The Pittsburgh Press (February 2, 1942)
CANDIDLY SPEAKING —
War work must be unselfish effort
By Maxine Garrison
It seems that I did not make myself clear. That there may be no mistake, let me restate my position in what I sincerely hope will be crystalline terms.
In a recent column, I decried the misuse of uniforms by women more interested in what currently passes for personal glory than in sincere service of country.
By no means did I disparage the thousands of women, in uniform and out, who are giving unsparingly of their time and energy and devotion in aiding our nation at war.
Nor did I cast slurs at uniforms and their purpose.
On the contrary, I believe that uniforms as we know them are meant to be badges of service. In the beginning they are chosen because they are practical outfits for workers at certain jobs. When any group of workers, by their zeal and selfless efforts, makes its uniforms an emblem of all that is most praiseworthy in human nature, then those uniforms become symbolic.
No credit to cause
That this is not apparent to all women has been shown during our national emergency. Certain women see in a uniform only stage trappings, and my quarrel lies with such women. Although their numbers are small, they make themselves as conspicuous as possible. And they do no credit to any cause they may represent.
My quarrel is with:
Those women who have snatched at the idea of doing war work as a relief from boredom. These are the ones who make such a fuss every time a new fad is broached. They collect social lions, study Yogi philosophy, take up mysticism, anything to escape the boredom of empty minds. They take up each new fad enthusiastically, and they drop it in short order, because they will always be bored. Their contribution to progress is nil.
Those women who see personal gratification alone, and neither have nor wish to have any idea of the rigors of service. These women feel important in uniforms. They like to pose for publicity pictures. They consider that week a poor one which has not seen their names and faces featured at least three times. They are willing to take the credit for all the work done by an organization, but faced with an actual job, they would faint from shock. And they could never believed that women who can’t afford to buy uniforms can contribute more in the way of real service than they themselves can.
Seeking social gains
Those women who hope to gain socially by war work. Whether they have money or not, they are snobs, and their idea is to be seen with the “right” people. Knowing that the right people have their names attached to all such work, the snobs swarm in to profit. They work, if at all, with one eye on the job and one fixed firmly on the chance for social-climbing.
Those women who treat volunteer workers with whom they are not acquainted socially as if the poor things were moronic lepers who must be treated with careful, condescending kindness. People who volunteer to help our nation now are people of every type. They are not asking for charity, they are asking for a chance to serve. Many have turned away embittered because they have been made to feel like charity cases by women who view anyone outside their own charmed circle as a charity case.
These women are no credit to a uniform. They are no credit to the thousands of women who are working unselfishly and at great cost to themselves, many of them unable to afford expensive uniforms, all of them counting their only reward the knowledge of duty well done.