Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1918-10-31
THE RED TRIANGLE IS
KEEPING ITS PROMISES
Y. N. c. A. Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Snail For The Biggest
OF Men

VI Men
The American Y M. C. A. Is keep
ing its promises. American secretaries
are now, and have been for many
weeks, at work in the forward areas
along the battle front in France. To
an indeterminate number of Red Tri.
angle men "over there" gas and shell
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. G. A. and well known business
man of that city, who has been in
Francs on special Y. M. G. A. Mis-
sion.
The Letter
Casualties had occurred among our
soldiers just before we arrived at oW'
village" the letter reads, "and 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 cap-
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
all night, but in an hour q sentry cal
ed, All out and up we gladly went.
The rest Of the evening we spent up
staira in one of the reasonably whole
rooms, with piano and songs and sto-
ries and the ever-present, and wonder
ful canteen, at which l took my turn
Needless to say, slept none thai
night, with all the bang and noise ov.-
side, but nobody does, I'm told, the
, hrst night. The night before | got
about two hours of doing with a stiff
neck, sitting up in a crowded night
train. but, strange to say, never felt
the lack of it for minute.
"We were up the next morning at
une bonne heure, and after breakfast
ct thu 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 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 well as ! could, sa-
luted and said, Good morning, Mr
Secretary. AS they passed | 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 a 'senCLJ d IdAlu NHACn We hUN
seen fr.ni the rear lines in the dis
rance all hour earlier, all uprooted AMI
torn AMI desolate, and after some min
utes we crawled, hot and winded, into
a shell hole-the furthermest listening
post in our lines and found six SOL
diers on guard, all very much alcrc.
They gave us warm welcome, and
we conducted our communications IN
low whispers, for there were ,hree
German snipers in three different di-
rections only seventy-f1ve feet away.
Needless to say, our gunnysacks
were empty when we came out. We
hurried back to the sign of the Red
Triangle in the village, drank a cup
of hot chocolate, and started in again
in another direction,
"We watched the explosions getting |
closer and closer, each one preceded |
by the weirdest kind Of a wall and |
whine through the air, and then dur"
ing let-up we rushed across the open |
and into the dugouts in an embank-
ment, where our second pack OF sup |
plies disappeared
"Two of the secretaries had been
gassed the day before we arrived at
this place, and one slightly wounded
by shrapnel, while others were break
ing under the physical strain and need.
ed relief. Pm sure we will hear Of
fatalities soon, but since my expert
ence in the trenches / don't ask the
question any more Is 1t worth
While?' Never was such an opportun'
ith given to man to serve his fellow
men as this.
"Pass the word on, and pass II
quickly, that five hundred Of the most
capable, earnest, and blg-sculed Chris
tan men are needed here today In ad'
dItlon to the weekly stream that u
coming. We are cabling New York
frequently, but they don't come. It IL
critical, and we must not fSil, but We
will unless more and better men come
As see. it, there is nc
Y. M. c. A. job over here too smal
for the biggest men in America"