Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1917-11-16


spending It's last night before embark.
ting for France. II had been raining
hard in the afternoon-a cold. steady
autumn downpour-And there was
nothing TO suggest the rainbow In the
outward aspect OF the camp Lines
and lines Of sodden canvas housed
1900 men, gathered from 81 different
atstea. The ground was dotted with
pools and qusgmires. Under the wet
canvas II was damp and cold, with q
penetrating chill Lit by nichsring
candles, the tents were Tar from cheer.
full shelter for q mans last night in
his native land.
But there were seven big tents
whore electric lights. numbers and
friendliness made the night pleasant
N each OF these q soldier was strum-
ming on q plano; others were reading
Books and magazines; hundreds were
writing letters home. Behind the
raised counter at one end three or four
young men were buAy passing out
notspaper and envelopes, ceiling
stamps and weighing pArosis. which
me men were sending home. One OF
the soldiers said to me as I stood in
tAs tent used chiefly BY men from
IOWA: I'VE came all the way here
from Des Moines. and we were mighty
lonely Then we found this Y. NJ. G,
A. on the Job, and It's been Q homo
and more than a home 70 Us. II gave
ne what we wanted when we needed
1t most Wen never forget H. The
boys best friend n the Y. NJ. c. A"
Fine, ciean-cut, Outstanding Fellows,
How close those benches were pack
ed with men, bending over the long
tables absorbed in their writing!
What an appeal to the sympathies
those great groups OF soldiers makel
Fine. clean-cut outstanding fellows,
some OF Thorn mere boys. one thinks
Immediately OF the sacrifice they have
made for the rest OF u and how pre-
cious they are to some one back home.
Somewhere. in far on farm or village
or city street. there are parents or
brothers or wives who would give all
they possess for one glimpse Of those
sunburnsd faces a. you and see
them on their last night before going
across. And X was with Q throb OF
the heart that watched them. bent
over their letter paper. in ono after
another OF those seven big tents.
These were the tents OF the Y. II. O.
A On that last night in America the
association was serving the soldiers
IN the best OF all waye-giving them
an opportunity TO write home. On
previous nights they had enjoyed boz.
ting bouts, movies, concerts. dramatics
and a score OF healthy entertainments
~ we'll as religious meetings. But on
this last night home ties were strong
est And perhaps that 10 the keynote
Of the splendid work the Y NJ. c. A.
n doing among our men in Uniform
Keeping them in touch with home.
Magic Words, with the colors."
In these times there are some let.
Gers that mean more 10 US than any
Ne have ever read before. They are
written on sheets of paper stamped
with the Stars and Stripes and the
red triangle OF the Y. NJ. c. A., and
they bear the magic words. with the
Colors" There are many more than
. million such letters in the mails now
while you read this. Perhaps one at
least II on its way TO yoa Each one
sf our 10 cantonmsnts. whore the new
~ational army 10 being trained. 10
using more than q million sheets of
this paper every month. In the draft
ments OF love every month reaching
out from the great encampmsnt where
the mon are being trained into the
greatest army this nation has ever
dreamed and binding them TO the
hearts at homo. Multiply that BY
thinking OF all the other places where
Uncle Sam has men with the nag--in
navy yards. on the high seas. in arse
nails and officers training camps and
-Over There" In France. In all these
places men are writing home. Those
unassuming little sheets OF ,notepaper
gladden. millions OF hearts q day.
They transfer more love frop one
Hart OF the world to another than sta
tastics can express. Statistics are
pretty poor anyway whom II comes to
welcoming in terms OF love and human
ssnderness. Let's put It this way
That the 7. N. C. A Il the biggest ex
Drsss company the world has eve.
sssa. and the parcels II il handiing
ere che loves and devotions Of human
esdnss.
Worlds Best Loved Trademarks.
This war Aas made US think hAru