The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-13
Law Earle Tostevin.l

Camp Greene. n. c., Oct. 13.-You
have heard big audiences sing the
old ung-to death and hackneyed
national hymn America" But you
have never heard 1000 men in a great
barnlike building make the song
sound like a great paean OF joy ana
Thanksgiving. Put a new coat OF
paint or two on the old barn on the
North Dakota farm and 1t Will look
almost new. 1t was a new dressing
the hymn America" received when
the thousand men sang 1t at 'ne
dedication exercises Of Y. M. Z. A
building No. 107 last evening.
| This is the ~" located near the
164th. (Ffrst North Dakota) regi-
mental camp and which nightly is
crowded and jammed by hundreds
of men who listen to the programs.
take part in the stunt programs ana
who have shown a wonderful ap-
probation Of the building and the
limited advantages 1t offers.
The audience will please rise
and sing America" Is the request
you have heard many times. You
| have risen with the crowd and
sung the first verse and then looked
sheepishly at your neighbor to see 4
he knew the second. and third, and
fourth. :.
Well, maybe the boys all didn't
know all the verses, but they had
the words on printed slips and the
Second Montana regiment band was
making the rafters ring. Up on the
platform an inspired young Y. M
IC. A. secretary was beating time.
Well, you couldn't help but sing.
| And sing they did. 1t sent a new
thrill of patriotism and loyalty
| surging through each and every one
of the boys. Talk Of patriotism and
loyalty meetings. You people back
home don't know what they are,
and any effort to combine mere
words Of the English language to
make you mentally see or sense the
big meeting last night, Is futile.
| Secretary Gourie Of the Y. M. 9.
A. opened the meeting by stating the
purpose-the dedication of Building
No. 107 to the common veal Of the
soldiers and the service Of God,
He spoke briefly of the fact that
Kitchener found no medium by
which to build up the morale of the
men until he Investigated the 7. NJ.
| c. A. There are now 459 Y. M. c.
A. association buildings or COM
fort stations in the trenches and
France: IS in Egypt and &C in Rus
STA, with new ones being established
for the boys in training in Ameri-
ca almost every week, so fast, in
fact, that it 10 impossible to give
! the exact number now. He declared
that Russia had asked for 500 Y. M.
C. A. secretaries, France 500 more
and Italy 100. A total $4,000, 900
viii be needed for the work, $11,0O0,-
600 of which will be spent in the
army Y. NJ. c. A. camps in the Uni
ted States. $11, 100000 for the benefit
of the American boys in the
| trenches and at the front in France
and the balance between foreign
countries. The great campaign for
funds will be carried on from Nov
ember II to 10.
Praises Y. M. c. A.
Col. ]. H. Frame commander OF
the 164th u. S. infantry. represented
General Ligget, commander OF
Camp Greene. and spoke briefly say
ing: ., &c.,,
the divisional commander to rep
resent him at this great meeting. He
didn't say anything about making a
speech but am going to say what
/ think. This is the dawn Of a Won
derfuI era-the first time when the
people of the United States have
deemed it necessary or possible tt
surround the men with safe, sane
and clean conditions. Many of YOU
men may be living sacrifices on tho
field Of Europe. 1t is up to you to sc
clean and decent.
Il am familiar with the work o.
the Y. NJ. c. A.. through the exper'
fence Of the border and the Philip
pines. At the border, sometimes II