The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-08
three Thousand Dollars VIII be
,,ised in Lee County Toward
Y. M. C. As Three
Million Fund.
MONEY WILL BE USED
-, 2 Mott, General Secretary Of
the Association and Member
of Russian Commission
Explains Objects.

n,roa thousand dollars Is to De
Ia in Lee county toward the
r "a seo 600 war work fund Of the
so,vvv, Mems Christian association.
M money will be expended for
ln in the new soldier camps SINH
". "a that done by the association
IN the border.
on ,o ,h R. Mott, general secretary OF
" M C. A., now In Russia as
nv nomher of the American commits
~ 10 that country, explains in the
s s short article taken from
l lua current issue Of Association
, NC y the use the 100000 being
r raise, will be put to. and also tells
briefly of association WORK among Inc
. warning countries:
The Young Mems Christian asso-
ciation is the only organization sery-
mo virtually all of the nations at
, rre In the last three years 1T has
hacome practically a world war
asencv. Not only has it been admit
I'D IN hundreds of prisoners-of-war
oo,,ns where six million men battle
~ preserve their sanity and their
manhood. but the door stands open
for service to tens of millions OF men
now under arms. Two-thirds of these
he,ong to the allied forces, making
Al, the greater Americas RESPONSE
hiIitv to them. After praying for
tvo wears that Russia would recog-
,ize our work, the Young Mems
christian association has now been
.sked to breathe the spirit of broth
.rhood among 100000 troops OF
that vast country.
Having financed the Young Mems
Christian association work In the
nrison camps and training depots
throughout all the countries OF
Europe, except Turkey. America now
turns to the door of opportunity
opened by our entrance into the
war. :,
By September our country will
have at least one million men mob1l-
ICED in camps on this side Of the
ocean or In the trenches of Europe,
and by January first this army will.
probably have grown to two million
men. In addition, there will be the
factory patriots making munitions OF
war, the soldiers Of the soil, and the
first line defense sailing the high
seas or guarding our coasts.
To the Young Mems Christian asso-
citation is given the opportunity OF
promoting the physical, the mental
and the spiritual welfare of these
millions This will be It's greatest
work, it will be its most thorough
work, it will be pronouncedly chris
tan work.
The problem of protecting the
moral Iifo of o,,r xp,,nr snJdiorc &c q
vital one. With the benefit of our
experience in eastern countries, at
the Mexican border and in state
mobilization camps, the Young
Mems Christian associations of
America are in position to do
more good for humanity than any
other single agency, except the
church. If I were asked to sum up
association work in a single para
graph would say, ITO conserve the
young manhood and boyhood-the
flower of the American nation"
When the national war work coun-
Gil of over one hundred men decided
on the plan to raise $3,000,O00 for
Young Mems Christian association
work in the military training camps
IN the United States, they knew
every penny of that amount was
needed. They have estimated that 1t
VIII cost an average of three dollars
per soldier for eight months and
$4,000 to care for each brigade Of
o'oo2 men including expenses of sec
ret:ries, buildings and equipment.
but what is the cost compared to
the good accom- plished?
Inc range of the influence and the
leadership Of the United States after
tne war in the world will be in
exact proportion to our self-sacritice
ana helpfulness in the war. We can
safeguard the ideals and home prin-
cipies of our sons and the morale of
our manhood soon to be gathered
unoer our colors. The greatest dan
ger zone in this war is not in the
trenches, nor from high explosive
smells, but is back in the training
lamps Whether or not any Of our
troops ever go to France they are
Sung to the concentration canps and
me burning question is, shall they
y, back to us from there stronger
.nan when they went or shall they
Ie.urn blasted for life with unnam-
aple diseases to become the center of
contamination in every community
" which they go? That is the great
today.