The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-16

Elijah before He preached to him.
our compassionate Savior said OF the
tired and hungry multitude. They
need not depart; give We them to eat"
MY own view is that favorable testi-
inony from the returned soldiers
i would be worth more than millions
10 the Y. NJ. G. A. Among the great
est surprises and disappointments of
my life is the reports they bring back,
not simply about prices but about the
attitude of the organization and its
! workers"
| Was No Reply.
\. This same paper made UP a striking
headline: ct. NJ Darlington Makes
Reply to Rev. Geo. W. McDaniel a.
to the Work of the Army Y. NJ. c. a.
! IN France" and then publishes Mr..
sarrington's letter in which my name
| is not used nor the facts ! cited de-
MED. People who read only the
headlines might have thought I had
been in error and needed to be cor
rooted. Mr.. Darlington is one of the
most lovable men in this community
and I yield to- no one in my regard
/ for him. However, If his use Of the
expression Intelligent investigation"
alludes 10 mo. I should like tn say
that have read all the official docu-
ments available and familiar with
their contents. careful reading OF
the report by Mr.. Ship TO Mr.. Mott
will show that the military authorities
Inquired as to how fully the " was
prepared to assume the responsibility
for canteen service with the Ameri-
can Expeditionary Forces After sew
eral conferences with General Perish
ing's headquarters it was agreed that
we should assume fun charge OF this
service. including the purchase of
stock in America, In Great Britain in
France. and in the neutral countries
Of Europe" There is no evidence
there that the military authorities
forced this work upon the Y. NJ c. A.
or that there was a general disn-
clination on the part of the Y. NJ. c.
A. to assume the onus
Having entered into the agreement
willingly. so far as this official docu-
ment shows, the Y. NJ. G. A. must
bear the responsibility for It's failure
II 1t were not competent to manage
the canteen 1t should have said so
/ frankly and after it undertook the
/! task and failed il should have prompt
ly confessed failure and requested to
be relieved. This same document
states that. zone or two other or
CARNATIONS were by agreement al
lowed to furnish limited canteen serv-
ices at few designated points, and
/ that this was usually free; and,
Furthermore. 1t was unfortunate that
the plan provided in bulletin number
50 placed the association in "A posi-
ton of being practically the only
. American agency in France dealing
with the soldier on a commercial
basis" This is not convincing de-
Tense hut plea In exienuation. AS
! to Christian charity" that does
cover a multitude of sins and we all
need 1t. However, blinking facts
doesn't change them. The docu
ments Of the Y. NJ G. A.. explaining
It's work in France. do not quote the
men in the service who are, submit.
The most competent witnesses
1 The proof of the pudding is in the
eating" The enlisted men are the ones
who ought TO know and do know what
/ the Y. NJ. C. A. did for them in France.
+ am more influenced by what they
say than by the accounts of any pub
iicity agent or the statements OF any
! Y. NJ c. A. or governmental official
To put IT bluntly, IL the Y. NJ. G. A.
workers felt that they had failed and
] the soldiers came back saying they
succeeded should think the soldiers
the best Judges. Now that the Y NJ
c. A officials aver I'VE did the best
that could be done under the condi-
tions" and the soldiers speak OF them
as they do 1t saddens me inexpressi-
bly,.
/ ! would modestly suggest that phi
lanthropie gentlemen who have given
their time freely In raising funds for
the Y. NJ c. A. in France make an
! intelligent Investigation" among the
4 wounded warriors before4 commands
t t1E,rf 81 given. would also call the
attention OF that part OF the press that
claims that the criticism against the
Y. NJ. G, A. in France were so easily
refuted then that we thought the last
echo had died out" that we are lust
beginning to hear volume of criti-
cism from the returned soldiers,
which, from every indication, will
swell with the coming Of larger num-
bers. The following unsolicited let
ter reached me this week. from an Of
fcer of the first division that so SAN
guinarily served In France. He Is a
member of the same great denomina-
ton an Mr.. Darlington:
.in regard to letter OF Mr. r NJ
Darlington in the News Leader of De-
Efee nher 2 will write statement OF
my personal experience in the A. f. F.,
as affected by the Y. NJ. C. A. which
you may use as you sec fit.
/ Officers Statement.
/ II was member of the Twenty
sixth infantry. First division. A. r..
+. from November 10. 1917, to July 90.
1918. during which time the service OF
the y. NJ. C. A. was so poor that ofri-
GERS and men actually dcspsed Y. NJ.
G. A. workers, We were in the
trenches from January. 1918. to July
20. 1918. During this time I never
saw Y. NJ. G. A. man in the front
line, notwithstanding numerous state
ments by Y. NJ. c. A. orators that they
do go TO the front line, The nearest
Y. NJ. C. A. canteen was ten miles
back Of the line and OF course II was
impossible for anyone but back area
troops to be benefited. We did have
a Salvation Army major with us until
the 1st of July. During the counter
offensive OF July IS I did not see Y
NJ, c. A. man either on the battlefield
or at the Evacuation hospital, No. IS.
A salvation Army man gave me lemon
ade to drink.