Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-07
Omaha Preacher Writes Friends of His
Work With American ARMY in France

thought the American army would
be a contemplate one.
My work is varied enough to be
Indefinite. The canteen provision
for our men is a very importan,
part of our task. | spend much
time behind the counter and the
way in which the men appreciate
what we sell them is wonderful
compensation to US. !, myself, have
taken care of 1900 men or more in
few hours. Such rapid fire sales
equal even our big store sales in
Omaha. In our camp or garrison
there are seven or eight of US equal
ly busy and our work in the canteen
is only part of our job. Our en-
tentainment activities proceed apace.
Night after night without fail our
entertainment secretary takes care
of hundreds and hundreds of men.
From o'clock to 10 o'clock
the men are privileged to enjoy
themselves in entertainment. which
very often modern chautauqua in
America would not find it easy to
surpass.
New Sunday Work for a Preacher.
"On Sunday, being at war, there
are more than usual works of ne
cessity to be done which ordinarily
| should respectfully decline to do.
So far ! have done many things
with a clear conscience which
should not dream of doing in peace
times. l have sometimes uttered
the words of Naaman, found in II.
Kings, 5;l7, "Ttr Lord pardon thy
servant in this thing" Yet my
Sundays are real Sundays. While
there are things to be done of a
business character, there is an at
mosphere of distinct Sunday cast,
We have from three to five relig-
ious services and our attendance at
times is exceptionally good. A lit
tie while ago | spoke to about 700
men and received an attention and
response which | have never seen
eoualled in civil life in my own
church service.
"Our divisional secretary, DR.. w.
c. Coleman, very frequently adj
dresses the men and delivers mes
sages which inspire them greatly.
We certainly have a chance to
serve in many ways. Besides the
canteen, the entertainment, and the
religious work, we find ourselves
linked with the mems financial life
in many ways, and of course the re-
creational activities are under our
direction.
"The Y. M. C. A. organization has
come to such an occasion as this
with remarkable adaptability and ef-
fciency. Our services reach out in
many directions and more and more
we become a part of the soldiers
life. Invariably we find the great
eS possible courtesy, appreciation,
and cooperation from the officers
and their men.
Meets Three Omaha Men.
1T has been my particular delight
in France to meet three of our
prominent Omaha citizens, DR..
Alexander. Lieutenant Mesropian,
and Captain Rector.
my friends at home wonder no
doubt how near the fighting line l
am. | am not so near as / often
wish I was, yet near enough that in
a very short time I might be too
near for personal safety. / have
been within reach OF the long range
gun; / stood on the spot after the
explosion of the bombs dropped
during the air raids in Paris. I
have seen some of the results Of the
senseless mode of the warfare of the
Germans. I have looked into the
sky while the boche machines have
Unanswered to strike some part of
the city and can assure you that
I am willing again to risk all the
injury the Germans can do, if l
can only have a chance to do my
part to thwart their selfish and
dastardly ends. Our Young Mems
Christian association men are at the
front in goodly numbers. Those
who are not in nearly all instances
wish they were. We are not eager
for exploits. but we are eager for
service. We count it an honor and
a privilege to be in the game"