The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-03-14
College Column
]. HARL TATE GIVES ACCOUNT OF
"" WORK

Dear Friends NJ Berea:-
have often thought Of writing a
letter and telling YOU Of the work
~ the Army Y. W. c. A. in Camp
SEWER. among the North Carolina
South Carolina. and Tennessee boys
this felt would give you a little
more " an idea of the good which
results from the splendid work the
Berca people did in helping raise
the S50.OOOO00.
Seven months ago when Camp
SEWER was nothing more than u
painless forest. with less than 5000
soldiers camping around the edge.
not even a permanent building. but
little lumber piles scattered here
and there ! arrived to help in the
work Of the Young Mems Christian
Association.
The soldiers who were here were
not doing any drill work. but they
and more than 1900 laborers were
spending much energy i'm laying
waste the forest and changing acou-
pie Of old cotton fields into a drill
ground. The common saying Of the
hour was, ut takes d man with a
strong back and a weak mind
To- be a good soldier in Camp
SEWER and many of them
told me there was more truth in
that saying than poetry-especialiy
after they had grubbed stumps for
ten hours.
For the first few weeks we had to
plod around among the pines to find
a suitable location for the "Y tents"
| was placed in the first tent erected
here with three other men. one
from Georgia, one from Alabama,
and one from Texas. | also went
into the first building erected and
have been here ever since-so |
have seen the changes.
Seven months have passed, and the
changes that have been wrought are
almost beyond belief. There are no
forests today and no "Y" tents. But
where the forest stood with the
5000 troops camped around the
edges, there is today hustling
city Of more than 10000 soldiers
(mind you, not stump grubbers)
Where the "Y" tents were located
there are now large, ventilated.
we'll furnished buildings. eight in |
all, besides headquarters. From the |
dozen secretaries then, now there |
are more than fifty representing all
the leading denominations, who are
shoulder TO shoulder with I
Mr.. f. ID. Langley. our Camp-Gen-
eral Secretary. to bring these men
10 the idea of the triangle life-spirit,
mind and body.
Now a typical weeks program
and some statistics will give E
pretty good idea of the work at /
present.
Monday night - an educational
lecture is given on history, clean
living, sociology, war knowledge, etc.
Tuesday night - Entertainments
given by best talent we can secure
and by local talent in city and
soldiers.
Wednesday night - Moving pie
.ures or stereOpticon lectures.
Thursday night - Mid-week re-
igious services and Company Bible
'lasses.
Friday night - Stunt night by the
physical director - boxing, wrest-
ing, comic acts and singing, etc.
Saturday night-Moving pictures
If a high type and of an educational
nature.
Sunday regular regimental
services at Q am. Sunday school
It 1000, and the regular preaching
services at 1880 pm. All these
meetings are well attended, and the
nut is filed TO its capacity and
,ften over crowded. The physical
md educational work is carried on
turing the day on a large scale
hree hundred men are in the build
ng at once. learning to read ami
write. English, French, and other
'lasses are going on all the time
Turing the day and night. Five
men are handled at once
~ the physical director mass
athletics. Games Of all kinds and
III kinds Of calisthenics are given
he men.
Here are some items Of interest
or the month of January, 1918,
which is a fair months work for
he entire camp. Estimated attend
nee in the buildings, i26,8i8. There
we're 1906 religious meetings held
,7,ili men in attendance. There
nave been iii Bible classes organ
zed with 2,i5i men enrolled, and
ne are proud Of the fact that Camp
SEWER leads all the other eight
National Guard Camps in the num-
Der of Bible classes. The amount OF