The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-11-15
A MILLION LETTERS
COMMEND Y. M. c. A.

1T was evening on the broad
q Hsmpcfead Plain, Long Island,
where the Rainbow division was
spending ~ last night before embark
ing for France. II had been raining
hard In the afternoon-a cold. steady
autumn downpour-and there was
nothing 10 suggest the rainbow In the
outward aspect Of the camp. Lines
and lines of sodden canvas housed
$1,000 men, gathered from 81 different
states. The ground was dotted with
pools and quagmires Under the wet
canvas II was damp and cold. with .
penetrating chill. Lit by hicksrfng
candles, the tents were far from cheer
full shelter for q mans last night in
his native land.
But there were seven big tents
where electric lights. numbers and
frisndliness made the night plesfant.
In each Of these q soldier was strum-
ming on q piano; others were reading
books and magazines; hundreds were
writing letters home. Behind the
raised counter at one end three or four
young men were busy passing out
notepaper and envelopes. selling
stamps and weighing parcels. which
the men were sending home. One OF
the soldiers said to me 40 stood In
the tent used chiefly by men from
Iowa: I'VE came all the way here
from Des Mcines. and We were mighty
lonely. Then We found this Y. n. c.
A. on the job. and It's been Z home
and mere than q home to vs. 1t gave
us what We wanted when We needed
II most. ws'll never forget II. The
boys best friend 4 the Y. N. G. A."
Fine, cIean-cut, upstandlns FsIiswa
How close those benches were pack
cd with men. bending over the long
tables absorbed in their writing!
What an appeal to the sympathies
those great groups OF soldiers maksi
Fine, clean-cut. outstanding fellows,
some of them mere boys, one thinks
imme ediately of the sacrifice they have
made for the rest Of Us and how pre-
cious they are to some one back home
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 II 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 the tents OF the Y. M. O.
A. On that last night In America the
association was serving the soldiers
in the best OF all ways-giving them
en- opportunity to write home On
previous nights they had enjoyed box
ing bouts, movies. concerts, dramatics
and a score OF healthy entertainments
as we'll az religious meetings. But on
this last night home ties were strong
est. And perhaps that Is the keynote
OF the splendid work the Y. NJ. G. A.
Is doing among our men In uniform
keeping them In touch with home,
Magic Words. with the celers."
In those times there are some let
ters that mean more to Us tnan any
We have ever read before. They are
written on sheets Of paper stamped
with the Stars and Stripes and the
red triangle of the Y. NJ. G. A., and
they bear the magic words, with the
Colors." There are many more than
q million such letters In the mails now
while you read this. Perhaps one at
least 10 on its way to you Each enc
Of our 10 cantonments, where the new
national army 10 being trained, 10
using more than a million sheets Of
thh paper every month. In the draft
army alone that means $4,000, 900 ala.
ments Of love every month reaching
out from the great sncampment whore
the men are being trained into the
greatest army thk nation has ever
dreamed and binding them to the
hearts at home. Multiply that By
thinking Of ali the ether places where
Uncle Sam has men with the nas--in
navy yards, on the high seas. in arse
nails and oficsrs' training camps and
"Over There" in France. In ail these
places men are writing home Those
unassumins little sheets Of notspapsr
gladden. millions OF hearts . day.
They transfer more love from one
part Of the world 10 mother than Sta
ustios can cypress. Statistics are
pretty poor anyway when comes to
reckoning in terms Of lore and human
tenderness, Let's put II this way:
That the Y. N. G. A. 70 the biggest sx-
press company the world has ever
seen, and the parcels II 10 handling
are the loves and dsvotions Of human
beings.
Worid's Best Loved Trademark
This war has made 10 think hard
and fast, Your boy or your neigh.
bor's boy or some boy you know and
love has been called to DO his share
In the big Job OF policing the world for
democracy and human liberty. 10 It
any comfort to you to know that wher.
ever his duty may call him your boy
viii nave a friend that viii serve him
In body, mind and souli Are you
glad to know that this friend will place
books and magazines al his disposal,
organize classes to teach him what.
ever he wants to learn, give him Q
pocket testament and invite him to
Join religious meetings OF the faith
that he was brought mp ini Did you
realize that the association provides
athletic equipment for his favorits
games, teaches him games II he knows
none and holds concerts, lectures,
movies, Bible classes. dramatic enter
tainments and every kind Of whcis
some amusement to keep him interest.
ed? Are you slad to know that this