Zilpha Buell Helps War Effort - 1918

Helps at Eighty-Six

Mrs. Zilpha  M. Buell Breaks the Record in This Section

Utica Saturday Globe, About August 1918

 

Mrs. Zilpha M. Buell

 

Norwich [Chenango Co., NY]:  Forty-two pairs of socks and two sweaters for the soldiers here is the record already made for Mrs. Zilpha M. Buell, aged 86, and she is still knitting with no other thought than to help make the boys at the front as comfortable as possible while they fight for her and for the land she loves.

 

Mrs. Buell has always been famed for her knitting and takes just pride in the feat that for many years she has kept her two sons and several nephews supplied with socks.   But since the great war started she has exceeded her previous speed limit and easily holds the record for war knitting throughout a large section of the state.

 

In marked contrast to the work of Mrs. Buell is that of the slackers among the women of the city.  Younger and more able to help than she, there are many women who have never taken a stitch or raised a finger to help in this humane and much needed backing up of the boys.  It is true that a majority of the women of the city have done their chore in this as in every other phase of war work and their interest and activity has put the local chapter in the lead among the Red Cross activities in this vicinity.  But as the war goes on the need is consistently increasing while the number of workers is steadily decreasing.  Sorry, ladies, but it begins to look as if all the slackers were not to be found among the men.  In spite of the season there is much Red Cross work to be done in the month of August.