Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-11-13

The campaign to raise 1000 as
Marathon county's quota to the $685.
| 100000 to be raised this week in the
United States for the Y NJ. G. A. war
work, was started in a magnificent
manner last evening at supper CIV
en- in the Guild hall of the Episcopal
church by Messrs. Walter Alexander,
c. G. Yawkey and W H. Bissell, and at
which more than fifty per cent of this
county's allotment was subscribed, the
total subscriptions for the evening
amounting to S14,17O.
The supper was a modest affair. in
keeping with the spirit of the times,
and was given to those who had taken
an active part in the Liberty Loan
bond sale, principally for the purpose
of discussing this phase of the war
work and giving emphasis to it's i'm
portance, so that those who are to
conduct the canvass to raise the funds
might fully understand the Importance
of the work being undertaken under
the direction of the Y. NJ. C. A.
w. L. Edmonds presided and out
lined the object of the meeting and
told of his own observation of the
work being done by the ''Y" in the
training camps Abiding to the five
hundred young men who had gone
forth from Marathon county, to bear
arms for their country, TO die if neces-
sary, in the cause of freedom and to
perpetuate the principles for which
our forefathers had fought and died
he told of the farweII banquets that
had been given to these boys and
how at these we had pledged ourselves
to stand behind them at all times and
to the full extent of our ability and
was sure that these were not mere
empty words, but sacred pledges that
we meant to keep, no matter what the
cost, and there was no better way
of giving expression to this than by
providing our boys in the environments
and in the fields of battle with those
material comforts and pleasures and
moral atmosphere that the "Y'' in
sured and which had been so highly
commended by the highest military
and naval authorities, by President
Wilson, and especially by the boys
themselves, nearly every letter home
from the soldier boys carrying some
work of commentator for the work
being done under the direction of this
organization.
Rev. Fir. Cuthbert Hinton, who re-
Gently came here to act as rector of
st. Johns church, was introduced as
the principal speaker of the evening.
He began by stating that while he
had not been in this country long
enough to have earned the right to
full citizenship, he had been here long
enough to have a keen and growing
regard for the American people, for
the American government and the
ideals for which it stood, this regard
growing so from time to time, that
he was longing for the time when he
could take those sacred vows of citf-
zenship which would permanently sep
arate him from his allegiance to any
other government.
Speaking of the things that had
strengthened his admiration for the
American people, he related an in
cident that occurred during the Liber-
ty Loan campaign, when he in COM
pany with another had visited the
small farm of a widow whose only
son had been drafted into the United
States army, leaving her alone upon
the small and slightly improved farm.
The solicitors, being aware of her cir
cumstances, knowing that she was
alone and that she had already given
what she priced most highly, hest
tated about visiting her and then con-
Guided that not to do SO, not to give
her an opportunity, would be wrong,
an unintentional slight.
When they had stated the object
of their CALL she asked, Does my
country need this money? If it does, it
can have my last dollar. I can make
a living from this land until my boy
returns"
Rev. Cuthbert stated that he had
two brothers now fighting at the front
and from whom he occasionally re-
ceiVed letters which he priced and pre-
served, and as this meeting tonight
had primarily to do with the welfare
work being done by the Y. NJ. C. A.
and he had distinct recollection that
his brother had spoken of the SPLEEN
did work being conducted at the
trenches by this organization, he asked
the privilege of reading extracts from
two of these letters right from the
| trenches. In the one letter the broth
er told of having visited the "Y'' hut
that evening, and seeing young Irish
man. Corporal O'Flynn. engaged in
writing a letter home This O'Flynn
appears to have been favorite of
the brother, for he often mentions
him, and on this occasion he banded
him as he passed. saying:
Writing to the sweetheart again.
are you?
I am that, and to me old mither
too, and what I'm saying about you
/ would make your ears burn"
| The letter concludes by stating that
a few hours later they were unexpect-
! Corporal O'Flynn went over the top
but he never came back again" The
letters written that night in the "Y''
I u 81 T-- =.