Whether she was the Rose of No Man's Land, a hut worker in Paris, or a canteen gal in a straw hat on a New York pier waving the doughboys goodbye, the Red Cross girl of World War I was a natty character. In those days her dress wasn't so stylized. She could wear a cape and a sweet smile evocative of the Gish girls, or a Sam Browne belt and riding pants. She had a lot of charm, she did a lot of work, and she spread a lot of cheer. It's perhaps too easy to look back now and think "how quaint" or "how charming," but the women with the sweet pleasant faces who wore these costumes as Red Cross workers in World War I days were not the delicate creatures we fondly suppose. They worked very hard, and they pioneered in many phases of volunteer activity that women take for granted today. A woman who was a Motor Corps driver in World War I has this to say about her job: "I was a very active member, and as a second lieutenant had charge of our 'hush-hush' department, supervising six privates who supplied cars to Army and Navy Intelligence daily. The rest of Motor Corps never knew we did this work until after the war was over and we got a medal. We wore regular side-saddle riding breeches under our coats." These days every woman who works for the Red Cross wears the same outdoor uniform, a very sturdy and stylish one designed by Mainbocher. Today's worker tends to take for granted the highly professional nature of her volun¬teer job. Let her stop for a moment to remember with fondness and some measure of thanks the women who a great many years ago began to break the ice. 27