text: Womenfolk of Fighting Yanks Get New Lease on Life I'. * . *•> v ** . *m ' *gftft* ■ : -S*J I ' ■;• :# - I •, *,.., ,'M MWiHIIP m tBBSE-,, ..yJL.;;. ..Jtl wßr V. />sp . a ■. ▼ fflr ~«. ■ t ---”• k f .'1 j, i *••*' .wJ * j^^WHflßßWßMfifi VlgTiM^g| ’ Nr - IK I'm ■ / \Jrr f v <#>ti™ilr s ' vKEIMBKraHI r i^Sr~ m. m / TflM *yf l. *» .r ic^ '■^jyHHHß,. Wm JF% «Y I/ | . '®kv UIOK r 1-Jr'FmJ w-J ?mp» i.mnMrV#i mfv ■ * * ej v t3?'‘*t\. ■..- r y jbi t% T i mH ; ♦ ♦ V 1 TCML£ ..♦ ; .-^l^lf *t J >'± 4’&4.& •m^- : j'- <, vL U »*t- \ L. yw i I^. ],- T/'■‘'-’^ ,<i - jH^hß|l ' s \ mCHPiJ^mm *>. , • Wives, sweethearts, sisters and mothers of Yank fighting men—the women America almost forgot—have been ex tended a helping hand at last by the folks at home. Service Star Clubs, prganizod throughout the country to aid them, now are providing enter* tainment, recreation, instruction and advice on wartime problems. These groups, sponsored and widely publicized by Hearst news papers, arc proving to be a vital force In maintaining and boosting the morale of the valiant women left behind by American service men. First need for Service Star Clubs was expressed by Dr. Eleanor Glueck of Harvard Uni versity, noted authority on social problems, in an article for the Boston Sunday Advertiser. The Boston School Committee took the suggestion to heart and offered full facilities of the city’s public schools for the recreational use of service men’s wives and other women relatives. Said Boston’s Mayor, John E. Kerrigan, veteran of World War 11, "You cannot have a good fighter if he is worried about home conditions. The well-being of the wives and families of the service men is of the utmost importance to our community and nation." Service Star Clubs in Boston are typical of the ones which have been organized in such cities as Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Baltimore, and other communities. Women have hastened to join these groups where they meet as friends, discuss their hopes and fears, and individual wartime problems or problems. So that their mothers may attend Service Star Club meetings, Senior Service Girl Scout Mary Emerson cares for children. The program for these wives and other women folk has expressed their approval of the Service Star Clubs. Boston’s community-wide program for these wives and other women folk has expressed their approval of the Service Star Clubs. As organized in Boston, the clubs not only provide free recreation, but develop hobbies and talents at no charge to the members. While the women attend the club meetings, their babies and older children are given expert care right in the same buildings. Matrons watch over the young "fry," supervise their play, and Provide refreshments. In each neighborhood club, the members elect their own officers and choose their programs, which generally are varied enough to meet the needs and interest of everyone. For example, beauticians give instruction in the use of cosmetics and in the arrangement of the hair so that wives and sweethearts may enhance their glamour for that happy day when their men come home. Then there are cooking and sewing classes. Also tips on packing “goodies” to be sent overseas to the Yanks. Instruction also is given in dancing and various handicraft hobbies. Among the most popular classes are those in household decoration. These classes include pointers on painting, proper and effective use of fabrics, and economical and effective methods of remodeling and furnishing dwellings on small incomes. That these clubs are proving beneficial and popular to America can best be seen in expressions by the women themselves. One East Boston mother said, "Just to talk my problems over with other young wives who have the same problems made my own burdens seem lighter." "The first meeting I attended was a revelation," another young war bride stated. "Where else could we find such companionship and entertainment and such constructive help? Those of us who live on our allotments could never afford such things as a sister for the baby even to go out to a cheap movie. But these clubs seem to provide everything." 