The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-11-23
A RED HOT LETTER FROM THE FRONT
From Sergeant Ridley Wills
Battery ID, 18th F. A., Greenville, S. C.
Camp SEWER, Nov. 18th, 1917.

Dear Mr.. Gray
This very tardy response to your telegram is
due to the fact that have been limited to the mar
row bounds of my iron cot for the past week.
The greatest Influence in a mans life is his
mother. When child Is In need, it seeks its moth
er. A mans highest love is for his mother. The Y
M. c. A. is the motherof the soldier
The emblem of thesT NJ C. A. is a red triangle
one side of the triangl|is named Body" another
side Mind" and the @ird side is called Spirit"
This triangle marks the boundaries of Y NJ c. A.
work, and well it might for it takes in the life of
man.
A body, mind, and a spirit are all that SOL
der has. Any two of them, without the use of the
other one, would render any life a loss. One with
an unsound body cannot get in the army Men
with undevel0ped andNlnsound minds are getting
discharged every days AN unsound spirit cannot
keep man out of theaEmy or get him out, but it
can get him in the guard house and keep him there
man with bad habit, spiritually speaking, may
get IN this army, but tee lecturers who come to us
through the Y. M. c. AZ. tell us of another and
greater army in which he finds the trail more diff
ficult.
The Army Y. M CA encourages pastimes for
soldiers Left to himself after drill hours, soldier
hdoes not know what to 10 with himself. The Y M.
e. A. helps here. 1t offers boxing wrestling hand
ball, basketball and other athletic games to the
soldiers and we are falling advantage of the offer
The "Y furnishes the athletic equipment, the loca-
tions and the coaching In the long, wooden build
ingS may be found practically the same equipment
as in the local Y M G. "A. building of any city.
The greatest thinglthat the "Y." offers us is a
place to read and write, and reading and writing
material Ifitwere motif the Y. nj G. A. would
never see newspaperland would have very little
and poor stationery ~ the main convenience is (
isl sAs place Lac 81 e a9 OFT ~ s2ge desk u ny
in the other tents wiitTS can't be done.
In Battery D. thele are twenty-five men who
school one hour every day at the Y. M. G. A., TAX
ing their first totteringlsteps in education.
One side of the red triangle is doing all these
things
We soldiers often are enabled to hear fine sing
ing and great lectures at our Y. M. G. A. building
Some of the noted men of the country come to talk
to us about our moral wefares our spiritual lives
and our glorious privilege of having this opportu-
nifty to be shot We have heard preachers, teach
ers, doctors, lawyers, governors and Frenchmen
The Y, M. c. A. is the one refining influence in
our lives. There is an overwhelming tendency to-
ward crudeness whenever man can associate only
with man. He speaks his dirty mind, and his mind
grows dirtier. The presence of woman can hold
this down. The lack of womans presence allows
it to grow The men of the Y M. C. A. are con-
stantly fighting this evil 1t will be due to them
and to their great orgazation if there is enough of
culture left in us so that upon our return to YOUR
lives our original graces will be redeemable
Yours sincerely,
RIDLEY WILLS.