Catoctin clarion., 1918-02-07
Growth Of Y. N. c. A. At
Camp Meade.
On Sept. 1st No Buildings.Up'
Ten Buildings Now In Full
OperatiOn.

Az"
Operation.
The development of the Y. M. q. A.
work at Camp Meade within the past
five months is a splendid example OF
efficient organizing, and the amount
of service the Association has been
able to render in that time is amazing.
OF the ten green buildings now in full
operation, not one was completed
Sept. I, and only three were under
construction. Two secretaries C on
stituted the crew then; today the staff
consists of seventy. And there were
times during the five months when
Mr.. McKim, the camp general secre-
tary, was the only trained Y. M. Z. A.
man on the force. Men of varying
professions and experiences were sent
to be Y. M. C. A. secretaries, and the
difficulty of the problem was intensi-
fed, too, by the shortage OF secretar-
les, which necessitated the use OF
short term men. So one OF MIR.
McKim's big tasks was to mould
these many individuals into one har-
monious and CO. operating group, ev-
cry man related to specific task,
and all with the same goal in mind.
But one of the things which made
this undertaking possible was the
splendid attitude of the men. The
work here" says Mr.. McKim, nev-
er could have come to its present ef-
ficiency had it not been for the splen-
did spirit and answering loyalty OF
the secretaries who have been contin-
ually forgetful of themselves in the
supreme effort to be of service to the
men. And to this may be added the
cooperation of the officers OF the
command from division headquarters
down, where the interest in our pro-
grams was so intense that 1t was not
unusual for official business to be set
aside temporarily so as to give time
and thought to the requests OF the
association secretary"
For nearly three months now the
main auditorium with seating cap
acity of 5000, has been in full oper-
alton and has been used extensively
by the government in its program OF
instruction. And as place for rec
reation in the form of athletics, stage
entertainments and movies, it is in
operation seven days of the week, as
well as for religious services on Sun
days. The individual bungalows are
often used, upon request, by the gov
ernment for officers meetings, and
every association building is, of course
open to the soldiers every day from
reveille to taps.
The program of the religious, social,
educational and physical departments
are continuous and almost unbeliev-
ably extensive. And it is significant
to note the interest in religious work
last month, for example, when there
were more religious meetings than
stage entertainments plus invoices,
more attendants at religious services
than: at either movies or athletic e.
vents.
The incidental services, too, which
the association performs are innum-
erable. To mention just one early in
the fall, when the camp was in
most confused state, the Y. M. G. A.
constructed little information bu-
reau at the entrance to the railroad
yards, and there took care of 1900
personal inquiries.
And now the work of the associa-
ton is 20 expand even more than was
calculated at the outset, for three ad-
ditional bungalows, one to be located
at the remount station, one at the
base hospital, and one at the officers
club.
Even from this limited sketch it is
evident that most effective working
Y. NJ. C. A. organization has been
whipped into shape at Meade, an or
ganizaton, moreover, which has the
reputation of being the most econom-
ically conducted Of any in the East
ern department cantonments.
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