Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-31
BY ARTHUR GLEASON

| II O14A11HooNN
The Y. NJ. C. A. has been invited
by the Italian authorities to open
recreation huts and carry on social
| work inside the war zone of the ltal-
| ian army. The invitation is equally
hearty to both the American and the
| British Y. NJ. c. A, and it marks a
| large gain of international goodwin
| No sectarian or political INSTITUTION
could possibly receive such an invita-
tion, which is entirely a tribute TO
| the humanitarian warwork Oh the
Organization, and is the result OF the
| visit of an American English mission
| to the italian front on the invitation
of the Italian government. The mis-
| sion was chaperoned with tact ana
enthusiasm by Captain Enrico Garda'
of the Italian Bureau in Paris. The
| idea of IL was conceived by him and
Eric James Patterson, of Liverpool
| University, who has been conducting
! Y. NJ. C. A. work for the British at
Havr Mr.. Patterson and Captain
Garda saw that the largest, friendli-
est results would be obtained by
whole-hearted cooperation of Brit
| ish and Americans, and the Triple
alliance" is entirely due to their nam
ding of what might have peen
merely one more "trip to the 'front.'.
So thoroughly. are the Italian au-
| thorities in sympathy that they agree
! to provide the buildings ana Tree
transportation for all materials. Gem
eral Parro expressed to us ms ap-
proval of the plan.
We were a peacable party that Vis-
tied Italy and we went on a quiet
mission. but it was speedily turned
| into a brisk trip. The leader OF our
American English Y. M. c. A. MISSION
| was Francis b. Sayre, SON in-law OIL
President Wilson. On the fourth DAY
out, the Austrians put two shells pc
yond him and two shells behind MN,
and then, having nicely estapIisheo
the range of the road, they placed
! one shell a couple of rods away
about forty-five feet was the estimate
of Captain Pirelli, of the Italian Etat-
| Major. Three days later Mr. Sayre
was being hauled up through mloair
toward the peak of Mount Pasublo
| on an aerial cable, when the wires
| tangled and he hung a few hunoreo
feet over the scenery for thirty MIN
utes. The telephones, back OF MIN
at the station in the rocks, and aheao
| of him on the summit where we
awaited him, were reporting progress
on the repairs, and at last the little
basket swung ahead and he joined us
| on the peak few minutes later
| the Austrians shelled the trench
| where we were talking American
with the Italian army from Pltts-
hurgh, West Virginia and New horh'
1t was all very perfectly staged IN
some of the noblest scenery III the
world-green glacial rivers. great
| hills with snow in the 'caNerhs' ioH6
vistas of valley.
The American members, in ADDITION
20 Nv Savre. were Bishop Luther b.
Wilson, of the Methodist Episcopal
| Church in the area of New YORK, rep
resenting the Mayor of New YORK
Committee on Enlistment; Professor
Wilson S. Naylor, of Lawrence Col
lege. Wisconsin. The British menu
bers were the Rev. DR.. John helnan'
Of ST. Georges Church, Edinburgh
Cthe famous church where Hugh
BLACK used to preach); Eric James
Patterson, a ManXman OF Peterhouse
College. Cambridge, and Professor
Francis Burkett, of Cambridge onl-
versity. These men are all actlVe
| In Y. M. c. A. work for the Amefl-
can and British troops. DR.. helman
has recently returned from lecture
| tour in the United States, ana mas
been living under shellhre win the
British troops at Nieuport. one mem
her Of the mission failed to arrive,
though the "Corriere della Sera' or
Milan announced him as Professor
ToIIand Goose. This should read as
Professor Holland Rose. 1t was the
same lively paper which, in wlshlng
20 describe a famous London society
woman as distinguished hostess,
called her zone of the best-knowh
! innleepers in London" But these
slips are rare, and English Is a nome
| language among the ofhcers ana men
n,,r military escort
AZ the front was Captain Pirelli, VINO
| gnoaks an Eton-Balloil Engllsh OF
| The choicest accent and tone. He IS
q member of the great Milan firm OF
PirelIi.. which makes rubber goods,
wiring and cable strand Ior ltaly'
and many other nations of europe.
He has played tennis with the BRUSH
/ M home and abroad, and has heiped
| TO establish 300 federated rootpall
clubs in Italy, where there were three
| seventeen years ago. The sanie -. 10
Inclish Association. Captain Pirelli
10 also master of French and Ger
man. and used to have Spanish with
a like perfection.
In one group of twenty privates
on the observation post on mount
| Pasubio, | found three men VINO had
| worked in America and who talked
our tongue as we know it. The com
! uandant who gave us cOnee at INC
| Nonfalcone Navyyard Captured from
the Austrians) had spent two months
in New York at the Fulton celebra-
| tion. AS we stood on the "ObserVa-
toire Pano Zagradan," a private came
nm and in good American gave ms
J name as Frank Parnucci. of 4S
FRANKLIN street. Nyack, n. Y. Would
| I tell his father and mother? mere
NV do. He is 300 metres high, look
! ing into the Austrian lines with eN-
/ ceIlent field glasses and he has been
| serving for twenty-five months. The
major who gave us coffee at GoriZla
had spent one year in the United
! states. buying horses and mules. AT
| thn Milan station, acting as inter-
! meter. stood New York Italian OF
| West Twenty fourth street, to well
| come us, In peace times, he is the
| a cent for collar buttons, studs and
suspenders.
Inst who and what our mission
was troubled the innkeepers or our
| massage. At Venice, in the Royal
| DnnieIi. the seven names of us were
Lracketted as mission Scientihque
| Amerieaine" - doubtless a tribute
from a race of engineers, But the
| labelling was too much for the blood
| of Mr.. Patterson, and l caught him
! late one evening altering the record
| hy writing "British" after the names
| of himself and his two friends.
| AS we sat in the Pilsen Restaurant
| ir Venice, the orchestra s1lGck u
"The Star Spangled Banner" and l
must state that, Mr.. Patterson and
mr. L<elman were the first to recog-