The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., December 10, 1918, Image 12

About The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
THE BRIDGEPORT TIMESi
The Marines Make a
L and - Story of the
In Active
Copyright, 1918, The
INCE THE United States Marines
first went Into the trenches in
France and took over a front line
sector, fragmentary accounts
have been reaching this country to
tell of the way in which the "leather
necks" now "devil dogs," If you
please have been living up to the
glorious traditions of the Corps, and
making a new chapter of its romantic
history.
A thrilling description of an en
counter in No Man's Land when the
first Marine was killed in active con
flict with the Hun has just been re
ceived from an eye witness, and is here
published for the first time. With
characteristic daring the Marines
went through with their raid, and,
true to the sea-soldier law, they ex
acted heavy toll of the enemy for the
loss of their man. The correspondent
writes:
"France, at the Front: The first
Marine to be killed in No Man's Land
in an active encounter with the Boche
was Corporal Charles K. Toth, belong
ing to a patrol party, which left our
lines for the purpose of collecting in
formation regarding the enemy's ac
tivities. The party spent five exciting
hours between the German first lines
and our barb wire, part' of the time
In shell holes under a barrage. Upon
their 'return, Just before dawn, the
Corporal was missing. His body was
recovered the following night after a
seaFch. and it was found that he had
been shot through the head with a
machine gun bullet. Four Germans
were killed and brought back as a
result of the night's work.
Out Into No Man's Land
"Numerous patrols have been out
since the occupation of the sector by
the Marines, and all of them returned
safely, experiencing various degrees
of success. Not any of them, however,
encountered as much action as this
detachment. Following the usual
preparation preliminary to this risky
work, and after leaving all personal
. 41 h
War Work of the Women of the Nation
Divided Into Twelve Departments
Much Accomplished in First Year
Copyright! luls 'j'he
CPS WOMAN'S COMMITTEE of
the Council of National Defense
is probably the most remarkably
endowed body of women in the
world, and it was appointed under
unique conditions and circumstances.
Consisting of eleven members it de
signs to bear close and cooperative
relation to every one of the 44,000,000
women in the United States.
The Woman's Committee was or
ganized to coordinate the war activi
ties of women and advise and direct
the development of the work of Amer
ican women in this war. Its year of
work stonds as its own tribute to the
' manner in which that work has been
accomplished. Not a woman in the
remotest corner of any one of. the
forty-eight Slates of the Union, or of
Irs territories, but has had oppor
tunity to do her share of the Nation's
war work. There is none but has had
a chance to obtain information in re
gard to her Government's part In this,
Its greatest crisis, and none but has
had a way open to make connection
with that Government in whatever
line of war work she may choose and
for which she may be fitted.
A Three Sided Question
To-day .one hears again and again
the three-sided question, "What are
the specific functions of the Woman's
Committee of the Council of National
Defense; why was it organized, and
whd are the women composing it?" '
The answer takes one back to a
month "preceding the entrance of this
-country into the world war and the
organization for business of the Coun
cil of National Defense on March 1,
1917. The Woman's Committee was ap
pointed by the Council of National
Defense, April 21, 1917, in accordance
with its powers to create committees
of specially qualified persons for de
fense purposes. The object for which
Raid Into No Man's
First Man Killed
Conflict
International Syndicate.
belongings, identity tags and all other
marks of identification with their
company commander, the party left
the front line trenches, went over the
parapet, crawled through the path
cut in our barb wire entanglements
and entered No Man's Land shortly
after midnight.
"The night was particularly dark,
only the lurid flares of an occasional
star shell appeared on the distant
horizon, not sufficient to penetrate the
inky blackness of the portion of the
sector in which our party was operat
ing. Save for the dull rumble of
heavy artillery, many kilometers dis
tant, no sound could be heard. Ac
cording to the preconceived plan of
action, certain members of the patrol
were posted at important points, to
prevent any surprises by the enemy.
The remainder of the party proceeded
cautiously across No Man's Land.
"The utter darkness, favorable to
the success of the undertaking, also
has its disadvantages and makes prog
ress across the shell holed area diffi
cult. The party moves slowly, each
man in a stopped position, half walk,
half crawl, ready to drop flat into the
mud should the whizz of a rocket an
nounce sudden illumination. Every
few feet or so they comfc to a halt
and ' everyonelistens intently. There
is no sound except a slight swish as
a trench rat scoots through the mud.
"From somewhere 'out of the dark
ness comes the slight noise of a
muffled cough. .They stop and listen.
It was one of the party -and the officer
mutters a "damn" under his breath.
They move on again, slowly. Further
down the. line a machine gun spits
out half a dozen shots in -rapid suc
cession. Then absolute silence. After
a short wait the parly proceeds once
more and so, for two hours, they
work ahead, through the darkness and
the silence.
Caught Between The Barrages
"It was about, two o'clock when a
International Syndicate,
the committee was appointed is to
ascertain the woman power of Amer
ica for the purpose of:
1. Coordination and centralization
of the organized forces of the women
of the country.
2. Enlistment of the cooperation of
the unorganized women of the coun
try, in order: (a) To ascertain and
report the patriotic work now being
done by women and women's organ
izations; Jb) To secure greater elfi
ciency in defense work which women
may do for the nation; (c) To secure
the cooperation of all the women of
the country in economic measures
which the Government inaugurates
from time to time: (1) .By furnishing
a direct and speedy channel between
the different departments of the Gov
ernment and the 'women of the coun
try. (2) By impressing upon them
the vital importance of these weapons
of economic warfare in the winning
of the war.
No Salaries Paid
It is' to the credit of the whole
womanhood of America that when the
Council of National Defense selected
nine of the most prominent women
Of the country to form the personnel
of this committee not one hesitated,
but each one dropped her personal
affairs and went directly to Washing
ton to take up her new responsibility
in connection with the Government.
It is also to the credit of all the wom
en that pecuniary remuneration was
neither offered nor asked nor has ever
been given this group of women ap
pointed to represent the whole Amer
ican sisterhood in beha!fcf the Gov
ernment. That first group of nine
women was later increased to eleven.
The eleven women chosen to act as
the agents of the Government in in
terpreting its wishes to the women of
the country are Dr. Anna Howard
slight noise was heard somewhere
ahead. The order to halt was whis
pered and passed down the line of
men. Suddenly the slop and splash
of footsteps was plainly heard; simul
taneously a rocket soared tip, explod
ed high above, it glaring white light
illuminating the surrounding country,
and followed immediately by two
more rockets, colored ones, this time,"
the signal requesting a barrage.
"The. Marines dropped instantly, but
had time to fire a few shots at the
retreating German patrol before the
flares of the rocket died out, plunging
them again in total darkness. And
then it seemed as if every machine
gun along the line turned loose. A
steady tattoo of sharp, cracking re
ports started, and a storm of shells
screamed over the head of the party.
The barrage had commenced.
"The shells were falling between our
patrol and our lines. It was impossi
ble to return, and there was nothing
Shaw, honorary president of the Na
tional American Woman Suffrage As
sociation; Mrs. Philip N. Moore, of St.
Louis, President of the National Coun
cil of Women; Mrs. Josiah E. Cowles, of
California, President of the. General
Federation of Women's Clubs; Miss
Maude Wetmore, of Rhode Island,
Chairman of the National Leagve of
Woman's Service; Mrs. Carrie Chap
man Catt, of New York, President of
the National American Woman Suffrage
Association; Mrs. Antoinette Funk,
Lawyer, Chicago; Mrs. Stanley McCor
mick, of Boston, Vice-President Na
tional American Woman Suffrage As
sociation; Mrs. Joseph R. Lamar, of
Atlanta, Georgia, President National
Society of Colonial Dames; Miss Ida
M. Tarbell, of New York, Publicist
and Writer; Miss Agnes Nestor, of
Chicago, Vice-President International
Glove Workers' Union, and Miss Han
nah J. Patterson, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
The first meeting -of trie Woman's
Committee of the Council of National
Defense was held May 2, 1917, and
a plan was formulated by which the
greatest number of women in the
United States might be reached. In
pursuance of this plan the Committee
appointed in each S-ate a temporary
chairman, whose duty it was to .call
together the presidents or reprsenta?
tives of all women's organizations
State-wide in scope, including civic,
religious, fraternal, patriotic, literary
and philanthropic associations, with
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to do but to separate and crawl to
shell holes and wait for the end of the
rain of shells. A sentry at one of the
outposts took in the situation and im
mediately sent up the necessary signal
for a counter barrage, which was
promptly furnished. And between the
two fires,' flat on their stomach in such
shell holes as might furnish protec
tion, were the members of our patrol.
Marines Exact Heavy Toll
"Star shells, which seemed to turn
night into day, flared up, hung sta
tionary in mid-air for a moment, and
died out with a splutter.. The drum
of the double barrage increased and
changed into a qontinuous roar. Ly
ing in the shell holes it seemed as if
the pandemonium lasted several
hours. But the luminous dials of the
officers' watches showed thait just
twenty minutes had elapsed from the
time that the first rocket ascended un
til the firing ceased. Things settled
representatives of unorganized women
for the purpose of forming state di
visions and electing officers and
executive committees. Each State
Division is intended to include all
the women of the State.
Twelve Departments
The war work of the women of the
Nation has been divided into twelve
departments by the Woman's Commit
tee of the Council of National De
fense, each . member of that commit
tee serving as a director of one or
more of these departments. It is the
duty of this director to analyze the
problems presented to her depart
ment, to formulate an elastic plan of
work, and, as far as she may, to
supervise the execution of the work.
The twelve departments into which
the work of the Woman's Committee is
divided are: State Organization, Reg
istration, Food Production" and Home
Economics, Food . Administration,
Women in Industry, Child Welfare.
Maintenance of Existing Social Serv
ice Agencies, Health and Recreation,
Education and Propaganda, Liberty
Loan, Home and Foreign Relief and
News.
State Organization Department
Some idea of the scope of these
departments of endeavor may be
gained in a brief summary. The es
sentials of the plan of State Organiza
tion outlined, at the, first meeting of
the Woman's Committee have been com
piled with in the States with few ex
. r0
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down to comparative calm, with only
desultory firing during the remainder
of the night.
"The members of the party returned
to the lines in small groups, the last
ones coming in just as dawn was
breaking. One Corporal was missing.
During the subsequent search his body
was recovered as well as four Germans
who were shot and killed during the
encounter."
The baptism of fire that the Amer
ican Marines got . when they moved
up to the front was not without its
humorous element. One dark night
when the first detachment was " de
training in the yellow mud of a sta
tion not far from the line, a Boche
aviator spotted them and tipped off
his artillery that troops were arriv
ing. The Marines got the signal too,
and they discreetly evacuated the plat
form before the first shell dropped.
It missed widely, the second came
closer. The third found the platform,
4
7k
ceptions were found in Colorado, In
diana, Michigan, Maryland, Minne
sota and Wyoming. In these States
patriotic work of women was arranged
for by State Organizations originating
in the action of the Governor or Leg
islature, before the Woman's .Commit
tee was appointed. The machinery
so established, in each ' instance,
merged with the Woman's Committee
and became the State division. Alaska
and Porto Rico have formed local
divisions which correspond to the or
ganization within the States.
Registration Department
The Registration Department has
prepared for the registration of wom
en and girls over sixteen years of age.
The status of the women, whether
trained or untrained, those desiring
training, or those speoially adapted to
certain lines of activity are recorded.
In some instances courses of draining
are provided for those wishing to pre
pare themselves for service.
Food Production And Home Econo
mics Department
The Food Production and Home
Economics Department is working
with the Department of Agriculture
and the State Agricultural colleges
to increase production and decrease
waste in food. In some States this
department has been combined with'
the Department of JPood Administra
tion, and the State Demonstrator for
.the. agricultural college is usually, the
chairman. ,. -. .
smashed a lieutenant's trunk, convert
ed some of the Regiment band instru
ments into war relics, and cratered the
platform. French aviators chased the
Boche observer away, the excitement
ceased, and the Marines laughed.
The first detachment of Marines to
"go in" the one whose welcome from
the Boche has just been described
was of the first regiment of Marines
which landed In France. The men
were hardened by eight months of
strenuous training in summer heat
and rain and mud, and in the snow
and cold of winter.
Hard As Nails And Fit To Fight
At five o'clock on a certain after
noon a battalion of Marines swung
through the winding streets of the
village, where they had been billeted
while in training. They sang and
whistled the larine Corps hymn,
"From the halls of Montezuma to the
chores of Tripoli." The inhabitants
of the. village, from the old folks to
the kiddies, lined up to bid them fare
well. The marching column passed by
Brigade Headquarters, where the
Brigadier General commanding the
Marines, and some of the officers of
his staff, were standing outside; then
out of the village, and up the road to
the next town to entrain. Sunset and
duskr and no longer the sound of
marching feet. The first outfit of
United States Marines was "going in."
The trains were made up of the
usual French troop cars, and the
movements of troops, especially as
they approached the front, took place
at night, so that the train entered the
war zone toward evening. Steaming
hot coffee was served at a station,
and the train went forward. Now all
doors and windows were carefully
shuttered to conceal all lights. The
rumble of the big guns could be heard
long before midnight. Some of the
Marines, especially the youngsters,
were fascinated by the novelty and
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Food Administration Department
The Food Administration Depart
ment was organized for the purpose of
cooperating with the Food Adminis
tration in assuring an adequate supply
of, food for the Army, Navy, the Na
tion's Allies and the people of this
country. The food pledge campaign,
which has aimed to enlist every family
in the land in the food conservation
plan, was carried on largely in some
States by the machinery established
by the Woman's Committee.
Women In Industry Department
In many States the Deparf'nent of
Women In Industry is composed of
experts in that field. An effort is
made to obtain the. highest standards
for the welfare of women employed
in, industrial plants, and to enforce
laws for their protection.
Child Welfare Departn:CRt
The Department of Child Welfare
is cooperating with the Children's
Bureau of ths Department of Lr.bor
and the General Medical Board of the
Council of National Defense to pre
vent the breaking down of existing
laws for the protection of children
and the exploitation of child labor,
also for Increased public health
service.
Maintenance Of Existing Social Service
Agencies Department
The Department of Maintenance of
Existing Social Service Agencies was
organized to safeguard existing char
ities at this time when new needs are
making demands and may deflect con
tribution for their support.
Health And Recreation Department
The work of the department of
Health and Recreation has been to
furnish entertainment and recreation
of soldiers in camp; to maintain pro
tective agencies for girls, and to dis
seminate knowledge of social hygiene.
Education Department
The Department of Education is
primarily interested in patriotic propa
ganda. Classes in Americanization
haye been started in practically every
State. While history, civics and Eng
lish are -the subjects largely taught,
an attempt has been made to cenvey
to citizens of foreign birth and par
entage .n understanding of the Eu
ropean background of the war, why
we are at war, and the democratic
Ideals for. which this country and its
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the thrill of it. Discussion and con
jecture were rife. But the old timers
took advantage of the chance for a
sound snooze on the blankets and
straw.
It was disappointing to the noviti
ates to find no trenches or barbed
wire entanglements at the detraining
point. But when the Boche artillery
made a perfect hit on the bass drum,
they were convinced that they were
headed right. The villages here were
in ruins. Civilians were nowhere.
Automobiles, motorcycles, bicycle
couriers, picturesquely camouflaged
ambulances and ammunition wagons
swarmed the roads, with occasionally
an officer on horseback..
Dust rose in clouds and lay
thickly over everyone and everything.
Into this whirling cloud the Marines
plunged eagerly, and did their last bit'
of hike to the goal. And so they got
to the front. To the dust and mud and
hardship of trench life they adapted
themselves good-naturedly. They
were happy and determined. At last
they were "in." And from the time
that they went In, and through their
classic share in the second battle of
the Marne, they have given the cor
respondents cause o employ once
again the well-known phrase, "The
Marines have landed, and have, the
situation well in hand."
"In Fine Shape," General Said
After the Brigadier General com
manding the Marines in France had
made an inspection throughout the
trenches in the sector occupied by the
regiment of his brigade, he said:
"The men are in fine shape physical
ly, seem in the best of spirits, and
have adjusted themselves remarkably
well to their new mode of living in
the short time that they have been
here. I am pleased with the way the
men have taken hold and the closo
operation between them and the
French forces. Things are working
very smoothly."
." jtC t
allies are struggling.
Liberty Loan Department
The chairman of the Liberty Lo:in
Department of the Woman's Commit
tee in each State is nominated by the
National Woman's' Liberty Loan Com
mittee of the Treasury Department
and the Woman's Committee of the
Council of National Defense. These
State Chairman organized their States
for action in connection with Liberty
Loan and War Savings Stamp cam
paigns. Home And Foreign Relief Department
Cooperation in Red Cross activities
have been largely the work of Home
and Foreign Relief committees in
every State. An effort has been made
to stimulate the adoption of French
and Belgian orphan:--, and assistance
is being rendered the wives and chil
dren of Ameri'-;in soldiers, where need
lias been felt. This committee is
largely a clearing house for existing
war relief organizations. ,
News Department '?
The organization effected by the
Woman's Committee is the medium of
direct communication between the
Government and the women of the
country. The, plan of organization
provides such a union of the State,
city, county and local units that' in
general any order or piece of informa
tion issued by the Government
through the Woman's Committee may
be delivered to individuals in arfy
part of the United States twenty
four hours after it is issued.
As a medium of communication be
tween the Woman's Committee and tho
women In the club or in the home,
the News Letter is issued fortnigMjv
from the Woman's Committee head
quarters in Washington. Through tiii,s
Committee messages from Govert
ment officials and offices are converts
to the women in every section of t.n
country, and through its agency valu
able intercommunication has been
mainfained among the women workt
ers of the various States and betwosn
the women of every section and th&
Woman's Committee.
The fact that the women raised oyCr
50 per cent, of the latest Liberty Lfiaa
stands as its own evidence of t'H'g
splendid cooperation with the Govera
ment effected by the Woman's Conv
mittee of the Council of National Den
fense.
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