The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-11-15
Y. M. c. A. DRIVE
ON IN EARNEST
CAMPAIGN OVER ENTIRE
STATE DURING MONTH
OF NOVEMBER.

NOrIn DakaCa is asked to
raise $685. 900 for the Y. M. C.
A. war fund. This is part of a
fund Of $35, 100000 which is to
be raised thruout the nation.
Whats it for?" asks the aver
age citizen. ''I have been called
upon to subscribe to the Second
Liberty Loan. Just before that
! was called upon to make a sub
stantial donation to the Red
Cross and just preceding the
Red Cross campaign / subscribed
to the First Liberty Loan. Now
am asked to give again. What
is this money going for?" THAT
is a perfectly fair question" the
Y M. G. A. campaign directors
reply, ''and we'll be glad to an
swer it. We don't blan> YOU for
being from Missouri IN this
matter and we're glad to show
you.
This money, says the Y. M.
G. A. man, will go to provide for
the comforts, care and recrea-
tion of American soldiers in the
camps and thus keep up the NOR
ale of Americas fighting fore
eS.
It will also be used to extend
this same care to the fighting
men of France and of all the 9TH
er nations with whom our troops
will soon be fighting shoulder to
shoulder. One of the words that
the war has made familiar, is
that word morale. James FL. Col
lins, writing recently of the
work that the Y. M. G.. A. is do
ing said: "When the German
troops drove into Belgium and
started for Paris after 40 years
of the most detailed preparation,
the world held it's breath during
those bright fall months Of 1914,
for it did not seem as though any
human power could stoy them.
The French army had to meet
this thoroughly equipped army
with inadequate artillery, max
ing a living wall of it's men to
stand against big guns and high
explosives. Great Britians little
army-the famous "Old Con-
temptibles" sacrifice itself to
hold one infinitesimal space in
the enormous battle line. Yet
the Germans were stopped and
turned back. And what did it
against all the odds was the ele-
ment of armies which generals
call morale an element of spir-
it and character greater than
guns and high explosives, some
thing compacted partly Of patri-
otism and partly of training.
Morale may be present in an
army, but unless it is brought
out by polishing and faceting, as
the quality Of the diamond is
brought out by cutting and pol
ishing, it will not be in evidence
when the test Of battle comes. "
The Y. M. G. "A. is bringing out
the morale in our fighting force.
AT q hundred points in the pro-
gram Of preparation it supple
ments military training, devel-
ons character. spirit, ideals and
it IS for this work that the pres
ent fund Of S35, 900, 900 is being
raised. Compared with the bill
lions spent by the govea ement
to draft, train, equip anu trans,
port overseas the fighting force
ilpon which so much depends
next spring, the amount asked
for seems moderate. With the
hundreds Of thousands Of men
the draft called to the colors, the
Y. M. G. "A. was overwhelmed
with work and responsibilities.
From the camps came 9 cry Tor
more help, not only from the sol
diers themselves but from OF
ficers, who value the work the
Association renders. According
II . National conference was
held. and it was decided that not
) cent less than $35, ,OOO, 600
would adequately meet the war
needs confronting the Associa-
49,. "a. Mt nn1v Was there d call
fnr help ia the American camps,
but from camps Of allied nations
Is well.
Bottineau county is asAHd 70
raise $1,000. ]. p. HanSsf, g.
M. e. A building secretary of
Camp Grant, Rockford III, vis-
tied Bot ttineau last Friday eve
ninx and delivered = very STIR
Ia address at the Grand thea tre
g > nne ng held "a he