The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-08-28
Y. N. c. A. ACTIVITY
ORGANIZE FOR WORK LAST
NIGHT-TO PREVENT RATH-
ER THAN CURE THEIR AIM.

Following the mass meeting of
Sunday evening, at which Ii was urg-
ed that help be given the Y. NJ. G. A.
for the further help of the men in
the army, another meeting for organ
ization was held last night in the
rooms OF the Commercial club. C.
A. Heisig. secretary OF the state or
ganization. talked more. freely of the
situation in the army than he did at
the more public meeting in the high
school auditorium, and revealed a
condition in the army that is truly
startling.
Spades are called spades. The sec
rotary made the statement. borne
out by experiences of officers in the
army, that of the soldiers who die
from all causes in the army, so per
cen die as a direct or indirect result
of venereal disease. In most cases
this is contracted while the man is i'm
the army. for he could not enter with
such a disease in his system. And
there is only one way in which il may
be contracted. and that Is by contact
with vile and depraved m
II Is declared that the Red Cross
does a great work in the army. Per
haps 1t does. but for the Red Cross
10 have any action on a man he must
first be sick OF wounded. If an or
%ganization can contribute TO the pre-
vention for the necessity for Red
Cross or medical attention, it is bet
ter for a fighting force than to make
whole after once being contaminated.
This Is further emphasized by the
fact that a man with such a disease,
and who is wounded. runs only about
a half as good a chance for speedy
and complete recovery as does the
one whose system is not poisoned
with defilement.
The Y builds a hut for each 5000
soldiers. For each 5000 soldiers it
wants $1,000 900. With the hut
goes a unit of five trained managers
or secretaries. One is a director OF
religious exercises and meetings.
There Is one who secures literature
and reading for the unit. Another is
director of athletics. and arranges for
the games of contest and skill.
Amusements are arranged by anoth-
err, and may take any form from get
ting an opera star to cranking up a
monograph. And the last Is the ply
steal director. He lis a physician.
He looks after the condition of those
who need or require II, with special
attention to such cases as come from
the social evil.
Men will have amusement, IN or
out of the army. They are removed
from home influences, and from so
eial identifications. Their time and
activities are restricted. e~ircumscrib-
ed by their work and the regulations
of their rest. The time of rest is
prescribed, but not the manner OF
resting or amusement. And they
hunger for the complement of virile
men. and 60 where they may find
the lacking social element. The re
suit is that the devotees OF CONNER
cialized vice communicate their dis
eases and their morals.
Ii Is the purpose of the Y. Nj. c. a.
to counteract this, both by furnish
ing the amusement or work to occupy
the time and thought. and by lee
lures and education. Many OF the
men who fall into this state do so IN
innocence of its results. There are
none who would deliberately lend
themselves to a condition in which
the least wound or scratch would be
come a serious matter. For that /:
the result Of this contracted disease
we are assured.
1t Is the plan OF the committee tc
raise $4,000 in the city of Madison
The amount is not large, and its pc
tential for good Is great. A direct
ing committee or board. consisting oil
John w. Walden. s. T. May and III
H. Holdridge was appointed. They
in turn appointed a work force, OF
whom III. II. Holdridge is chairman
and whose membership is r. A. kel
Ter, f. j. Sutton. Clayton Ball, Nj
H. C~olgrove, A. G.. Schmidt, Thos. A
Walden, N. Bjornstad, Earle Kelley
Henry Rohrer. Chas. Robeck, w. |
Thompson and f. l.. Burnett. This
committee will meet Wednesda,
evening and map out the work an'
method of raising the money the!
have determined On.
II is urged upon us that the Rec
Cross has its place. but that the arm!
Y. Nj. c. A.. has a place before o
ahead of the Red Cross. The Rec
Cross does not prevent anything
The Y does. Ii il can prevent an,
considerable proportion of the de
structive effects of this vice, ii vii
rob the Red Cross of a great proper
ton of both its work and the fatal
tiles resulting from operations 70
wounds.
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