The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-25
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Our young men are volunteering.
 
 June 5 is near at hand and hundreds of thousands must register for service.
 It's now up to those who stay at home. Others will give their lives-what will you give?
 The Y. M. c. A. Is the ''big brother to every enlisted man. The work of its war council is indorsed by men in the highest authority at home and abroad. Birmingham is asked, through w. M Cosby. chairman, to give $25o0O toward a fund of $3.Oo0OOO to be used in erecting buildings, furnishing equipment and man ming them efficiently with secretaries Every brigade of $500 men will have a building with five secretaries to look after the physical social, educational and moral needs of the soldiers.
 President Wilson says; This war means grim business on every side and 1t is the mere counsel of prudence that in our philanthrophy as well as in our fighting we should act through the in- strumentalities already at hand and al- ready experienced in the tasks which are going to be assigned to them. This or ganization Is prepared by experience, ap- to serve especially the troops in camp and field.'
 Look at that army of splendid young men now being mobilized, the very flower of our young manhood Chose be- low par physically and mentally are not accepted), look at the fathers and moth- CTS back home who have been toiling all these years to give them the advantages that would have fitted them soon to be- come tower of strength and usefulness to our country. Shall we let them become wrecks through drink, vice diseases and tuberculosis as the soldiers abroad in throw around them the helpfulness of an army of Y. M. c. A. workers striving with might and main to fit them for service? $10,OO0 will build, equip and man a standard camp building until January l. 1918; s45O0 will man such standard equipment; S3500 will supply motor truck travelling association outfit with motion picture equipment, graphophone, records. etc. These trucks will serve the isolated outposts where small groups are un- guarded; 5000 will erect one of these standard camp buildings; sl500 will equip one of these buildings for service to a brigade of about 6O0O men; 5000 will fur nish delivery truck for the handling of supplies of the different buildings. A dozen such trucks are needed; $500 will buy 5000 copies of the New Testament. At the border every copy was quickly sr.atched up; s250 will furnish a motion picture equipment and recreation for 4O06 to 5000 men a night; good wholesome pictures take up time which otherwise might be spent in gambling and other vices; $50 will buy a piano for a camp building; $1oO will provide stationery, and writing materials for one month for one of these brigade buildings; $60 will sup ply building with ice to cool enough drinking water for 5000 men for one month"; $50 will buy a graphophone and few records for the soldiers use.
 
 Some results on the border: 7,S71, ,46S was the attendance at the buildings; 500O,0O letters written on paper furnished by the Y. M. c. A.; 6S1, ,407 attended religious meetings; 13,S45 decided for the Christian life; 45,470 Testaments and Bibles dis tributed These are the bare facts. See what leading men say of the work: Maj. Gen. H. L. Scott, chief of staff, writes: Every report from the border shows up the valuable work that you are doing down there, which is greatly ap- preciated by the army"
 Maj Gen. Tasker H. Bliss. United States army, writes: T have just re- turned. from a five weeks inspection trip of the National Guard troops along the border and cannot speak too highly of the splendid work that is being done | there by the Young Mems Christian as- sociation. I think that the work that is being done by the association contributes more than any other single agency to the contentment and good morals as well as good morale of the troops, and conse- l quently to their good health"
 Theodore Roosevelt writes: T con- grstulate your committee on having so promptly erected Y. M c. A. buildings for our soldiers along the Mexican border and as an American citizen, interested in his fellow citizens, I heartily thank your | body. Only a man acquainted with the I life of soldiers in the field can fully ap- preciate the need for these airy wooden recreation halls, with writing facilities, games and the like I earnestly hope that you will receive the aid to enable you to continue it as long as our troops re- main near the Rio Grande."
 | Raymond B. Fosdick, who visited the Mexican border on an errand for the Sec retary of Wsr, has this to say about the army Y. M. c. A. work: T came to the conclusion after thorough inspection of tho camp that the Young Mems Christian association is the best organized thing on the whole frontier. The buildings are crowded night and day; in fact. they are the clubhouses of the regiment, and are used as such continually General Funs- ton and his associated commanding of- ficers spoke in the highest terms of the influence of the organization on the