The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-27
SPLENDID WORK DONE
BY Y. M. G. A. IN WAR
C. v. Hibbard, Who Has Been Engaged
in That Work, Told Of His Expert
ences to Three Barre Audi
enoes Sunday.

enoes Sunday.
G. " lIibbard, secretary of the foreign
commission Of the Y. NJ. c. A., spoke at
three churches in the city yesterday and
gave the people of the various eongrega
tions some very interesting first hand in
formation in regard 10 the work which
the Young Mems Christian association is
doing in the foreign countries and more
Especially among the soldiers in the war
zone and the prisoners of war in the diff
ferent countries. At the Congregational
church in the morning MIR. Hibbard dealt
more especially with the work among the
prisoners, explaining the difficulty of the
work at first, which was due to the fact
that the permission of the war offices of
the countries interested had TO be con
suited and a system of reciprocal conces-
sions established.
| France, for instance, would not permit
the association to work among the Ger
man prisoners in her territory unless
Germany would allow them the same
privileges among the French prisoners of
war there. Finally however, the matter
was fixed up so that at present the asso-
citation is welcomed in every country in
volved in the war except Turkey. The
first work was started among the civilian
prisoners who are interned in England /
and the work is merely directed by ,the !
association and carried on by capable |
men among the prisoners themselves. |
Social service committees look after the
donations that are sent in and deal them /
out where they are most needed educa- /
tional committees arrange classes where
languages may be studied and even such /
studies as ~higher mathematics and en-
gineering taken up under capable in
structors; and other bands of men teach
religion and moral uplift. The speaker |
stated that the moral atmosphere of the
camps had been completely changed since
the founding of the branches of the Y. NJ.
G. A. in them.
At the Universalist church in the aft
ernoon union service was held and the
speaker was introduced by Rev John II.
Reardon of the Universalist church. At
this service the speaker took up the
work among the soldiers in more gen
eral way. The remoteness of the war
from here, said the speaker, makes il /
impossible for us to understand eondi-
tions, but he went on TO explain some of
them. how the prisoners were confined in
large buildings and allotted a certain :
small square, etc. The ". M. G. A. in /
London Was once comparatively weak,
but since the starting of the war Lon /
don has become an important station for !,
the conducting of the work, At present !
in Britain there are more than LOCO sta a
lions for work among the soldiers. These /,
Christian association stations are in all !
sorts Of buildings, unusued factories, :
Empty stores. dance halls and even parts !
IF private houses. They are known as
fhuts' and here the soldier can secure
odging and something to eat at any !,
line. Many soldiers prefer them to a !,
iotel, even if they have the money to 4
tay at the latter place. The work is !,
lone strictly on non n-denominational !
,asis, according to a rule made at the
BEGINNING of the work. y
Many society women have become in :,
crested in the work and are a great help I,
o the association. The Sacrifices they \
ndure as well as the sacrifices which the Il
nen have to make will necessarily have I,
ome effect on their after life and viii no
oubt in many cases prevent their going
ack to their previous manners of living.
Conditions in France and the other
ountrics are much the same as in Eng
and, though before the war the associa-
ion was even weaker there than in the
lace first taken mp. The soldier eonsid
ring the uncertainty of his life is apt II
o be very religious and the speaker Z
tated that the men often. come to the
.. NJ. G. A. official and take the com
lunion before going into battle. In
,gypt the work OF the association is
laking wonderful progress, and it is 70
adly needed there The Indian soldiers 90
I first were inclined to show their dis "
Ike for the association but this dislike ,
as in a large measure been overcome !,
nd the feeling at present of the soldier d,
India toward the association is much bn
etter. The introduction of works of ,h
arious Indians in England has done 60
uch to bring out this bettered condi- ,yi
on "a
Mr. Hibbard also stated that the feel g.,
q Of bitterness toward the enemy was th
lown more in the attitude of the people or,
home than in that of the men on the wi
Id The men on the firing line are %,
ming, partly through the influence of ed
lie association, to regard prisoner ~
ON the opposing camp as worthy of as gy,
uch care as their own men. Many doc
RS in the army are sent to help injured so,
isoners. when perhaps they expected to Inn
rye men of their own nationality. u,a
Mr.. Hibbard spoke in the Presbyterian
urch at the regular evening meeting on bo,
ueh the same lines as in his previous Sb
ctures. tIo
but
nrarYr nr, crrYOnr 1,Dr -.