The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1917-11-09
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM CAMP PIKE
v. S. Whitesides Writes of Conditions
As They Exist There.
Camp Pike, Ark, Nov. a, 191

Camp Pike, Ark, Nov. a, 1917.
Mr.. S. j. High, Tupelo, Miss.
Dear Mr.. High:-As requested by
you several days ago | will try to
give you as briefly as possible an
idea of the great work done by the
Y. M. C. A. in the cantonment here.
To cover it fully would take a great
deal of space. Of course the prime
motive of the work is the spiritual
side. In the Y M. G.. AS here on
Sunday there are two services, the
morning is the Bible study, and the
evening service is a regular preach
ing service, about the same as you
have in civil life. These preaching
services are generally pretty well at
tended and should be very beneficial
to the soldier At one service a
week or two ago there were over 25
who professed religion and asked for
prayers.
The educational work done by the
VS. is also very important. Glasses
are taught in French, writing, arith-
metic or practically any branch the
student would desire.
The social feature is also fine, in
the building here now they have a
Victrola in each reading room, with
good bunch of popular records.
These rooms have big wood fire.
place about feet wide and low roofs
making very coZy appearance, and
are very comfortable. Here the boys
all congregate and make them meet
| ing places, and general good place
to be, read, talk or loaf. as the case
may be- These rooms always have a
bunch of magazines, and periodicals
of nearly every kind as we'll as writ
| ing rooms. You can find also very
nice little library connected with
each of these rooms where good
| books can be procured by signing a
receipt with an agreement to return
| the book at certain date.
The above features are the main
ones, of course. The physical train
ing in the Y does not amount to
much here as you get enough OF this
on the outside at drill, etc.
A number of other things that the
Y. M. C. AS are doing is distribut-
ing stationery, of which they will
give you practically an unlimited
amount, selling money orders, stamps,
giving all kinds of information re-
garding the camp to newcomers
Quite a number of men have. their
mail sent care of their nearest \
which makes the address easy to To-
cate by the postal authorities.
In conclusion, | want to say that
think the work of the Y. M. c. A,
just as important as any other work
in connection with camp life, and the
people who are unable to fight should
certainly see to it that the work is
not Handicapped on account of lack OF
funds.
| The main thing, as | see it in gett-
ing funds for a purpose like this, is
to get the people to see the neeo
and there will be no trouble in get
ting the money. l don't believe there
are many fellows here who would not
say that the Y. M. C. A. has not done
him some good since they have been
here.
was about to overlook the enter
tainment feature. There are picture
shows or stock companies or amuse.
ments Of some kind at the centra
Y M. C. A. here every night which
l.s seating capacity of about $500
MN and it is generally pretty full.
Trusting that you will have no
,uble in securing the amount al
Il ted to Mississippi, l am,
Your friend,
Virgil Whitesides.