Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-11-14
PROVIDE EVERY
HOME COMFORT
United War Workers Have Big
geSt Contract In Ohio.
ENTERTAIN ALL FIGHTING Men

Require Increase of Funds by the
Seven Organizations Conducting
the Work of Looking to the We'll
fare of soldiers-Resume of Actv-
tiles at ohio's Big Military Camp.
Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, o.
Especial )-"Where can ] write to
the folks at home? How can / send
money? Where can l have the best
time when my work is done?'
The Y. M. G. A., Knights of Colum-
bus, War Camp Community Service,
| Y. w. G. A., Jewish Welfare board,
American Library Association and
Salvation Army have taken on the
biggest amusement contract in the
state of Ohio. They are the answer
to these and many other vital ques-
tions in the minds of the lonesome
soldier boys.
Providing warmth and entertain
ment and all the comforts of home
to 10000 men at an army camp is
big but necessary job. 1t keeps up
the morale of the fighters soon to go
| lllIO Iue lItHCleS. IL ludhcS lhShh
like the army 1t keeps them sat
isfied
The United War Work Campaign,
Nov. II to Is, will seek to raise $780,
| 006;000 to carry on just this kind of
work at Camp Sherman and among
all of our soldiers and sailors, wher-
| ever they are. The money derived
will go to these seven worthy organ
izations, whose important work has
been indorsed by President Wilson
and the War Department. Ohio's
quota in the big drive is Sl5,S00,000.
| With the present enlargement of
Camp Sherman, big increase In the
welfare work there will be required
| What this means is shown by the
years report of Y. NJ. c. A. work at
Camp Sherman from September,
1917, to September, 1918, just issued.
More than eight and a half million
soldiers were entertained at "Y"
huts. The Red Triangle men declare
that the hut is the point nearest
home to the man in camp, whether
he comes from Cuyahoga or Hamilton
county, and that his first thought
when he has time off is to write
home. During the year soldiers
wrote 1880, 800 letters on stationery
furnished free at the huts at Camp
Sherman.
The Mary Pickfords and Charlie
Chaplins of FINLAND play to apprecia-
tive audiences at the Camp Sherman
Y. M. c. A. In the last IL months
more than 100000 soldiers wit
messed motion picture shows and en-
tertainments there. Every night
| something is doing-a concert, min
| strel show, or vaudeville stunt.
The best sporting proposition in
the camp-that's the reputation the
Y. M. c. A. and the "Y'' men have
acquired All sorts of games -four
ish through the energy of amuse-
ment directors. The athletic depart
| ment had a registration of 100000
during the' year.
Old-fashioned singing classes are
| popular, and hundreds of thousands
take part in big sings preceding en-
| tertainments.
The man who can't speak English
or write his name gets his chance
In the educational classes at the "Y."
Whatever the book Alost in de-
| mand by Yank, whether yellow-back
| or high-brow, or even military tao.
tics, the American Library Associa-
tion triesato furnish it. At each Red
Triangle building a library of sew
sral thousand books has been in
stalled by the Association.
The popular specialist of fiction,
who rights financial troubles and set
ties love affairs, must give way be-
fore the actual experiences of the
man in the gray-green uniform of the
Y. M. G. A. Soldiers come to him
about everything, from the new baby
to an aching tooth, and are grateful
for friend in the strange new sur
roundings of military life.
Besides being home, theater,
church, library and sports field to the
men in khaki, the little wooden huts
are taking on practical money trans
actions for the soldier, and are post
office, express firm and bank. The
sum of $267 076 was sent out of
camp I'm money orders written for the
men by Y. M. c. A. secretaries in
the last year-most of 1t going back
home.
While the organization has not lost
its religious aspect and finds that
the men welcome Bible classes and
religious services, the main purpose
of the work at Camp Sherman is to
give real home to the 10000 men
In khaki. New Testaments are
priced by Ohio fighters, however, and
4l,464 of them were given free to
soldiers who requested them.