The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1917-11-17
THE Y. NJ. c. A.
AND THE FIGHTING MAN

he bidding goodbye to drafted men
taking trains for the clntoncments,
or to bluejackets thronginE the decks'I
that are to carry them overseas,
know that to our soldiers and sail
ors the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation is an anchor o windward.
What is that anchor? 1t is repre-
sented usually by a onc-story build
ing. say ~ feet wide by 120 long--a
great warm room full of friendly men.
There is a cup of coffee i'm the corner.
At the back Of the room mitny feet
of motion picture flm are being reel
ed Off There is the sound of u piano,
of familiar tunes. of massed singing
of the records of talking machine
There are piles Of hymn-books and
popular song books. There are stere-
opticou and lantern lides: boxing
gloves and baseballs and bats and
the paraphernalia of basket ball. vol
+ ley ball, quoits. of wrestling and other
athletic bouts tall Young Mems Chris
! tian Association centers have physi-
/ cal directory. There is Il soda water
fountain. There are soap and towels.
and matches and candles and blankets.
There is library with free bQokS.T There
are lectures and courses in RxenCh and
other languages There lisa typewriter.
/ There is chance to read and talk and
! lounge. Above all there is plenty of
free writing paper. pens and ink. and
comfortable chairs and Tables con-
trast to the stub pencil and the bit OF
scrap of paper and the back Of board
held on a fellows knee in the cold
camp outside.
Because the Young Mems Christian
association makes it so easy Go write,
thousands more soldier letters have
gone home than would have gone. EV-
cry such letter is one more clutch on a
mans soul to preserve himffrom for
getfulness ana recklessness, no matter
whether he he homeick recruit or Il
seasoned trooper. We civilians do not
realize the reaction when the duty of
drill is done for the day.
Here is where the Young Mems
Christian association comes in. II eases
down the man to the normal and does
not let him plunge to the abnormal.
Every Young Mems Christian assoCia-
tion center is some reminder of home
warmth in the midst of the new, raw
chilly camp environment, where old
friends and old habits and the steady
ing influences of home are left behind
, and many social influences of restraint
are lacking Al such Il time the sol
dier. facing the perils of commercial
lied vice. needs the wholesome in
fiuence of men and women living nor
NAL lives
To keep men clean. so that they may
live straight and return so. or. if they
must give up their lives, so that they
may die clean-this is the first task OF
the Young Mems Christian assOcia
q tion.
To do this il is expanding it's arm!
, land navy undertakings as fast as oul
- government is expanding its army an'
navy In every camp there Is II Iounl
Mems Christian association building
, or hunt" as It is called-for ever!
:, hve thousand men. 1t is one stor,
thigh. In this country il costs ahou
. 5000. abroad about Sl5.uo0.
-, Nearly 20ou Young Mems Christian
association secretaries are now cuga
d ged i'm war work. by July l. l?1S tn
= work will need 4UUU more Who vii
' go? Fortunately the two colleges o
the association, as well az its six sum
mer schols. providing war work cour
Ses, have already trained $50 men. am
II hundreds more are now In training
70 Some llO00 men from many calling
!. ia life have applied for war work ser
10 vice, but the standa rds-physical men
n many who apply canOt he accepted.
l., Nor can such work be confined I
our men. General Pershing says: "Th
greatest service that America can inn
= idictg!' ~,~"-~ !'"""ce Is to extend tn
- a.,,,Ia ,iun's work to the entire Frcnc
Z army" Has any body Of men In ia
world a greater claim upon us tha
10 have the heroic lighters of France
There are about 100000 French So
- diers. and there are some 5000 camr
where the Young Mems Christian as
sociation would he heartily WELDON
y ed by prominent officials. They as
the association to send over at Leaf
500 capable American secretarie
y, Some have already sailed Others wi
l. follow. The work will he started ;
about a hundred centers, with the hoI
a that it will be extended to at least
thousand.
ed No wonder. too. that a seasoned W;
man like General Hugh Scott la
g chief of stan, and member of Il
ed Root commission 10 Russia. says
Sc the proposed Young Mems Christif
r association work in that country: ''
ar appeals TO me as an American as
n soldier and as IA Christian II WI
a help the Russians and II will also he
Continued on Page Four)