Evening star., 1917-10-07

%sE SSSZSS
JOHN n. MOTT.
Chief War Secretary.
hundred graduates Of the University Of
Minnesota are privates in the Marine
Corps.
William Knowles Cooper. camp gem
eral secretary OF the Y. M. c. A.. and
tngton. says that the young soldiers
who have been under training near the
Capital are the most admirable body
of men he has ever seen: admirable
morally and intellectually. They are
not deacon. in the Baptist Church. nor
class leaders in the Methodist Church.
nor saints from heaven returned to
earth. but they are self-respecting.
clean-mtnded and vigorously intelli-
gent young Americans as whole.
And so the boy from the farm, who
parted with his mother on the porch
and heard his fathers brief counsel at
the railway station, finds not only
friend at camp. in the person Of the
secretary OF the Y. M. C. A.. but also
kinds, as well.
Roughly, boys at college. in the Army
or anywhere else can be divided into
three sorts-those who respect them
don't and those who will go either way
with slight push. The 7. M. c. A.
works with all.
No open efIort is made to lead the
penitent to the mourners' bench. There
are Jews, Catholics and Protestants in
the Army and Navy, and. possibly.
sprinkling OF heathen. Cromwelrs men
were Puritans and hard fighters In any
situation. Commonly, however, an
Army 10 not = religious organisation.
A. 0.N ~
Daniel Webster. and the founder os the
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
in New York. Of which he was pastor
for almost forty years. was one OF the
first organizers OF the y. N. c. A. in
the United States. He despised dogma
and sectarianism. Addressing tho dele
gates. coming from everywhere. to the
evangelical alliance held in New York
forty-four years ago. he said: divers
are tho names we bear both as to
French. Swiss. Dutch. English. Scotch.
Irish. Lutheran. Reformed. Anglican.
Presbyterian. Episcopalian. Methodist.
Baptist. Indspendent-but We desire
and intend to show that amid all this
xss:sy ts.s: Z .a, 81 sEa Sn1 Of sss saa
The spirit Of the =. ~. c. A. was In
his words. Some man may eay-msn
Of Cotton Mathsr's type-ehaf the road
to heaven - - narrow e thsmsslyss.
ed, no doubt, to see the farmers son
plsyinx base ball on the Sabbath. But.
likely ~ not. that II exactly what they
would see were they to visit an Ameri-
can camp on any pleasant sunday att
ernoon.
Base ball and basket ball. also rum
ming, wrestling and other athletic con-
tests are Sunday pleasures among the
soldiers. And. ON many occasions. sec
retaries and assistant secretaries of the
Y. NJ C. A. keep the scores and act a.
umpires. There are. for instance. $50
basket ball teams. 100 base ball teams
in Mississippi.
How can 10000. or 10000. or 10000 or
10000 young Americans, living under
tents or in barracks. vehement and Wig
orous boys, be kept from breaking. in
some manner. the Sabbath of the pill
grim fathers? 1t cannot be done. And
so the Y. NJ. c. A. wastes no time In at
tempting the unbelievable. but accepts
human nature as It is, under canvas or
between unpainted boards. and goes
with the crowds. keeping order. SO far
as 1t can. and outlawing by its presence
profanity. betting. and the coarser evils
OF enthusiasm anu paTti4AuSulps
At all the camps of the volunteers.
and 1t is SO ut the cantonments of the
conscripted. the Y. NJ. c. A. has its own
program Sunday. There are religious
moments, not grievOus seasons Of con-
fession for those really or supposedly
burdened with intQuity. but a lively Pc
riod of manlike fellowship. with swing
ing songs, short prayers and mascu-
line address by a preacher who UNDER
stands his business.
There are picture shows at camps and
cantonments Sunday. Hikes. also. One
young secretary led his men to Mount
and tomb. The farmers son. perhaps.
went along, and. like the rest, took of
his hat at the grave. There was a
march on that particular afternoon of
fifteen miles In the evening, with per-
feet consistency, there was q song serv-
ice of praise to the Lord.
The recruit on which this story hangs. .
az . matter of convenience to the
writer, has free access during his leis-
ure to the camp building of the Y. N.
c. A. He writes his letters there on
magazines are in the reading room. The
secretaries hear his troubles and
straighten out his dimculties from s
o'clock In the morning until taps sound
at night. During the week there are
Y. NJ c. A. concerts. moving picture
shows and lectures, and billiard and
pool tables for those who are addicted
to that form Of entertainment.
BY and by the recruit. as will the
drafted man in his turn. sails away
for France. The =. n. c. A. also Ii on
the ship. cheerful a. before. ..elpful a.
before and ubiquitous. always. II goes
-tth thn rncrnff tn The fra HING "a mn