New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-09
cIJMPSES OF CAMP LIFE.

" NJ. c. A. TENTS-HOw SOLDIERS
PRIZE THE FACILITIES FOR LET
TER WRITING PATHETIC
SCENE IN THE CAMP
CEMETERY.
ann wikoN Sept. (SpecaD.-Among the hu-
nan,tarian Influences at work In Camp Wikoff none
- doing any more good than the Young
,,.r,s Christian Association. II has now six
..orcbes IN operation each so placed be n
IVA, N two regimental camps where that is pos
.,h,o The Aret branch. or Tent No !. ms it 10
'"usa &c situated between the 18th and 2lst In
80 regiments ard adjoining It Is the headquar
,o-s tent of Secretary George A. Sanford. who Is
81. surArintendent and virtual head Of all the
h,.nches Tent No. is between the I'd and eth
Car,,~v regiments. Tent No. between the lst and
,o.h cavalry Ten, No between the 22d and s,h
,,artry Tent No is at the general hospital AMI
49,, Va & is beyond the detention camp and in the
,o, of the LIST District OF Columbia troops
rrna ain, Of the association is not much the
>stor ~ the soldier by daily religious SER
100 although that is part Of the work. as to in
s, him In ga work first. when the CONVEX
...u ss A rule follows naturally and from self
,r,,,on And 10 do this they seek TO make him
" a,,or visitor at the tent. They give him sta
- and a place and opportunity for writing
,.s They furnish him with reading matter
snots papers and magazines. some Of which he Ia
o-n,,tted 10 take % his tent TO read. and they
,nsr n further interest him by providing games
~ arranging entertainments FOR his amusement
- ,t,vnoert Occasionally the entertainment con-
s,s,s If an exhibition Of trophies brought from
C,,ha and then every man who has any is invited
- hirc than, 10 the tent and tell his comrades
or,. Incidents connected with them. Occasionally
80 nvonins gathering is for the singing of we'll
Known pa,rio,ic airs and hymns. with a brief ad-
Aress Of the close by the secretary, and again, IT
10 entirely religious service Of sacred song and
prayer
bso, IN the hard Cuban service is in particularly
,.cent,ye state NJ mind spiritually. The hard SER
vice ne has experienced the comrades he has seen
fall BY his side when the bullets were flying thick
and fast the friends and acquaintance he knows
have died IN the hos ;al wards from fever and dis
ease. have made him thoughtful and inspired In
hin a desire 70 drop rough Army ways and 10 seek
life Of Christian purity. he is also desirous or
reading holy literature. and al the csc OF meet
ngs. when the Testaments are given ont TO who
ever Will go 10 the secreialNs desk loi one ne is
in the crowd that gathers about tho desk and is as
tSsnrh il were his last Covernmenf pay AT meet
inss. when the soldier is asked 10 speak. he talks
he seems - have earned from all that he has been
through that belief in Christian principles ia
bound TO hold men closer j2sethcr ana MAKE thcm
The other evening al one @: these meetings a
soldier said. Il eel fellows or a
young Christian Endeavor boy in outfit who
was the butt II The regiment on accoun. Of his
ne was the coolest one in the COMPANY He led al
TIE res; ~ us In the charge. and encouraged us
VIII GfeeTF IN n T TaS ,Re ,beD
IN the regiment man more vonerateG or respected
lie Was followed little later by "A cavalry man.
and vha; mis- trooper had 20 say showed how
surrounding death and danger affected men OF
Il have beer a hard character ne said "a bad
man, profane. and bartender in my troop, Ny
mother had ALWAYS been Christian, but ! hai
turned deaf ear 10 al her entreaties led a
goddess life on the way to Santiago received a
Association. I entered The three days fGhting be-
Ors Santiaso in reckless Ss1 o fs 9nl affr o1
rest | thought Of my fallen comrades and how
S y s"Gne. s 54d o sf' aqq
read IT, I read the Testament, and great light
broke IN upon me 81; mere IN 1ae m s
that though, II God wanted me He could take me
a. any time
Perhaps me most frspriiing part OF the work OF
the association is the service Of song These SER
vices not always announced. and are often
spontaneous. rcw gathering about the little
organ during the day and growing into a
crowd OF soldiers. who sing the old airs and
hymns with particular fervor. The favorite of
them all and the called for most is Nearer.
Nc God TO Thee"
When the singing begins mos, Of the letter writ
ers stop 10 listen. The weak and sick crawl
over 10 the tent and drop YEARLY on the benches
a wonderful effect Why" said one Of these So
ders 10 OF the secretaries the other day while
the singing in progress. that does me moro
good than al the ,quinine I have taken: Ani
secret OF much of the illness in camp What tho
men want more than medicines. except the very
SCH Of couGSe IS Inc re- 's
the all the announcement they can. II the
men could 70 back 10 'hfir bones or Army p9;r,s
With Old friends and the snSoSGagn eng words T 1noS
than all the wholesorne haaihful hreezes that
blow over Long Island,
Arart from these things. the good the assoc!a-
tor does in distributing etter paper and envelopes.
and furnishing tables and benches for ter-writ-
ing purpose is nestimable. Men will write let
tsrs IL TOO many obstacles are not put in their way
and Mere Is place where they can SIT down and
write. VITA some f. is a great undertaking At best.
and even Nose who write freely are not always ike
the Csrolin Ian. who id the other day:
II always made it point 10 write once a week
to my mother. anyway. Al wanted was piece
Of paper and a pencil and would fop my Old wash
basin over lie down on the ground and write the
hack Of mat"
Men are thoughtless m the fed. when DAYS come
ard 60 with nothing In particular 10 make any one
day different from another. but with others writing
about them thew arc infected with tho spirit and
reminded that they. 100. should write home. There
II no bother 10 hunt up naper pencil. pens or INK.
1t IL all there the Young Mems Christian Associ-
alton tent and manv wife and mother gets 2
letter that would have been written had II not
been for the associa lion which provides everything
needful hut the pos age stamp Even this can he
MAD al the secretary desk ny PAYING TOT ", Which
IL the only thing charged for. and the letter.
once stamped. is dropped IN tho box ~ the secre-
tary's desk to be mailed From five % the associ-
alton tents the statistics Of day show ao7 let
tiers written with average attendance Of 700
which shows the extrerne popularity OF the tents.
a popularity which IS daily growing.
There are other duties which the young OF
the association take upon themselves whenever a
request comes from anxious relatives or friends
and that Ia looking up for them loved one from
whom they have not heard Sometimes encourag-
ing reports be sent back 10 these anxious ones
and sometimes only the sad1est and OF