Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 276, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1917 — WOMEN OF INDIANA HAVE LARGE PART [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WOMEN OF INDIANA HAVE LARGE PART

Much Depends Upon Their Cooperation if Allies Win the War. BETTY BLYTHE -WRITES ' i , Some Suggestions of What Must Be Done if America Does Her Part for Freedom. Here’s something every woman in Indiana will want to know abbut. It’s the thrilling story of how thet Hoosier

women have banded themselves into a great army of service, ready to respond instantly to the first call to war duty. And it’s more than that for it tells every individual woman in Indiana what her state and her government expects her to do—

and tells her why she should do it quickly. What are' the women doing?” The question was put to Will H, Hayes chairman of the State Council of Defense. For reply he turned to a card file and showed me FIFTY THOUSAND names of Indiana women who have pledged loyal support to their government and have agreed to give as much time as possible to helping to win the war. But wait —there’s no thrill in fifty thousand. We must have hundreds of thousands.. r “Go talk to Mrs. Carlisle about it — she ll tell you what. the Fwornen are doing.” said Mr. Hayes. Mrs. Anne Studebaker Carlisle, of South Bend, Ind., is the woman member of the Defense Council and the chairman of Woman’s Section. I found her in her office at the State House, with a corps of assistants wording out the details of an organthat will reach out and gather in every woman and young girl in the state. Already there is a chairman and working organization in every county and pretty soon there won’t be even a wayside farm left without information concerning the part that Hoosier women are expected to play in winning the war. And I want to tell all you other women that it’s the biggest thing we have ever undertaken. And get this fact firmly fixed in your minds—THE WAR CANNOT BE WON WITHOUT OUR HELP. It is not enough to send our boys away with brave smiles. Ah, no, we’ve only set our feet in the first steps of the thorny path that is leading us slowly—but surely—to victory. The young soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice; they are giving their lives. But the mothers Have given their sons—THEIR supreme sacrifice and now they’re making sacrifices and giving every minute of their time to war work. Warm clothing must be knitted, food must be saved to follow the soldiers to the trenches. Red Cross supplies must be hurried forward for each mother fears that HER boy may be the next victim of the terrible Hun. And when that’s all done there is more work. For business must continue and government contracts must be filled on time and thousands upon thousands of women must take the places of those boys who have marched away, heads up and faces grim with the determination to make the world safe for THEIR mothers and sisters, so that the unutterable things that have happened overseas can never happen again to the women of this world. And while they are making the world safe we women are going to keep Indiana safe and prosperous for them to come home to. We intend to keep the wheels of Industry going round, if need be, and we’re organizing right this minute. Do you know what I have been wishing, ever since. I knew about Mrs. Carlisle’s Indiana women’s army for service —why that Germany could see, in real life, this compact, forceful army—thousands strong—backing up with every atom of strength our boys at the front! \ But we must first dress up our lines a bit. We must hurry and fill up the ranks, for who knows how soon there may be a hurry up call from the government.” Don’t think that because we have been at war six months and there has been no definite call for women’s work, other than Red Cross and knitting, etc., that we can continue on in our present placid contentment. As sure as the sun shines, there wfll come to us that awful day—God grant it may be long delayed—when the fate of the world will be in our hands, when action on Our part can alone save use from a,’ fate worse than death Some day the crisis will come and

jour heart will all but stop beating fiom he horror. It has come to each ot our alj,tes—it will come to us.j. Oh, waj?e’tip! WAKE UP! The lit i: Is at 'bur very door. When he 'hi *w his first crushing , ,igtl. at Eng and it .either weak and helpless. The men wpnp l called to action nobody was left 'to “carry on.” . . , Then the women rallied with a courage and efficiency tjiat has won the admiration of the world. “Well save ptir country," they said, and thdy have made good their word. But months were lost in organizing, the women and thousands of soldiers lost their liVes because the country . was- not readw Indiana women were among the first tfj learn their lesson —they are getting leady now. When the cal! comes, they will stand forth in solid ranks, ready to meet whatever emergency may befall. And 0:1. you great mother hearts of Indiana! Here’s one heart-break ing duty that's coming. Some daj there will come back to us maimed and broken men and then’s when you wifi be glad that you have signed your sen ice cards as a member of the great Hoosier army of womerrp for then you will be ready to go to work to help care for those boys ag they come. The first thing that is asked of you is very simple. The government wants every woman, no matter whaher position or circumstances, to register. Cards for this purpose are now being distributed by the Committe° on Enrollment and Woman’s Service, and Mrs. Carlisle announces that the force of the state-wide organization which she is now perfecting will be put behind a drive to secure th • namos 01 every woman in the state, and it if probable that the precinct chairmen in every community wil!

| conduct a house to house canvass. I The government wants to know who and where the woman of America are. This is a matter onwhich there is absolutely no definite; information, and such a register is one of the vital things necessary to help win the war. It is an admitted fact that neither France nor England could continue the war without the help of the women —nor could Ger- ' many fipht another minute without them. Registration is voluntary on the part of the women and does not mean ! that they are rendering themselves I liable for arbitrary service. It simply I means that - the government wants to | know—must know—with unquestlon I ed accuracy, how many loyal women it can count oh. When a woman registers it raesns that she’s backing her 1 government to the tinish of this war— I that she can be counted on to help Again, such a register will furnish ' a list of women to whom the govern- | men’ can turn for instant action in i emergency. There are thousands of women in Indiana, for example, who are in a position to take paid positions in order to release men for the fighting line. There are many who will loyally give a hand in helping to complete war contracts if needed. All right—but there will be no time when emergency arises to seek out these willing workers. But with a register at hand, they can be reached in an hour's time. If you can give but an hour’s serv ■' ice a day or week, register for that. There are cooking, knitting, Red Cross work, and numberless other things that are as necessary as send ing bullets to the front. And remember that now —this very day—some of our hoys are dying “over there.” Cannot we, safe in our | cozy, protected homes, give one hour I to back them up? The departments so far organized by Mrs. Carlisle are as follows: Enrollment and Woman's ServiceMiss Julia E. Landers, Indianapolik. Food Production Mies Hortense Tapp Moore. Home Economics —Miss Mary Mathews. Lafayette. Child Welfare—Mrs. Albion Fellows Bacon, Evansville. Women in Industry—Miss Mabel Maney, Indianapolis. Health and Recreation—Mrs. Geo C. Hitt, Indianapolis. Food Conservation —Mrs. Carl G Fisher, Indianapolis. Liberty koan—Mrs. Fred McCul- ; lough, Ft. Wayne. Red Cross and Allied Relief— Mrs. James W. Fesler, Indianapolis. Maintaining Existing Social Service Agencies —Miss Vida Newsom. Columbus. Educational Propaganda Miss Catherine Merrill Graydon. Indianapolis. •*'