The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-09-28

aAo WV " So o
medicine ball game, in which scores
can play at once. is mysteriously be-
gun on one of the decks. A notice Is
posted up that some chap who got a
decision In one of the boxing rings the
night before challenges all corners; 1t
is typewriter on Red Triangle sta
tionery. A checker champion gets the
"Y" man to write out and post a chal-
lenge for him. In all the several divi-
sions of the crowded ship-for our
ships must be crowded to get men
enough to Europe for a quick finish
of their big job-a monograph APP
pears at unexpected times of the day
or evening. Down In a packed hatch.
way a white curtain goes up and al
most before the men realize 1t a NOV
ing picture show, with the latest and
best films. is going at full clip right
down In their bedroom.
Blasts of band music strike thou
sands of tickled ears some evening or
afternoon. This means that, with the
permission of the commander of the
troops. the "Y" man has dug the In
struments OF a regimental band out of
the hold and has put the whole happy
band onto his program.
My~steriously there have appeared
among the men sheets on which are
printed short lessons In French
French of the sort they'll need. These
are studied without fail.
instruction as Well.
"There will be a ~stereopticon lee
ture on France on the deck this eve
ming" Is a notice that attracts atten-
ton. On the decks that evening the
young Americans hear a frst-class IL
Illustrated electure about the country
to which they are going. Before their
trip is ended the boys who are inter-
ested enough to attend will have heard
lectures of this sort on France. Bel
GUM, England and Italy.
Every now and then, In some mys-
FERROUS fashion, a big "~sing-song" is
started. Early In the voyage each
man was given a book of songs, on
which was the Red Triangle. There
are evenings when the spirit of song
ioverwhelms almost everybody on the
ship. 1t seems. A %gargantuan orgy OF
singing ensues. Not every man OF the
thousands can gather in the same
place, so overflow singsongs take
place. AS many as six different sing
songs have been going on at one time
on the same deck, In the case Of n of
u largest transports. It's probably
the most music that old Neptune e
heard. When q fellow feels like sing
ing he's got to sing and that's all there
Is to 1t. II the feeling takes several
thousand young fellows at the same
time, what's going to be done about
it? It's got to come out: and there
you are. Not long 6 1t is said that
on the Atlantic, in different spots.
there were 100000 young Americans
bound for Europe. Beyond any doubt
1t is the biggest cargo the Atlantic
ever bore on its great breast and oil
the great wet pathway was n long
echo of There's a Long. Long TRAIL"
"Over There" "Good-by, Broadway"
and Long Boy"
Sour Pickle the Cure.
After a few evenings some knight Of
the boxing gloves has begun to show
something better han average form
possible champions begin to loom on
the horizon. At least. as the boxing
begins to assume a tournament form,
with some two or three men putting
down all corners. the young men begin
to insist on a championship bout.
There's a big day when that happens.
The band itself will be out In full
glory. Every inch of deck. every spar
and every hanging-on place will be
filed. The two champions will be
cheered like fighters In a worlds
championship event as they climb into
the ring. The band will play. The
fight will start. And, until one or the
other goes down and the victor Is ac-
claimed the best man ON the ship, not
a boy will think Of those things that
go to break up morale.
The days Of seasickness come. too.
With seasickness comes a homesick-
ess. There is n treatment. from
the practiced Y. NJ. c. A. mans stand
point, for both these illnesses, and that
is-a big slice of sour pickle. Part of
the outfit Of every "Y" man on the
sea-and there are varying standard
outfits. ranging from $3.50 to $500 In
value-is a huge bottle Of Soul pickles,
the sourer the better.
Singing. fighting. games, are good
representatives. of seasickness, but some
times the young men become very Ill,
and detected.
By the time the troopship has land
ed in Europe the boys have got used
to the feel of being out of their own
country. They have discovered that
the good old song. "Over There"
sounds just as well over there as 1t
does over here. They have played
and sung their way across, without
chances for moping or worrying.
The ocean-going "Y" bridges the gap
between the "Y" service In the Ameri-
can camp and in the battle o II