The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-07-25
HEADING OFF HOMESICKNESS IS
IMPORTANT JOB With The Army
Work of the Y. NJ. C. A. Is Not So Much With the Morals of the Men
as With the MoraIe-How the Bishop Broke Up Case of
Blues - Son of Idle Rich Finds His Job
P~ershing's Men a Fine, Clean Bunch.

portant he believes the ''Y" is to tn
effectiveness of u military-and the
he will point out where the Y is fall
ing down in his estimation. AlmOs
everybody you meet can tell you wher
the "Y'' or the commissary or the Re-
Cross or this, that and the other, |
falling down. In this country yol
have to carr praise, and to earn it yOl
have to work for it.
For instance, a part Of the servic'
which the "Y" performs for the army
is running those country stores which
pass under the mons de guerre of post
exchanges and canteens. Here is a
fertile field for criticism, sporadic and
local and individus criticism, but criti-
cism which must be answered before
the highest efficiency can be reached.
Then Bill Gets Sore.
Bill Jones goes to his quartermaster
and buys a package of cigarettes. He
pays for it less than he paid in Amer
lea. Next morning he drops into a
"Y' canteen and buys the same sort
of cigarettes. Ne pays a trifle more
for it than he would pay in America,
and he is sore. Not only is he sore,
but he exerts the fine old American
privilege of kicking about 1t and of
airing his soreness. The burden of
his complaint is that the "Y" is try
ing to make money off him.
The investigator hears of it and asks
the reason why this should be so. The
"Y" purchasing department tells you
that the army commissary department
transports supplies TO its posts free
of charge. Ii pays no freight en-
steamers from America; it pays no
carriage or truckage in France. That
huge item of cost does not enter into
commissariat considerations. This
cannot be so with the Y. NJ. G. A. 1t
has to pay for freighting its commodi-
ties across the ocean, and freight rates
are not on the bargain counter at this
writing. 1t has to pay railroad freight
in France it has to pay for It's motor
. transport. The wonder is, we are told
that chocolate, or cigarettes, or hand
!, kerchiefs or what not can be had al
cheaply here as they are had. The
regrettable point is that "Y" canteen'
have to enter into competition will
commissariats which possess all thu
advantage.
The commissariats cannot begin t.
> supply the demand. The "Y" canteeni
: are a necessity. Both are selling a
: the figure which to each is the loves
possible, so when your son writes hOm'
= and tells you it looks as If he were be
p ing stung by the "Y" canteen, jus
think it over, and you will see.
Personality That Counts.
Then 1t comes to the matter of tn
4 personality of the man who Is runnin
the c~anteen. There are men in Franc
who have the ability to get so close [
a the soldiers that when they say, "Jacl
!, this is the fact. We've got to do 1t S
because" Jack believes him and
J satisfied, because Jack knows that ma
is on the spot to do everything in hi
power for the soldier.
q But there are exceptions, and Their
must be exceptions when thousands G
men are picked hurriedly for emel
gency employment. Men land i
= France without fully understandin
a what is expected of them, and withou
q understanding France or that splendi
n organization, the A. E. f. They com
with enthusiasm, but without definit
n knowledge of what the army wants
n them, and until they adjust themselve
to conditions, they are apt to come I
much grief.
One thing few men realize until the
n have been here a week or two, an
10 that is that they are an integral pa
of the A. e. f. and that they are worl
< ing under the authority Of the militaI
d not as they suspected, on their ow
n hook or for the Y. NJ. G. A. Their jc
is to do as they are told, and to do
quickly and exactly. That they ca
learn, and do learn, or they hear IL
g approaching footsteps of grim retr
"a button. Most of them learn more
G they learn what real service mean
n They learn to forget their w egg
Is and to love humanity as exemplift
Is by an army of bully young men
khaki.
II Hundreds of men are landing he
monthly to take up some service u
der the Red Triangle. They are of q
sorts and from all environments.
ID approaches the marvellous how th'
/. are made to fit. Preachers have a
,e rived filed with ardor to evangeliz
They find their true service can be
be done by driving a motor true
or Bankers come and speedily find o.
i'd that they can do the best Job -gettiI
er up entertainments in some lonely HI
# Finds His Job.
Is One rich and useless bachelor stru'
VS. these shores filed with the desire
is do something, but alarmed at his Pc
erty Of abilities.
as "Can you preachT" he was asked.
II. mo"
he "Can you singf"