Show women are not L 1 only behind americas america s IV y defense they are part of it bridge anil and fancy hats are arc discarded in favor of hard work by JANET CUPLER released by western newspaper valon union you have probably chiard it s said aid with great en enthusiasm thusia sm that the american women are doing their part in the nations war effort and by way of explanation you have probably heard it said that morale is a womans comans business and that there is something called the home front on which women are best qualified fled to wage their own particular kind of battle but there seems to be some doubt as to just what part women are actually playing in this war there Is doubt too as to what morale and the home front have to do with it most of us are aware that the home front involves battles of p production 0 of food clothing and h housing ous of protection from attack of the constructive and determined courage we refer to as morale morale is of course not exclusively a womans comans business any more than the opportunity to alre a gun at the enemy is a mans exclusive right but behind every shot fired on the battlefield lies a series of duties that make that shot possible and it is those duties that women have been performing willingly and with admirable skill without the proper food a nation as well as its armed forces cannot survive therefore a large part of the national defense program and the work of organizations is being devoted to food the office of civilian defense off boners ers consumers information and classes in nutrition tri tion and all who can are urged to plant gardens the victory program of the 4 H clubs helps members to grow and preserve food and teaches them how to prepare foods having a high vitamin content learn to repair clothes the senior service scouts girl scouts of high school age are learning the principles of nutrition emergency outdoor cooking and gardening the camp fire girls defense project called fortifying the family is a three part program of which the most important part is family fo food od the girls prepare a dinner for a dollar which serves four on the home front clothing and housing are next in importance to food shortage of materials makes it increasingly necessary to care for what we already have in the family service service program of for fortifying afy the family camp fire girls are urged to repair furniture and other articles and help keep the house clean the senior girl scouts are learning to clean repair and F 4 A all 2 N A x M agnes rosele the first red ked cross nurse called to active army duty doty remodel clothing for emergency distribution trib ution and to assist at housing information centers and air raid shelters the red cross home service helps families of enlisted men and is prepared to care for the victims of disaster the 4 11 victory pro program ram also includes helping to mi make to and repair clothing and the OCD has an emergency food and housing division this has at various times been called a war of production and a war of nerves it is certainly at all times a war of production on the farm and in the factory women are taking the place of men called into the service schools and col bejes are offering many types of defense study the university of chi cago for example is is training women in business administration at stevens college in Misso missouri liri the giris gills are studying mechanics and the NYA is training young women for work in in defense factories the 4 11 clubs food for free v 7 this young member of an NYA center Is one of many skilled machinists ts dom program is is designed to train girls as well as boys to assume a larger responsibility for the management of farms where there is is a shortage of labor both the camp fire girls and the girl scouts are learning to care for younger children and to do routine household work to leave their mothers and older sisters free to work in m factories or at other defense tasks if we have not yet had to face the test of a real war of nerves we have at least had ample proof of the need for maintaining a high national morale health recreation congenial working conditions and a courageous outlook all contribute to the maintenance of a high morale health and recreation the OCD offers a national health and recreation program for women the red cross voluntary services service for women include recreation work with convalescents the camp fire girls fortify the family project offers a plan for family fun and the girl scouts and the 4 11 clubs also emphasize the import importance nce to national defense of health and recreation such organizations as the USO U S 0 and bundles for Blue jackets are concerned chiefly with the comfort and recreation of service service men the USO U S 0 operates canteens in railroad stations furnishes recreation centers and acts as co ord mator between private families and the service men invited to their homes for dinner or entertainment the red cross also operates canteens wherever and whenever needed the camp fire girls have been sending cookies cake and candy to service men through their public relations officers the service scouts work in in canteens operated by such recognized agencies as the U sa S 0 and bundles tor for Blue jackets is planning a recreation program for men in the naval services when the united states entered the war the bundles for britain organization adopted the navy tile the marines and the coast guard under the name bundles for ets As such it provides comfort kits containing razors pencils and other small items and knitted garments men t s for men in those thoe branches of the service service and was probably the first organization to do knitting planned especially for the navy one of the major problems of the national defense program has been that of fitting the right person to a job recognizing that need another organization the american association of university women is devoting its efforts to helping its members find the kind of defense work for which they are best suited since many members of the AAU W are teachers they have been successfully cess fully furnishing libraries for service men who are apparently more interested in text books especially in mathematics history and spanish than in fiction finally there is the splendid work being done in overseas ll hospital ambulance and other special services the importance of which cannot be overestimated the red cross volunteer services include the motor nurses aide and recreation corps till rill prepared to serve either cither at home or in the field and throughout tile the country hundreds of thousands of women are rolling bandages sewing and knitting for the red cross army nurses have already been sent overseas with our armed forces and red cruss cross nurses and staff workers are stationed in many parts of the world while not exclusively a womans comans organization the british american ambulance corps has many women volunteers the work of the corps has until the present emergency been largely overseas but new york city philadelphia and san francisco have already been provided with ambulances ambulance S and units will be sent to other cities as they are needed the activities of the american voluntary services group is chiefly localized in the eastern states although the work of the is similar to that being done by other volunteer organizations in teaching air raid eions and other defense activities above all each of these organizations is doing its part in the national defense program and each is helping the others the camp fire girls have been knitting for the red cross and at christmas they filled hundreds of comfort kits for bundles for Blue jackets the G girl irl scouts senior service program in includes training in defense activities and in aiding the USO and the red bed cross the red cross first aid courses are offered as a defense measure and the 4 11 victory program stresses the practice of democratic principles as well as the need for giving assistance to the red cross and the USO there is is some duplication of elfort of course especially by the various motor corps but on the whole the effort of all groups is directed to the same end national defense A discussion as brief as this cannot possibly include all the work i 5 J 0 J ij 7 J stevens college students learning how airplane engines are made being done by women in in their homes local communities churches and clubs but the work of the organizations already discussed is is representative whether they knit serve overseas work in factories drive ambulances or lust just do their everyday jobs cheerfully and well the american women are not only behind the war effort but definitely a tangible efficient and indispensable part of it bridge fancy hats and even petty squabbles have been discarded in favor of hard bard work those who still look upon ubon the war as an inconvenient interruption of their otherwise comfortable complacency are the exception rather than the rule buy defense bonds |