The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-10-26
PICK OF Y. M. C. A.
Continued From Page One.)

mentS come. These moments are the
undoing of the men; at these mo-
ments the wonderful works of the
Y. M. C. A. are realized. Men formerly
returned from the front, anticipating
a pleasant seven days with the fami-
ly or betrothed. Hundreds would
never reach home; they would fall
into the hands Of women at landing
stations, and would go back, broken
in finances and morals and health.
Young women, entirely void of char
acter, would meet them at night, and
make them theirs for the time they
were free.
What the Y. M. c. A. Is Doing
Today, the Y. M. G. A. meets in
coming trains, and the young men
are rushed to clean beds and whole
some surroundings. Young girls, who
SHINE faith and wholesomeness, help
to create a homelike feeling. Girls
who show in their bearing their I'M
derstanding of the terrors of this
war, are the only ones who are al
lowed to do the necessary work, that
only women can do. The king himself
placed at the disposal of the Y. M.
c.. A Buckingham palace, so that
soldiers might rest while waiting for
their trains. The Y M. G. A. started
at home to provide for just those
moments when soldiers have chance
to reflect on the hell they have seen
their fatal moments.
Find the Home They Need.
The Y. M. c. A. at the front lives
in anything that can be used. Cow
sheds, dug outs, derelict huts are used
yet the soldiers find there the home
they need. Sir Birgo could not pay
a sufficiently worthy tribute to the
principles underlying the Y. M. G.
A, the principles that make it pos
sible for Catholics and Jews and
Protestants and other creeds to
make use of these Y. M. G. A. homes,
men.
Y. M. C. A. workers get up at all
hours of the night. They are ever
ready to work Men expect them to
help them, and help is always forth
coming. Officers come for help to
keep the men clean, and they realize
that the morale of the army depends
upon the men in and behind the Y.
M. c. A.
Birgo Has Son at Front.
Sir Birgo has son at the front,
who enjoys. these advantages. Sir
Birgo has ducked in dug-outs to es-
cape shells, and he stirs the sternest
to the very depths in his relations
of the spiritual needs of the men,
under these surroundings. Their de-
sire is to get back, but to do their
job well first. The. speaker left no
doubt in the minds of his hearers
about the resolve of the soldiers, re-
CARELESS of sacrifice, to do their all.
Sir Birgo only had to think of the
thoughts in the minds of the Ameri-
can people, as to what they would do.
Sir Birgo wished to make it clear
that to give, and to give more, is the
duty of those who cannot fight.
"What will you give to your govern
Red Cross? What can you do to equal
the sacrifices of the men? You can do
much when you give all, yet that is
little compared to what these men
are doing" These were the words of
the speaker and he left almost feel
ing of tenseness when he stopped.
There was a feeling that indicated
a desire to get out and spread this
message everywhere.
Story of Brothers Death.
Thomas Graham told of his broth
er who had been sacrificed on the
lines. His talk was war history of
this one soldier. The sacrifices of
this man, the tortures he endured,
and the death he died, were fitting
instances to relate as a forerunner
to the talk just given. This young
man went through course of train
ing in six months that the average
university gives in three years. He
describes college life as child's play
compared to that work-yet he did
it for the benefit of an expression of
his principle. He died of wound
that necessitated the amputation of
his leg-yet, as his last letter stated,
he died for cause that to him
seemed just He told of these letters
that made all feel they too should
go, and not stop with merely giving.
The relation of how these men feel at
the front was serious and convinc-
ing With such talks 100000 seems
small as the apportionment for this
district.
Spirit in Larger Cities.
A. J. Mason, st. Paul, had not seen
war as the others but he had seen
the spirit in the larger cities, and he
was prepared to tell of it. He told
of how twenty-six of the largest
men in Chicago had gotten together
on the last Liberty loan issue, and
had practically decided what the !
business men of Chicago were to give.
They were met with this allotment, |
and the business men, as rule, |
contributed what was asked. They
knew the public expected it. Chicago
raised more than its share, and 9TH
er cities did likewise. In st. Paul
firms that expected to give one and
two thousand dollars, were forced to
give ten thousand-public opinion |
demanded it.
He stated that definition could
not be given for moral-it was
sipmIy the spirit, based on conviction
and confidence in the support of the
people at home, that made the men
go across the line. For us to go
across the financial line, he thought, |
was as much duty as it was for
the soldier to cross the trenches.
E. w. Peck, state secretary of the
Y. NJ. c. A., talked a few minutes,
and he1Ded TO create the same enthu- |