The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-11-15
By C. G. LYON.

ry on the work OF the Y. NJ. G. a..
Knights OF Columbus, Salvation army
Y. w. G. A., Library Association ana
other organizations doing WeiIare
work among our soldiers.
That's a lot of money.
Is the work Of these organizations
worth the cost?
For some time I've been Studying
very carefully their activities, in order
to be able to give the folks back home
some real enlightenment, free from
excessive praise or uncalled ior
knocks"
l was prompted to do this by a num-
Der of letters I've received from men
and women in America.
They're all doing a good work, and
it is seldom that knock is heard
against any of them.
The Knights of Columbus, for ex-
ample, specializes in good fellowship
and free distribution of cigarettes,
cigars, chocolate, ETC., among tho
troops.
The K. of C. secretary general is
big, jeval Irishman who's had lot
OF training in ward or city politics
back home, and he has brought to
France with him handshake and
manner of talking that makes his
with the doughboys.
Change in Personnel.
The personnel of the Y. NJ. G. A. IS
rapidly changing in this respect. The
fellows they're sending over now, for
the most part, are real he men, and the
ranks have been pretty well cleared OF
an element of cold, clammy fishes who
hurried over in the first days of the
IN "a
Of the doughbeys. This type of work
er wouldn't trust a doughboy for a
niekel's worth of chewing gum the day
before pay day; and he was always
being shocked speechless by the aver
age doughboy's fluency in profanity.
Y. NJ. C. A. leaders discerned early
in the game that the army doesn't |
want its soul saved. but, instead, it !
wants plenty of smokes and chocolate, |
and movie shows, and vaudeville acts |
and writing paper.
So, instead of securing America for |
men who are full of inward piety. |
they have been putting into the SER /
vice now fellows with enough piety |
to get by, but who are good mixers
and who aren't afraid to give away
truck load of candy or smokes once
in while.
In a word, from being, at first, a
rather cold, unrespensiye organization
the Y. NJ. C. A. present personnel is
making it cordial, real flesh and blood.
Deughnuts from Lassies.
The Salvation Army's speciality IS
My, what doughnuts thosa
good women do make! That is, when
hey can get supplies. But in all
France there are only about two score
Salvation huts as against the 1900 huts
IF the Y. M. G.. A. with the American
army, SO the sum total of joy that the
Salvation Army doughnut makers can
give an army OF two million men is
! drop in the bucket. With the various
divisions constantly ON the move, "A
soldier has been lucky if he came
lcross a Salvation hut once in two
weeks.
The Y. w. CT A. confines it's work
g the thousands Of American women
Who are here nursing in the hospitals
md in other fields of endeavor II
The Library Association. when in
complete operation, will have thous.
nds OF good books loaned out among
he soldiers.
The reason the Y NJ z A. rs
ii the knocks is because SIS os.aaes-
i to handle the hard p u3lafsss e9s:- ,
acted with army welfare work
The Y. NJ. C. A. has IL l1fs ssssh
he American army, and every Ga
I them is canteen tn s al
older practically everyth la Ge refs /
J the way Of smokes, coz %e z.3y. c
r,lits and shaving supplies III iea c
hat of army storekeeper, Migh i
RI" on the Y. M. C. 4. b! -ls eettg t
ne Y. NJ. C.. A. didn't See Z.
And | find that it is the e7ssn!9p 2
lese canteens that is resi- 9ns,Ble I
radically all the knocks against $50 \
;. M. C. A. F
The Y. M. c. A. has jus r. glff4Ty t
ut activities over here 1t handles Il
them 100 per cent efficioutiy. 0nsf a
5 ''storekeeper" has it fallea dovsn q v
ny extent. And that's not tae L Is F
AS fault. d
II supplies We're unlimited, fseil s6s, Il
Ter land this includes officers Il
-ould spend. on an avera sto .
onth over the canteen COT 8iars fo5
aeets and tobacco.
This would mean a month"; Ssa4ge1 3
isiness Of s20,OOO,O00 at pres ~4tS 9
I increase to 100000 900 with 4Fus 81
three million men over he. 8E =
ere hasn't been the tonnage.
After the stuff lands in F. aae 5as <
stributiOn is another big mseE =
he railroads have been jamu & vi q
oops and their food and eqaiaEne!t &
tito trucks would be the so1pt1OT. Z
ut, only the other day, the arr aa.G- ..
andeered 43 nice large true = i
e Y. M. C.. A. had bought: aft
.other occasion the purchasin at
the Y. NJ c. A. Informed tn tg<
at he had located $50 true pos
stls
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