The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-02
Montana Y. M. G. A. Worker
Brings Personal Word
From Boys at Camp.
RECREATION BIG NEED
Tom Davis Comes to Treas
ure State to Arouse En-
thusiasm in Cause.

III ibeAhS II ptIoouit WIZ AIoiii tuS
Montana contingent of conscrirted
soldiers at Camp Lewis. inspiring every
one he met with the enthusiasm that
fairly radiates from him. Tom Davis.
secretary of the Y. NJ. c. a. work for
the Montana boys at Camp Lewis spent
yesterday In Missoula. The climax Of
the visit of Mr.. Davis came when he
addressed a group of so representative
business men of Missoula at dinner
last night in the Florence hotel. For
on hour these business men listened to
Mr.. Davis tell the story of his work
al Camp Lewis. Not a man knew he
had listened an hour: not man but
that was sorry when Mr.. Davis had
finished telling his story of the great
work and the colossal task ahead of
the y. NJ. c. A. and the knights of
Columbus. a similar organization. in
administering to the recrcational needs
of a soldier
Mr.. Davis arrived in Missoula yester-
day morning. He addressed the uni
ve,Sity students at II o'clock appeared
at the shops of the Northern Pacific
at l o'clock and addressed $50 men
there, visited the beet sugar factory in
the afternoon talked. to group of uni
versity men at o'clock, addressed the
first show at the Missoula theater and
talked to the business men.
Warmly Received.
Everywhere Mr.. Davis was received
with an ovation. He came as a per-
sonal representative of our" soldier
boys. He has been at Camp Lewis
for eight months and has seen 1t grow
from q deserted village to city of
10000 men.
THESE men who we have taken from
their homes. dragged from their usual
walks and told them to fight, to fight
our fight. must have those things
which will make for the best army
possible" said Mr.. Davis.
These men need recreation. they
must have it, but the army has not
made any appropriation for this. The
Y. NJ. c. A. and similar organizations
have a very definite place in these
environments and they must fill that
place just as our men must fill the
fighting ranks.
Homesickness Worst Enemy.
Inconsistencies is the greatest all
ment. You men may have thought you
were homesick at times in your lives
Men. you don't know what homesick-
ness is. These men. heads Of BUSH
nesses. expert mechanics. lawyers, men
of affairs in their own communities,
have been taken and made small parts
of great machine The greatest prob
lem of the army is to make these men
understand they have not lost their
entity but really are somebody. The
men have been made privates. taken
from their particular groups and now
have practically all their thinking done
for them. They get resigned. they lose
their ambitions. they brood and at least
two that l know of have gone to death
by their own hands rather than en-
dure the terrible inconsistencies which
drove them temporarily insane.
What Y. M. c. A. Is Doing.
1T is the task of furnishing these
men with something to do between the
hours of p. m. and bed time that the
Y. NJ. G. a. has undertaken. We supply
writing places, we have a special center
in all the word implies. We have a
stunt night. an athletic night. boxing
night. and in fact have something do
ing every night for the men. The Y.
NJ. c. A. buildings of which there are
five. hold 1000 men and 1900 can be
crowded in. In addition there is an
auditorium that holds 1000 men. We
give courses in French, higher mathe-
MATES. arithmetic. and in fact run a
combined high school and small univer-
sity at these buildings. We have or
chestras and other organizations for
the men,"
Solons Plead Cause
At the dinner last night Senator Ben
son of California and Congressman
John NJ. Evans spoke. Both urged sup
port of the people for the Y. NJ. C. A..
and putting up the best fight against
the inconsistencies which Is likely. IL not
offset in some way. to effect the morale
of the army.
Every man at last nights session was
very enthusiastic over the work. after
learning of it first hand and learning
of the need of enlarging 1t and carry
ing 1t on in France with our armies
there. All of the speakers referred to
special instances Where the work has
been of great service and some of the
stories, sidelights of the war, brought
tears to the eyes of the hearers.