Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-10
tBy Freeman rilden.1

been tried with every language known
to the interpreters, and they haven't
struck his favorite yet. There's q cap
tain who has fifteen men in his COM
pany who can't understand our tongue.
There's major who was told that he
would command battalion OF negro
troops; and it's said that when his fei-
low officers jollied him little no re-
piled. That's all right, fellows. go to
it. But I'll have the only native Amer
leans in the crowd and I won't have
to teach them the manual in seventeen
languages. either"
But--and here Is the kicker to my
little divergence-the H. M. c. A. Is
already at work with these young
Americans. 1t has English classes for
the others. Simply invaluable Is this
service. Think of the cumbersome sys-
tenn that the government itself would
have to inaugurate to do this funda-
mental work!
But to get back to that show.
stumbled finally into the rear door Of
a green building. 1t wasn't the one
was looking for. But the seething anil
nation in, around, and thru 1t made me
was a great and growing pile Of parcel
post packages The postoffice depart
ment will not collect these packages
but the Y. NJ. c. A. has been doing It
right along. There was clamoring
crowd Of healthy, noisy youths shout
ing for postcards, envelopes, stamps,
information. everything.
Writing paper and envelopes are
supplied-an they need, but no waste
to the men free. In few more weeks
it is going to take 100000 envelopes
and 100000 sheets Of paper weekly to
handle the requests. This will run
into money-and-but wait. I'm COM
ing to the delicate matter later. Any
way. you see what our boys would be
up against II It weren't for these serv-
ices the Y. NJ. C. A Is rendering. A
place to meet a place to write place
for wife and mother and sister to come,
a place for song and story, and mutual
admiration-no other country in the
world has ever done anything like 1t.
And we never did before.
l stumbled out OF that building and
scurried along till found another
green one. When in doubt, or in
trouble. look for the green building!
This time ] was wrong again. But
here was another crowd, swarmed like
bees on a branch in the big hall with
the stage at one end. The big attrac-
ton here was a boxing contest, four
bouts, between rival companies. There
was rope stretched across the front
Of the stage-and I may be permitted
to hope that all those knocked thru it
landed on soft spots. The crowd was
on tiptoe. They were all crying for &C.
ton. immediate and swift. I looked at
them. East Side boys. grocers' clerks,
chauneurs, every trade, every DISPOSE
ton. every nationality. Boys who were
so stoop-shouldered and shuffling ten
weeks ago that you could have pock
eted lead pencil on the small OF their
back, had undergone a transformation.
And their eyes looked different. Some
thing OF the Damp morale had gotten
under their skins. I'm prepared to say
that clean boxing was the only kind
that went with the crowd that night.
No rough stun. no fouls. and no pink
gabfest from the contestants.
The next green building was minc,.
Malmberg was there. waiting for me.
Would ], kindly and courageously, be