Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-11-16

81 Hampstead Plain. Long Island.
whore the Rainbow division was
spending IL last night before embark.
Ing for France. 1t had been raining
hard IN the afternoon-a cold. steady
autumn downpour-and there was
nothing 70 suggest the rainbow In the
outward aspect of the camp. Lines
and lines Of sodden canvas housed
$1,000 men, gathered from n different
states. The ground was dotted with
pools and quagmires. Under the wet
canvas II was damp and cold. with .
penetrating chill. Lit by hickering
candles. the tents were far from cheer.
ful shelter for q mans last night In
Ais native land.
But there we're seven big tents
whore electric lights, numbers and
fraendliness made the night pleasant
IN each OF these . soldier was strum.
ming on . plano; others were reading
books and magazines; hundreds were
writing letters home. Behind the
raised counter at one end three or four
young men we're busy passing ont
notepaper and envelopes. selling
stamps and Weighing parcels. which
the mon were sending home. Ono Of
the soldiers said to me - I stood In
the tent used chiefly by men from
Iowa: I'VE came all the way here
from Des Moinss, and We were mighty
lonely. Then We found this Y. M. G.
A. ON the Job. and It's been . homo
and more than . homo to 10. 1t gave
10 what We wanted when We needed
Il most. Well never forget It. The
boys best friend u the Y. N. G. A."
Pine, cisan.cut, Outstanding Fsiiovvs.
How close those benches were pack.
"a with men. bending over the long
tables absorbed In their writing!
What an appeal to the sympathies
those great groups Of soldiers makel
Fine, clean-cut. outstanding follows,
some Of them mere boys. ono thinks
Immediately Of the sacrifice they have
made Tor tho rest Of " and how pre-
cious they are to some one back homo.
Somewhere. in far OF farm or village
or city street. there are parents or
brothers or wives who would give all
they possess for one glimpse of those
sunburnsd faces - you and see
them on their last night before going
across. And It WAS with . throb Of
the heart that I watched them. bent
over their letter paper. in one after
another Of those seven big tents.
These were tho tents Of the Y. N. O.
A. On that last night in America the
association was serving the soldiers
In the best Of all ways-giving them
an opportunity to write home On
previous nights they had enjoyed box
ing bouts. movies. concerts. dramat!cs
and . score Of healthy entertainments
a. we'll a. religious meetings. But on
this last night home ties were strong.
est. And perhaps that is the keynote
Of the splendid work the Y. M. C. A.
10 doing among our men in Uniform
keeping them in touch with homo.
Magic Words, with the coIors."
In those times there are some lot.
tiers that mean more to u tnan any
We have ever read before They are
written on sheets OF paper stamped
with the Stars ana Stripes and the
red triangle Of the Y. NJ. c. A.. and
they bear the magic words. with the
C6lors." There are many more than
million such letters in the mails now
i:s:e s. ia IL ~ ~ 70 sss .sgc ~
Of our 10 oantoniasnts. whore the asw
national army 10 being trained, =
using more tAaA Q mi:lioa shsste q
this paDee svssy month. In The Araet
afO alaas that maans le.ooa4el |. ~