THE BLUE TRIANGLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 287, 23 August 1918, Page 2

THE BLUE TRIANGLE

ORGANISATION IN RUSSIA. ' Interesting details of the operations of tho War Work Council of the Young | Women's Christian Association in France j and Russia wore received last week by Miss E. Grift'en, secretary, of tho Auck- I laud branch of the asi-ociation, states the "Herald." Miss Griffen explained) that immediately following America's declaration of war, the people of'theUnited States raised ,£250,000 for women's ' war work in France. Women experts in '■ every branch of social and economic work j wero sent to Europe, including a largo [ number of Y.AV.C.A. representatives, the j association Jiavirig come to lie regarded ■ as the official channel for all war efforts j of tho kind. j The first work undertaken by the Blue Triangle women in Franco was the estnb-1 lishment of huts for American nurses, reoreation clubs for munition .workers, and a large hotel in Paris—the Petro- j grad—for all women workers in France, irrespective of nationality, which should sorve as a social centre for both women and men. Another feature of tho effort niado to brighten the lives of the women workers was the establishment 'of hostess; houses in Paris, St. Etieune, Tours, and other centres. During the German advance on Paris in March theso houses were crowded to the limit. A vivid description' of scenes in the city during the time it was under fire from the German mammoth gun is given by Miss Geary, an American expert on finance and building, in charge of tho Paris hostess house. Stations were packed with people leaving the city, and with refugees from evacuated towns and villages along the battlet'ront. One little girl, a recent repatrice from territory held by the Germans, was among thoso cared for, and sho told how everything was confiscated by the Germans. Each person was allowed only a few pieces of furniture, all food was rigidly apportioned and overvthing had to be reported, oven tho death of a hen. If a person left tho Tillage, his possessions wero not allowed to go to his relatives, but.wero confiscated. „ „„ „ , The success of tho Y.W.C.A. war work, which also includes relief work for French soldiers, has been such.that tho French War Ministry has requested its development in other centres. _ _ Work of tho'samo nature in Russia is reported to have received a sovero ohcclc, since utter chaos superseded the comparatively orderly period following tho revolution. Tho new freedom which came lo Russian women was one of the greatest features of thoso days, lor tho hrst time in history they were allowed freely to organise and to hold meetings without police supervision. In their new-found liberty they sent to America to nblo women to direct them. Miss Spencer was sent by the War Work Council to Petrograd, and Miss Boieß to Moscow. Splendid work was done among the women and girls of Petrograd, but presently tho city lapsod. into « fc when tho advancing tide of Germans threatened Petrograd, Miss Spencorwas forced to flee with tho American, Chinese, and Japanese imtassy 811 3 rHit across Siberia to Vladivostok. The trip took a month by tram, through i forests and across steppes, and, although I danger threatened on several occasions, tafmade in safety. Mss Bo.es remnined in Moscow, and, Although condl tions' were very unsettled there, rnsti, tuted classes and clubs that rapidly gamed popularity. Her las letter to to War Work Council concludes with tho 'statement that there had been a week of shooting, and three Bolshoviki we o even then attempting to take over the house for their own purposes, tonsuliu intervention was being sought, but tho outcome at tho time of writing was uncertain.