The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1918-11-08

Il
and Humanitarian Forces Aboard
Ship Diversians by CoIored Bat
TALON Of 100 Per Cent. Americans.
By Ralph w. Tyler, Accredited Rep
resentative Of The Committee on
Public Information
ARTICLE I
Paris, France, September 28.--I
! have just reached this city, after a
ten days voyage, which was, for the
most part, uneventful We expert
enced delightful weather from the
| time We started out of New York's
Iharbor until we cast anchor in a port
over here. Had it not been for the
democratic spirit prevailing aboard
the big liner, and which gave me a
most satisfactory taste OF this world
democracy for which the Allies are
| fighting, | might have considered the
voyage monotonous. Aboard the ship
was quite galaxy of notable writer's
for the big dailies and magazines;
feature and fiction writer's who were
taking respite from that occupation
to write straight stuff" for dailies
they are TO represent Among them
were celebrities like Will Irwin, Rob-
lert w. Richie, Damon Runyon, FL. J..
Foreman, erstwhile managaing editor
Of Golfers and Applcgarth, usually
known as "Appy' by the pencil push
ers and readers. of the Pittsburgh
Post. Each and every one Of these
notable writer's former newspaper
reporters, seemed to have made an
especially effort to make me forget
which ! did, that my skin was sew
eral shades darker than theirs, and
/ by so doing to convince me that this
world democracy for which the AL
lies are fighting is neither barren
ideality nor rainbow vision, but an
actual probility whose advance courier
IS discernable with the naked eye.
The treatment accorded mo by the
newspaper men aboard was but typi-
cal of the treatment accorded me by
all the other passengers. Among the
nearly two thousand souls making up
he ships passenger list were many
Red Cross, X M. G. A., Y. w. G. A.,
! Knights Of Columbus and Salvation
Army workers. They all displayed q
most notable evidence of a healthy
spirit of democracy by their fratern-
izing as if they were all members of
the one and same organization.
Among the Y. NJ G. A. workers
aboard were five colored secretaries:
Fritz p. Cansler, of Knoxville, Tenn;
Thomas N. Clayton, Of Piqua, Ohio;
f. T. Clark, of Leavenworth, Kans.,
D. y. Mattocks, Of Philadelphia, and
G. w. Jackson, of Louisville, Ky. The
/ Y. M, G. A. certainly made no mis-
take in selecting these five men for
overseas duty, for they represent the
highest type in the race, and by theii
bearing won the respect, and even ad-
miration Of all on board the ship.
Diversions by Service Battalion
/ Aboard Ship
| Aboard the ship, also, was Col
ored service battalion belonging to al
. 4 Engineer regiment. They were stout
| husky fellows whose good humor was
effervescent, even contagious, ant
their rollicking songs and plantation
| melodies cheered all, making them
those whose thoughts had involuntar
lily turned to submarines Germany
acme Of kultur, forget them, and ban
ish all fear from their minds. Ont
Of the songs which they frequentl.
sang, and with gusto which gave
| further evidence of their 100 per cent
Americanism, and which never failet
to elicit rapturous applause from .hs
white passengers, was Three Months
From Now We Will BE in Germany.
i had heard it said that the BIZ
waters frightened Colored soldiers
but these Colored soldiers aboard tn
ship I sailed appeared as contented
self f-centered, and care-bereft on tn
! big ship at night, when lights wer
out, as they were down in Alabama
Virginia, Mississippi, and other south
ern states from whence most Of ther
came.
! Their contentment at sea, and whe
| in the submarine zone, constituted ar
!, other disillusion. Among these troor
j ers were some clever boxers, and I'll
II monotony of @5isst sky and water