Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-01-18

one of us for a moment forget that while the Red
Cross succors and restores the injured soldier the
most important working mechanism yet devised
and put into practical operation for helping the
soldier in sound and wholesome moral and mental
and physical condition is the Young Mems Chris
tian association, as organized for war WORK
Now the government is putting the soldiers In
the field equipped with guns and gunpowder, ready
to fight; and the government is taking the money
from us to pay the soldier and to pay for his
weapons and transportation The government has
taken our money for these things we say, but 1t
has acted only our agent-the nations agent
in this spending the nations money as the nation
had to have that money spent in the cause or the
nations ideal of liberty, without which the nations
life is not worth living. But the government has
left it to other agencies to do other things yet two
of these things are as necessary to victory (Which
depends on the soul and the body OF the soldier)
as are the soldiers weapons and his transportation
to the field of battle and these two things are the
work covered by the Red Cross and that performed
by the Young Mems Christian association behind
the lines. The work done by the Y M. c. A: In
prison camps is work OF humanitarianism, but
that done behind the lines is one OF the great in
gradients of victory.
We dare not neglect it or slight it. We dare not
refuse to give to it because we have gven to so
MANY things The government does not act
our agent here; nor, in this do we compel our
selves in the form of taxes to recognize that we
are all at war and all in the war. None the less,
our support of the Y. NJ. G. A. is compulsory,
because il is compelled by three things: common
sense, necessity, and conscience.
Common sense tells us that whatever makes a
mans soul and DOdy nealtn1er, resting MIN anu re-
vitaIizing him after the unspeakable drudgery Of
the trenches, keeping his mind to wholesome allie
viations and cheering cleanliness during his on
hours-common sense tells US that whatever does
this makes him better soldier. And information
tells that this is precisely the work OF the war
Y. NJ. c. A. Our contribution" is compelled by
necessity because know that whatever makes
soldier better soldier is ingredient of victory,
and victory is ne ,essty. If we fight only draw
we are back where were before the war began.
We went to to compel nation, which would
not be compelled by force, to respect our lib
erty II that nation is not compelled, liberty
is not preserved and whatever is vital to the force
alarms, with which. we are compelling, is vital to
our liberty which is itself vital to the condf-
ton of our soldiers is the vital thing in our force
of-arms and therefore the work of the war Y. M.
c A. in improving that condition is a necessity.
Our contribution is compelled by conscience be-
cause-well, examine your in you don't
''contribute'' No; probably you will not need to
examine your conscience, in that case. It would
do the examining and probably the examination
would take place, at uncomfortable intervals, for
the rest of your life. Paying in conscience is
expensive than paying in money.