Anita Stewart — Anita's War Garden (1918) 🇺🇸
Gardening in the souls of soldiers, to reap a crop of strong patriotic purpose, is the chief occupation of a band of devoted American women and girls these days — and one of the most active of these workers is Anita Stewart, dainty screen star.
by Frances Denton
Anita is heart and soul, and hands and feet — and purse — in this labor and has been for more than a year. You will understand why when I tell you what she is doing — as I shall presently.
About a year ago, when Miss Stewart was resting and regaining the strength an attack of typhoid had stolen from her, she spent a great deal of time — and money — travelling, but ultimately returned to her home at Bayshore, Long Island, where she found her closest friend, Virginia Norden, about as busy as a McAdoo. She was, and is, holding down the job of chairman of the "Patriotic Gardeners."
Started originally to encourage, nay, to insist upon, the raising of potatoes and things, this particular organization has expanded its field of operations until now it "mothers" all of the selective service boys in the Bayshore district — and tills their souls while it provides them comforts.
Well, it didn't take Anita long to join in this work, and she has been doing her bit ever since. It's the finest experience of her life, she says.
"Our boys are the happiest lot in khaki," she declared, "because they know that everything is all right at home. Whenever a boy is drafted and gets notice to be ready to start for Camp Upton or some other training place, we know of the notice as soon as he does — and we immediately adopt him, as it were. We first see that he is properly outfitted with all clothing and comforts that he can take to camp. We help him to get his affairs straightened out, and, if he has relatives who may need aid. we see that this worry is removed from his mind. Then, when the time comes for him to go, we give him a happy farewell — and he is off to camp, light-hearted and ready for what may come."
Now begins the soul gardening. The seed of contentment has been planted in the soldier-to-be, and Miss Stewart and the other "Patriotic Gardeners" nurture it by keeping up a steady correspondence with the boy. They not only inspire him to big deeds and a realization of the gigantic task that is before him, but they keep in touch with the folks at home and from these go only letters of cheer. So that "the boy" has no worry and nothing to distract his attention from the big job, and in a few months, when he has sailed away and gone over the top, rifle in hand and naught but fearlessness in his heart — another crop has ripened for the "patriotic gardeners."
Such is the work that Anita and the other young women are doing. And you may realize that this girl has little time for play. She is steadily engaged at the Vitagraph studio in Brooklyn by day, working on big productions like "The 'Mind-The-Paint' Girl," plays in which you will see her this fall, but her evenings are devoted to gardening in the souls of soldiers. Once in awhile she manages to slip away for a Sunday swim, but not often. And it's pretty tough, because Anita has several very fetching bathing costumes and she looks great in them, too. Besides, she's an A1 swimmer. But war is war, and while there's patriotic gardening to be done, even Anita's fetching beach toggery must remain just toggery.
Miss Stewart's place on Long Island, where she started plans for her "War Garden," while recovering from a long illness.
Collection: Photoplay Magazine, October 1918