The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-07-25


one day the devotional exercises
were conducted by the Rev. Merle N.
Smith of Pasadena, Calf, who was
big enough to succeed to the pastor
ate OF pr. Matt Hughes when he was
elected bishop. DR.. Smiths subject
was SERVICE He read the story OF
Christ washing the disciples feet n
emphasized the statement that SER
vice. however mental, should be per-
formed gladly. After the meeting DR..
Naylor said to the distinguished pas
tor: "Dr. Smith, the boys are loading
a truck outside with some particular
ly heavy stuff and are short of help,
Smiths eyes twinkled at the chal-
lenge. In less than a minute he was
hosting one end of a heavy tent pole
onto a truck. Smith formerly preach
ed at Marshalltown.
And thus gladly, and with the same
grace and efficiency with which they
conduct religious, educational and
business affairs at home, these men
are serving our soldiers. | know one
"Y" who refereed a boxing bout one
night, preached a sermon the next
morning, pulled off a ball game that
afternoon, sold cigarettes and chew
ing gum later in the day and organ
lied a Bible class at night.
There's nothing that p~leases the
boys more than news from home. |
have seer thousands of them stand
and cheer over the announcement that
the Liberty loan was over-subscribed,
or that the Red Cross drive was 4
success. | announced to a great
crowd that | had just come from a
seaport where | saw - thousand or
our boys disembark. The crowd went
wild. We bring them new from 9th
er camps and other parts of the bat
tie line and read the daily papers to
assembled thousands. And how they
,CIlttl llt SuNCtoolul loiho LIN NOui'Ni
attacks the American troops are max
ing. They insist On the reading of
all news items from home, They ac-
|tually laughed at the report of the
submarine attack off the Jersey coast,
greeting it with such remarks as: IF
the folk at home think that's war,
they ought to spend a day in the
trenches" Reckon New Workers are
scared to death; suppose they were
in Paris just one day and night; ut
will wake the folks at home up, all
right"
At a meeting the other night | read
the boys a message from a Chicago
business mar who regretted that he
was too old to come over and fight,
and added:
Tell the boys We're backing them
a hundred million strong. We can't
join them in France, but we can give
and pray, and they shall never lack
for a dollar or for anything that will
help them win the war"
Then | suggested that if any of the
boys had late news or encouraging
letters from home they should share
the same with us. One boy read a
patriotic letter from his mother and
the rafters of the old French barrack
were almost raised with the cheers.
Another told of a great patriotic meet.
ing in his home town. The applause
of the evening came when a major
announced that the environments al
home were all cleaned out; that the
boys were all on the way to France
The meeting was suddenly adjourn
ed by the bursting of a shell dropped
by a German airplane over the vii
lage nearby. Little damage resulted
The flying boches scudded away to
ward the north as one Of our airmer
went UP after him.
AS III army regiments and division.
break camp and leave for for thu
front our "Y" secretaries go will
them. Yesterday a dozen se~cretarie.
were busy removing a great stock O
supplies from an old mill that ha!
served as "Y" headquarters. The
camp was deserted, the boys ha,
gone to the front and closely followed
the band of "Y" servers. The boy.
were anxious that our forces shoult
not be left behind and offered ever!
assistance that we might move will
them. We were ten miles back of tn,
front-that is ten miles from the edg,
of the shelled area. We moved oul
trick loads of supplies to this edge
pitched our movable tents and enter
tanned the soldiers that evening t
the music OF shells that we're burst
ing just beyond.
Just nov these boys constitute thu
immediate reserve behind the French