The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-06-14
THE RED TRIANGLE IS
KEEPING ITS PROMISES
Y. M. c. A. Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Small For The HIaqes,
OF Men

The American Y. NJ G. A. is keep
ing its promises. American secretaries
are now, and have been for many
weeks, at work i'll the forward areas
along the battle front in France. To
an indeterminate number of Red Tri-
angle men "over there" gas and she'll
fire and mud and actual battle are a
grim reality-a part Of the days
work.
A personal letter of absorbing inter
est was lately received from Mr. Ralph
HARRISON, president of the Pittsburgh
Y. M. c. A. and a we'll known business
man OF that city, who has been in
France on special Y. M C. A. Mis-
sion.
| The Letter,
Casualties had occurred among, our
soldiers just before we arrived at our
village" the letter reads, land we were
ordered to get under cover of our de
suite. After a supper of chocolate, war
bread. and canned beef, the six OF us sec
retaries were ordered to the cellar of
the ~ together with fifty soldiers who
happened to be in the old shell-torn
building, as the bOche were beginning
again to shell the town. We took can
dies, big basketful of canteen sup
plies, to last us in case we should have
to be dug out later, overcoats and blan-
kets. We fitted our gas masks on to
be sure they were working well, and
then settled down-or tried TON the
dungeon. We expected to have to stay
Ill night, but in an hour sentry call
ed, All out and up we gladly went
The rest OF the evening we spent up
stairs in one Of the reasonably whole
rooms, with piano and songs and sto-
ries and the ever-present and wonder
full canteen, at which l took my turn
Needless to say, slept none that
night, with all the bang and noise out
side, but nobody does, Pm told, the
first night. The night before got
about two hours Of doing with stiff
neck, sitting up in a crowded night
train, but, strange to say, never felt
the lack of it for minute.
I'VE were up the next morning at
une bonnie heure, and after breakfast
at the officers mess Clarke and
started off for the trenches, each of
us ladened with about fifty pounds OF
canteen supplies besides our helmet,
gas masks, carried at all times at
'alerte,' etc.
"For two hours we pursued a tor
tuous way among the various lines Of
trenches and connecting trenches,
stopping frequently to dispense our
popular wares among the boys, some
repairing the trenches, some building
new ones, some on sentry duty, some
sleeping in the dugouts, some man.
ming guns and watching for German
heads.
"As we entered the front-line
trenches, we suddenly ran into Secre-
tary Baker and accompanying officers.
/ stepped aside as we'll as could, sa-
luted and said, Good morning, Mr..
Secretary AS they passed l heard
one of the officers say to the Secre-
tary, You see, Mr.. Secretary, the "Y"
men are right up in the front-line
trenches with the boys
Time was flying, and we knew
there were still more soldiers further
on who would be glad to see us. Soon
we entered No Mans Land by means
Of trench, land which we had
seen from the rear lines in the dis
:ance all four earlier, all uprooted AMI
torn ami desolate, and after some min
utes we crawled, hot and winded, into
q shell hole-the furthermost listening
post in our lines - and found six sol
diers on guard, all very much alert.
They gave us a warm welcome, and
we conducted our communications IN
low whispers, for there were three
German snipers in three different d.
rections only seventy-hve feet away.
Needless to say, our gunnysacks
we're empty when we came out We
hurried back to the sign OF the Red
Triangle in the village, drank q cup
Of hot chocolate. and started in again
In another direction.
I'VE watched the explosions getting
closer and closer, each one preceded
by the weirdrst kind of wall and
I; whine through the air. and then dur
ing o !et-c. We -uchci across the opel