The Bismarck tribune., 1918-08-14
BY REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFMAN

goodbye and cried a little and told
you to send home all your socks for
mending, and your father'd shaker
hands with you and cleared his throa
and said you'd be coming back to
' put him out of business, and you'd
held your head high and joked-if
you remember that, you will agre
with me that to be homesick is tt
be as miserable as it is possible for
the human being to become. But
be homesick and yet to give a home
to the homeless is to be something
very nearly heroic. OF that l saw, in
this port, recent instance:
came across three little children
-boys-standing in doorway on a
fquiet street, the eldest perhaps
twelve years old. the youngest not, a
day over five. They would have been
remarkable among the other children
OF this somewhat roWdy port if only
for their cleanliness and for the
cleanliness of the elderly woman that
was manifestly caring for them.
They were the more remarkable be-
cause each wore sailors can, on.
the band of which was inscribed the
name of a certain boat in the Mos
quito Fleet, and because they were
all dressed in an infantile replica OF
the uniform Of able seamen in the
United States Navy.
They were shy little boys, but the
woman in charge of them explained
their habiliments:
WHY SAILORS ARE WORTHY.
But, yes, monsieur. They were
all that was left Of family. The
father was killed at Verdun, the
mother died in an accident at fac.
tory of munitions; 80 that good sail.
ors upon one Of your country's lit, Z,
ships have adopted them. and ar,
keeping them, and will educate them.
They have rented for them rooms in
this house, and they have employed
me to keep them, and, whenever their
ship is in port, these sailors. they fail
not to come here and receive word
Of their wards, and they give them
chocolates till the little ones arc ill.,"
What do the chocolates matter!
There is something worth, doing for
men who will take upon themselves
such obligations as this.
Something worth doing-and the
Y. NJ. c. A. is trying to do it. There
are headquarters and other build
ings in every French port that is
used by our navy-fifty buildings in
all-rconducted by workers whose pav
does not quite meet their expenses
and whose tasks continue from sun
to sun.
MANY DIFFICULTIES.
At no one place are there often
more than three hundred men ashore
at q time, and so it is easier to
establish the personal relationship
between the association worker and |
the sailor than between worker and
soldier in the soldier huts at the
American camp. But the ports are
cities, whereas the camp stretches
among mere villages, 50 that the
forces against which the naval
branch of the Y. NJ. G. A. has to
contend are the stronger.
l went to an evening entertain
ment given by the British Y. NJ. G.. 4,
for the American Y. NJ. G. A.
patrons in the rooms of the French
equivalent of the association. There
was a reading room full of magazines
and growing library. free writing
materials, a piano around which was
grouped daylong chorus of sailor
men, moving picture shows, hall
for basket ball, a baseball grounds,
fift! clean beds at a franc apiece
highland a clean bed is a luxury
as well as moral force-an apart
ment house for seventeen petty
officers permanently employed ashore.
phonograph over which I've seen
lonely lad sit all afternoon running
of songs reminiscent Of his child
hood, a canteen that sold chewing
gum. and candy. These NAV sound
like triAes to Americans at home. but
to the American sailor abroad. to
whom only the Y. NJ. c. A. provides
them. they become something large
and vital. They become America. I
"There's good grub On our tub, but
not enough that's sweet. Gimme
some more of those gum -drors."
whats this? Lemonade? Yes.
but what's it made Of? Citrow
syrup and seltzer! And yon call that
lemonade? Oh. well. give us another
glass of it: it's as close as fellow
can come to it over here. When are
you goin' to be able to afford
soda -fountaip'"
MEETING FRENCH GIRLS.
If I heard those comments once
during an afternoon that passed in
a naval Y. NJ. c. A., I heard them
dozen times. Unbelievable quantities
Of chocolate are sold in form tha.
may be easily heated and drunk
during nj ght-watches at sea. and tho |
millionaire that wants to do effect;v
work against alcoholism could do |
none more effective than to donate
soda fountains and hot chocolate ma.
chimes to the association in these
ports
One innovation introduced recently
is thus far working we'll: parties IF
young French women of the best up