Mary Noel Arrowsmith (May 28, 1890 – October 7, 1965) was an American educator who was awarded a

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

for her work with

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Later she was active in promoting safety education and in the peace movement. She also served on the national staff of the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

Early life

Mary Noel Arrowsmith was born May 28, 1890, in Connecticut, the daughter of Harold Arrowsmith and Helen Fleming Smith Arrowsmith. Her father was an Episcopal clergyman. She graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

in 1913. At Smith, she wrote about

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, and wrote poetry, for the college magazine.

World War I

During World War I, Arrowsmith worked with YMCA in France in 1918, running a canteen near the front, alongside Gertrude Sumner Ely of Philadelphia. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre for her "great spirit of duty and ability when in danger." She shared a place of honor in a 1919 parade in New York, with fellow YMCA war workers Ely,

Frances Gulick Frances Jewett Gulick (April 6, 1891 – November 29, 1936) was an American Y.W.C.A. welfare worker who was awarded a United States Army citation for valor and courage on the field during the aerial bombardment of Varmaise, Oise, France in World ...

, Ethel Creighton Torrance, and Marjorie Skelding.

Career

Education

After the war, Arrowsmith was an education specialist, who published several articles in the ''

Teachers College Record ''Teachers College Record'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal of education that was established in 1900. It is published by EdLab at Teachers College, Columbia University. The journal also "pre-publishes" papers online, and curates spec ...

'' and other professional journals in the 1920s. She was assistant secretary of the education section of the

National Safety Council The National Safety Council (NSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States. Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, NSC is a member organization, founded in 1913 and granted a congressi ...

in 1923 and 1924, which involved visiting local school districts to consult on safety education curricula. "Safety education does three things," she explained: "First it makes the child alive to the dangers with which complex modern life surrounds him and skilful in combating them. Second, it helps to form safety habits which will protect him throughout his life. Third, it awakes in the child a sense of the value and preciousness of human life and his responsibility in keeping himself sound and whole, and in making his home, his school, and his community a safe place to live in."

YWCA, peace, and human rights

Arrowsmith served on the national standards study commission of the YWCA in 1940. She was secretary for international education on the YWCA's national staff during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1928, Arrowsmith wrote an article for ''The Nation'' titled "

Irredentism Irredentism is usually understood as a desire that one state annexes a territory of a neighboring state. This desire is motivated by ethnic reasons (because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to the population of the parent sta ...

in Hungary." She was a member of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, headed by

James T. Shotwell James Thomson Shotwell (August 6, 1874 – July 15, 1965) was a Canadian-born American history professor. He played an instrumental role in the creation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1919, as well as for his influence in promo ...

, and signed the commission's 1944 statement titled "International Safeguard of Human Rights." She wrote "Are the United Nations Moving Toward a Governed World?", a leaflet published by the National Peace Conference.Arrowsmith, Mary Noel. (May 1943
"Are the United Nations Moving Toward a Governed World?"
pamphlet published by the National Peace Conference.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrowsmith, Mary Noel 1890 births 1965 deaths Smith College alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) American women in World War I American pacifists Educators from Connecticut