South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-23
The English and American
Amy at Play
BY Woods Hutchinson. VI. ID.

eggs, sweet stuffs and other home
made delicacies, not included in the
army ration. are supplied all through
the afternoon and evening The
prices are very moderate and any
profit which may be made is applied
TO the upkeep of the hut.
In our American camps these 7.
N. c. A nuts are supplemented by
regimental canteens with reading
and writing rooms, and in the Eng
fish camps there are either church
army htus or Salvation army nuts,
with similar equipments and pro-
/ grams, only not nearly so full on
concerts and lectures and education
al features.
All these organizations are doing
most valuable and devoted work.
| and it need hardly be said that
those of religious character and
spirit, while staunchly true TO their
ideals. are magnifcently long on
human helpfulness, homelike socia-
bility and comfort wholesome
amusement and intelligent recrea-
ton, and mercifully short on formal
theology and nice dwellings Of doc
/ trine.
The one approach TO any display
Of doctrinal prejudice that I heard
of was the resentful and spontaneouz
Outburst of one peppery old general.
when requested 20 provide quarters
for the Salvation army. TO the effect
+ that he'd be hanged if he'd submit
/ TO the impression getting abroad
\ that the soldiers of his division were
bad enough to need converting by
\ hallelujah methods,
This. Of course. is matter Of in
/ dividual opinion, but after one has
actually seen a few hundred thou
sand fighting men of this war on the
front. and found what manly. kind
+ ~, self-cOntrolled splendid fellows
they are. one begins TO feel distinct
/ sympathy with the good generals
] resentment
II would be hard TO speak too
highly Of the splendid services rem
dered by the Y. NJ. c. A. on botn
the English and American fronts.
What the military authorities and
the government themselves think Of
il may he seen from the fact that
one Of its chief secretaries in Lon
don. Sir Arthur Yapp. was knighted
over year ago, and has since been
asked 10 assume in addition TO his
4 secretariaI and army camp duties,
the leadership of the great food
economy campaign. 50 that he has
become one OF the most prominent
and influential men in England
Their courses Of lectures and con,
certs and other entertainments are
by no means limited to local talent
or chance volunteers. on the con-
trary the have organized regular
entertainment bureau. which Sc
cures not only lecturers and enter
tanners from all over the United
Kingdom but also prominent min
listers. lawyers. doctors and scien-
fists who are sent out on regular
tours OF speaking and lecturing all
along the front and through the
training camps at home
Some Of the ables, speakers and
] v Alltle DlAAAEtA Sldul9 4Nl AIlS
service. and il is hardly too much
10 say that the average soldier. I'M
less ne has come from great metro
pOlitan center. has d finer and bet
ter opportunity 70 see and hear the
best and most worth while of both
men and ideas than he would have
had IN his own home neighborhood.
But as II even this was not enough.
about the second year Of the war
there came a demand from the men
themselves for even more serious
and systematic information and in
struction. ] was greatly interested
10 find last spring that the English
government was sending out 20 the
camps Of the front some OF its
greatest teachers and leading au-
thorities in all sorts OF fields-suc n