“The more they gazed, the more their wonder grew
  That one small head could carry all she knew.”

CHAPTER II

ORGANIZATION AND ITS PITFALLS

There are people who declare that the winning of this war depends on organization alone.  That is palpably untrue.  Good organization can do much.  The greatest thing in all organizations is the living flame that makes grouping real—­the selfless spirit of service that the fighting man possesses and that is beyond all words of praise.

Talk to a soldier or a sailor, realize how he thinks and feels about his ship, his battalion, his aircorps.  He is subordinated—­selfless—­disciplined.  The secret of the good soldiers’ achievements and his greatness is selfless service and in our national organizations behind him that same spirit is the one great thing that counts.

If you have that as a foundation among your workers, organization is easy.

We found, at the beginning of the war, a great tendency among women to rush into direct war work.  Masses of women wanted to leave work they knew everything about to go and do work they knew nothing about.  One thing we have realized, that the trained and educated woman is invaluable, that the best service you can render your country is to do the work you know best and are trained for, if it is, as it frequently is, important civic work.  Another point, no younger woman should stop her education or training—­it is the greatest mistake possible.  The war is not over and even when it is, the great task of reconstruction lies ahead and we want every trained woman we can get for that.  Our women are in Universities and Colleges in greater numbers than ever, and more opportunities for education, in Medicine in particular have been opened to them.

The trained woman makes the best worker in practically every department and is particularly useful in organizing.  A scheme that is only indifferently good but, so far as it goes, is on right lines, well organized and directed, will be more valuable and get far better results than a perfect scheme badly organized and run.  An organization or a committee that has a woman as Chairman, President or Secretary, who insists on running everything and deciding everything for herself, is bound for disaster.

I should certainly place the will and ability to delegate authority high up in the qualifications a good organizer must possess.

We cannot afford to have little petty jealousies, social, local, and individual, on war committees or any other for that matter, but in this big struggle, they are particularly petty and unworthy.

We have all met frequently the kind of person who tells you, “This village will never work with that village,” or “Mrs. This will never work with Mrs. That.  They never do”; and I always answer, “Isn’t it time they learned to, when their boys die in the trenches together, why shouldn’t they work together,” and they always do when it is put to them.