Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-11-15

soldiers will be responsible in no small
degree for that magnificent and never
ending result.
COVER THE TOP" AND BACK.
One Of the most vivid word pictures OF
series Of word pictures ever presented in
Burlington was that Of Charles A. White.
hair in his plea to the men Of Burlington
at Hotel Vermont Saturday evening in
support Of the movement to raise money
for the work Of the Young Mems Chris.
tian association with our soldier boys in
France ana elsewhere. It Is a message
that every Burlingtonian, every Vermont
or. every American should hear, in
order to obtain direct view, as It were. of
life and service and suffering at the
frontS and thus being in position to ap-
prectate the work Of this organisation.
Mr.. Whitehair who has recently re-
turned from Europe and ''our lines" takes
you in imagination with the American
troops to the other side of the Atlantic.
You see the young man. who has severed
all home ties and who is a stranger in
a strange land with no place to 20 for
recreation. He 10 billeted at various
points. Practically the only public place
open to him is one where he is served
wine. and where a vampire with sylph
form and siren voice sits down beside him
as he eats and drinks. To meet these
temptations the Y. M. c. A. is providing
innumerable hotels, especially in Paris,
where young Americans can be surround
ed with wholesome influences with the
conserving of their health and physical
development and military efficiency az a
result.
Next you see the American boys pre-
pairing to undergo what the British and
French troops at the front have expert
enced. Enlarged pictures Of the Y. M.
c. A. huts Just back Of the trenches and
amid the dugouts in the heavy explosive
zone are shown. You are taken through
the impressive doings Of the day before
the drive. You hear the orders to fire
gun" number one. number two. mum.
Der three In few minutes your OBJ.
server in the air signals for. slight change
In aim. and little later comes the order to
the gunner repeat" which shows the
desired range has been obtained You 70
on through the night up to the hour Of
attack in the early morning. You hear
the thunder Of 1900 heavy guns on the
British front.
AFTER this deluge has continued the nec-
essary time comes the order lover the top''
and the charge Is made. Shortly men be-
gin to come back. some with eyes out.
some with limbs gone. some horribly man
gled BY shrapnel yet able to move. We are
given a near view Of one poor fellow who
has lost most Of his clothing in barbed
wire. His lower limbs have been shred.
ded with shrapnel and his face and body
are covered with mud and blood. He can
just staEger back. Yet on his shoulders
he Tugs a comrade. his PAL" who is near
~ done Tor. That Is typical Of the hero
Ism to be seen on every hand.
AS the Young Mems Christian associa-
ton was the last agency to deal with tho
soldier boy before going over the top, 20
this association Is the FIRST to aid him a.
ne Is brought back wounded nearly unto
death. The bravo secretaries are serv-
ing within range Of the heavy German
runs. but they are not deferred from doing
heir duty in first aid for the wounded
until they can be treated by the Red
Cross and the hospitals.
The association is still doing service
with neutral secretaries in the prison
camps OF Germany. where some Of our
boys are already-rspresented as prisoners.
md where others will be sure to ma their
way sooner or later.
; 1t takes tremendous amount Of money
10 do all this. and our part in the war
has only begun. Millions upon millions
must be spent to keep up the morale of
'ur soldiers. and generals are calling upon
he Y. M. c. A. to help to do this great
work. 1t is our privilege to help and the
Z. M. c. A. drive Of the present is to help
'ur representatives to meet this demand
'or service for our troops In Finance and
elsewhere.