the government government government govern govern- ment shall decide to make provision for the ho housing of its women workers the Young Women's Women's Women's Wom Wom- ens en's Christian association offers to provide the needed social and recreational workers Based on Its experience in housing girls durIng dur during Our Our- I ing lag the last hist 50 years ears the association believes that younger girls should be be grouped where they can have social life and an opportunity to entertain entertain entertain en en- their friends and still be under some of ot the restrictions of the home that older women want Independence of living many of them objecting to living in large groups because of I the noise and confusion and ensuing fatigue and that It is more successful to house non English speaking foreign girls In small groups until they learn lean English and become used to American cus cus- toms The type ype A building the permanent st structure c- c ture which the association is bu building at t Charleson Charles Charles- ton on Is designed for or use In places where only one orie one building will be erected The dining room room and recreation hall several severa parlors and bedrooms bedrooms' for fo 44 girls ar are on the tho first floor There Is but but one e entrance for the residents This makes it possible for the mn ma ma tron iron or social h head ad of the house who Is Is In the of of- flee fice near the door to see everyone who ho come comes in or goes out The entrance hall Bali h ll is' is Is Is attractive and nd homelike Opening out of it are several several parlors separated ted from the hall by arches To the right Is entrance en an nn entrance en en- trance to the wing containing the recreation hall h hall hll halland ll and dining r room om These are rooms are so arranged ed n that that they can can be thrown Into one for a l I social gathering large lar-e tre There ar are bedrooms bedrooms' for r 51 girls end ond D floor on n the sec sec- s cond c- c n There IS nl also a sitting rated i f from m the he hall holl ro room m separated separated sepa sepa- only by pillars This is for the use use of the he girls only Next to small sewing this is Isa a a room with facilities f for or sewing I sew O On n t the h e third floor are ng bedrooms an ln Infirmary r ary and nd a private ate bath for tor six x girl girls I s I In Industrial stal communities tle the buildings buildings' s' s m Intended to be sare are grouped as L effectively el with due ns as possible pO ble regard to natural advantages There ere can of course be as' as many units nary sary It Is also as are of three and four family proposed to provide rn a number numbe houses house t to the elder cIder women and accommodate the foreign girls In all of the these speaking non n- n f Sh tempt has been made to buildings u an attempt lIt lIt- which is use n a style tyle of archly y Amse American |