Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-07-10
Outbreak of War Created Many
New Fields for Progressive
Organizations
BY w. n. AEINRIcHS.

Nv. n. Aeinriehs, formerly a sec
rotary Of the local Y. N. c. A., went
to India more than year ago to take
up Y. N. c. A. work in Madras. From
time to time he has Writt.n interest.
ineIy to the Star.5uIIetin.)
II was truly said once that
Throughout history armies have pro-
ven a vast social plobl:m which: oven
the twentieth century has not sclTe'l "
It Is true of the present war. II will
always be true Is lo'ry as a vast num-
Der OF men ar.4 gathered in n Mace
apart from the natural environment
Of the home ;tfe which is their Cod
given heritage
Witt the outbreak Of the present
war the Y. NJ. +. A. in Europe. Egypt
and India gra5pei al opportunity Vat
comes seldom n the life of any or
ganiZation, and it has been truly said
that ""Th? Wa mas been the making
Of the British Y. NJ. C. A" Men have
been enlisted in its service that have
never before thought Of the Y. NJ. c.
A. but as an association Of clerks and
for clerks. Funds have been raised
for its work that would have stag
gered the imaginations before. A
sentiment in its favor has been Gre
ated that generations have been un'
able to produce in the past.
With the outbreak Of war came the
call for the regulars Of India to EN-.
bark for the front. Order had to be
maintained and thousands of terri
torials (the censor will not allow me
to say how many were literally
poured into India tJ man the stations
left vacant by the regulars. 1t was
a time Of confusion and yet of splen-
did discipline, A dozen cantonments
had anywhere from hundred to 5000
men to care for. They were higher
type than the British Tommy At
kins" and had to be handled differ
emily. These were the men who
would return to "Merrie England"
and carry back false or true ideas Of
India. These were the men that
would affect the future of the coun.
try in a way that hundred times the
same number of Tommies would new
er do.
College Men Needed.
College men from Oxford and Cam.
bridge and even America were en-.
listed In the task Of making home
for the men away from home in the
unnatural environment OF an army
cantonment. It Is too true that temp
tations assail the young man in their
most alluring form when he Is away
from home and with a country as cor.
rupt morally as India the danger was
twofold.
The first thing that the new men
wanted was to get their money
changed and too often where the army
Y. NJ. c. A. got to me spot too late
the men were done in the eye" as
they call 1t, by the loan sharks, who
charged often as much as Is per cent
for exchange rates. But the assocfa-
lions soon were on the SPOT and fair
exchange rates were made. The next
thing that the men wanted were Dres-
ents to send home from the new land
of wonder and the association was the
middle man without the profit accru.
ing .therefrom. Hawkers and sales
men were forced to sell TO the men at
the fair rates and usual prices and
many lad was saved goodly sums
thereby. r.5S
Hard to Settle Into Routine.
Then comes the time Of settling
down to the routine Of barrack life.
Men from the, homes OF Devon and
Somersetshire are losth to have to
eat army s1aw and live on q
few "chins" trupeesl a mouth. They
missed the home life Of Marrte Eng
land and the association again be.
came the middle man. Teas and part.
les were arranged for the men. IN
Madras 1t took the form Of large groun
teas for the whole crowd at once and