D'FEMMES in DEFENSE by Marjorie McKee as told to Irene Bushell My Great Aunt Miranda Jane knitted socks for the boys who fought the Civil War. In the toe of one of those socks she put a piece of paper with her name and address on it. Uncle Tobias P. Nelson got those socks but that's another story. Often Great Aunt Miranda Jane would help at home with the knitting for the younger children, so when the Ladies' Aid Society called on her for any aid she might be able to spare she was ready. (Uncle Toby attributes her portly stature to her sedentary habits as a girl.) At Weber College the Associated Women Students are today more aware of war in its real sense than the girls of Aunt Miranda Jane's day, who sat in their living rooms and knitted miles away from any real danger of war. The students of today are well aware that war might "drop in" on them any day and they are planning their Spring Quarter courses with this in mind. The already flexible curriculum has been stretched to include such courses as a Motor Mechanics Corps. This course is designed to acquaint girls with the difficulties of the automobile. Changing a tire and putting on a patch that would last for awhile was bad enough, but with a rubber shortage now the girls must learn to put on a patch that will stay ad infinitum. Courses such as this one make the girl of today doubly efficient as an ambulance driver. Nutrition, a class that has always been given at Weber College, takes on an extra importance at this time. It is well known that much importance is attached to the supplying of a good, nourishing, and balanced diet for everyone. This fact is demonstrated by the following statement: It was recently estimated that 400,000 out of every 1,000,000 men examined for the army, navy and air service have already been disqualified; and one-third of those disqualified were suffering from disabilities directly or indirectly connected with nutrition. In the nutrition classes the girls learn such things as the importance of vitamins and minerals; the importance of including more fruits and vegetables and less meat in the diet; why the body needs mineral salts, water, and roughage; and how to plan menus. Weber College girls will do their utmost, after taking this course, to make sure that if Uncle Sam's army has to travel on its stomach; its stomach will be able to take it. This class of nutrition may be supplemented by a cooking and theory class which will give the girls actual experience in planning, preparing, and serving meals. War calls for a sacrifice from everyone. Materials that were used in the making of synthetic cloth must now be used in the national defense program. Clothing and textile classes afford the girls a knowledge of the different types of materials and their values. A fashion show and a lecture were presented by Mrs. Beth Summerhays on the subject, "College Girl's Wardrobe Planning in the Emergency." She discussed with the girls the importance of purchasing good, serviceable clothes and planning them around a basic color scheme for the purpose of economy and variety. In the Ladies' Lounge where the Red Cross has supplanted the Ladies' Aid Society members of the A. W. S. are busy knitting sweaters for the soldiers. Many of the girls have sandwiched an hour or so of knitting between Friday afternoon classes when an instructor from the Red Cross aids the girls. To alleviate any chance of obesity from their sedentary habits A. W. S. invited the girls to drop their pennies that would have been spent in the College inn in the A. W. S. bank. The money collected in this way will be used to buy government defense stamps and bonds. But all of the activties at the college are not so far from the soldiers. The Whip Club has as their project the acting as hostesses to the soldiers at the local military center. Actual entertaining is being done by the Glee Club and Musettes organizations. The library has called for books to be sent to the soldiers. The girls are following great Aunt Miranda Jane's habit of casually leaving a calling card. Each book carries the sender's name and address. Some of the more adventurous would like to follow the sweaters and books. These girls are the nurses. Weber College is now offering, in addition to the regular pre-nurses' training, a class in home nursing. This course trains the girls in caring for the sick, making beds and changing linens, and in bathing the patient, and in becoming nurses' aids. Such positions will be in demand in the future to help regular nurses. The first aid courses are now more popular than ever. Many of the fairer sex were seen about the halls in slacks regulation costume for first aid classes. It is the purpose of this course to study the prevention of accidents, equip the individual with knowledge sufficient to determine the nature and extent of an injury, and to train the individual to know the correct thing to do at the proper time. Demonstrations are given in class which afford practice in determining symptoms of various injuries, practice in applying artificial respiration, bandages, and splints. Upon completion of the course the girls are given a certificate from the Red Cross. I don't know how Great Aunt Miranda Jane learned about first aid. But I have a vague picture of the Great Aunt Miranda Jane I've heard so much about practicing artificial respiration. Great Aunt Miranda Jane was a zealous advocate of first aid. She and her cousin Priscilla spent many an afternoon rolling each other over a barrel. One day Priscilla's dress got caught under the barrel and local guardsmen had to come to the rescue. After that they confined themselves more or less to bandaging. If Great Aunt Miranda could see the girls of today in their abbreviated costumes practicing first aid she would probably be the least bit shocked. If she knew that today girls were planning to spend a few hours each week at the local military center playing ping-pong, checkers, and other games with the soldiers she would probably wonder what on earth would happen next. And so do I. Let us suggest for a moment that we were actually called, upon to participate in this war. Our training is being diversified enough to take care of any difficulty which might arise. For instance an ambulance is returning from the hospital and has a flat tire. The feminine drivers change it rapidly by themselves. Toward afternoon they begin to plan a meal. The food they plan must be wholesome. It must be economical and quickly prepared. Above all, it must be served attractively. Any situation which arises, the girls must be able to cope with. When in her living room, Great Aunt Miranda Jane knew really nothing about the horrors attached to war. It was a glamorous period of daring flirtations sending notes to soldiers you don't even know. It was giving little speeches at the sewing circle meetings about patriotism. It was hoping with other girls that something adventurous might happen. Beyond that, there was really little the women of yesterday did. Future generations might say the same things about us. But all in all, we might say that there will be some things in all wars that are alike. There are sweaters to be made, wounded to be bandaged, morale to be kept high, and undoubtedly there will be other Uncle Toby's. Page Fifteen