The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-07-25
HEADING OFF HOMESICKN NESS is
IMPORTANT JOB WITH THE ARMY
Work of the A. Is Not Much with the Morals of the
Men with the Morae-How the Bishop
.f@ IT,, H..n Broke Up Cases of Blues es5 Ht5'

Huu Lc - SOicsL 1NOI Ouit 10 uC SOIcS
but he exerts the fine old American
privilege Of kicking about 1t and OF
airing his soreness. The burden Of
his complaint is that the "Y" Is try
Ing to make money OF him.
The Investigator hears Of it and asks
the reason why this should be so. The
~" purchasing department tells you
that the army commissary department
transports supplies to it's posts free
Of charge. 1t pays no freight on
steamers from America; 1t pays no
carriage or truckage in France. That
huge item of cost does not enter into
commissariat considerations. This
cannot be so with the Y. NJ. G. A. It
has to pay for freighting its comlnodi-
ties across the ocean, and freight rates
are not on the bargain counter at this
writing. It has to pay railroad freight
in France; 1t has to pay for its motor
transport. The wonder Is, we are told,
that chocolate, or cigarettes, or hand
kerchiefs or what not can be had US
cheaply here as they are had. The
regrettable point is that "Y'' canteens
have to, enter into competition with
commlssariats which possess all the
advantage. s..s...
The commissariats cannot begin to
supply the demand. The ~" canteens
are n necessity. Both are selling at
the figure which to each is the lowest
possible, so when your son writes home
and tells you it looks as II he were be-
Ing stung by the ~" canteen. just
think 1t over, and you will see.
Personality That Counts.
Then it comes to the matter Of the,
personality Of the man who Is running
the canteen. There are men in France
who have the ability to get so close to
the soldiers that when they say, "Jack,
this is the fact. We've got to do it so
because" Jack believes him and is
satisfied, because Jack knows that man
IS on the spot TODD everything In his
power for the soldier. 90 a,-
But there are exceptions, and there
must be exceptions when thousands Of
men are picked hurriedy for emer-
gency employment. Men land In
France without fully understanding
what is expected Of them, and without
understanding France or that splendid
organization, the A. r. F. They come
with enthusiasm, but without definite
knowledge of what the army wants OF
them, and until they adjust themselves
to conditions, they are apt to come to
much grief. .,.
One thiAg few men realize until they
have been here a week or two, and
that Is that they are an Integral part
of the A. e. F. and that they are work
ing under the authority Of the military
mot as they suspected, on their own
hook, OF for the 7. NJ, c.. A. Their job
is to do as they are told, and to do 1t
quickly and exactly. That they can
learn, and do learn, or they hear the
approaching footsteps Of grim retri-
button. Most of them learn more =
they learn what real service means.
They learn to forget their own egos
and to love humanity as exemplif1ed
by an army Of bully young men In
Khaki.
Hundreds Of men are landing here
monthly to take up some service I'M
der the Red Triangle. They are Of all
sorts and from all environments. 1t
approaches the marvellous how they
are made to fit. Preachers have ar.
rived filled with ardor to evangelize.
They find their true service can best
be done by driving motor truck.
Bankers come and speedily find out
that they can do the best job getting
up entertainments in some lonely hut.