Fair play., 1918-08-31

$4,000 pounds of chocolate that the
American troops are eating every
month in France. Or through his
hands go some of the cigarettes and
tobacco that are shipped to the west
ern front in hundred-ton lots.
When he Is not too close to the front
he runs motion picture shows and lee
lures in the evenings. If his billet is
a small one and there is no sports lead
er assigned there, he leads the men in
athletic games in which all may take
part. And under the same circum-
stances it may be his job to arrange
religious services for Jew and Gentle,
for Catholic and Protestant. He sends
money back home for the boys without
charge to them. In the "Y" dugout
they write their letters, and the hut
| leader starts them on their way. He
| listens to tales of woe, answers ques-
tions by the hour, admires the picture
of the baby that was born since father
answered the call to the colors, and
works about three hours a day longer
than the working hours of the man in
uniform.
If he be assigned to the trenches
near the front line, 1t is the "Y" mans
job to make hot coffee and hot choco-
late, late at night, fill his pockets with
chocolate, gum and smokes and go
through the communication trench to
the front line so that the boys on watch
may have their comforts from home.
And If there be listening post near
by in No Mans Land. he goes there,
too. The "Y" goes everywhere with
the men except over the top and Is not
far behind then.
The Kind of Men Not Needed.
What kind of man Is the Y. NJ. G. A.
seeking. then, in this drive to keep pace
with the rapid expansion Of the mill
tary establishment of the nation?
Surely not the kind of which sam
pie appeared at the offices of the Ma.
tional War Work Council, 347 Madison
avenue, the other day.
"The Lord has closed all doors to
|, me-" he began, "all except one, and
that one opens to France. The Lord
has made It clear to me that 1t is my
duty to go over there and preach tc
those boys"
1t happened that the listener was
/ James A. Whitmore, who has been 9
Y. NJ. G. A. secretary for years and
who recently returned from the west
ern front with broad views inspired
= by watching pastors of big city pulpit:
, sell plug tobacco to soldiers on Sunda!
: afternoon and the like. Mr.. Whltmor'
l was explicit In his reply.
2 "Your kind Is the last that's needed
overseas" said Mr.. Whitmore. "WheI
; you go to France for the Y. NJ. O. A
= you 60 on blind assignment to d.
5 whatever is most important at tht
e time and always to do what the boy
b in uniform want"
= Mr.. Whitmore went into details re
: garding the Y. NJ. c. A. program o
D service, and as he proceeded the visi
:, tor palpably weakened. He though
e that he would be willing TO go t
;. France with revised point of view
!. In fact. he said that he would be will
n ing to do anything that he thought tn
" Lord wanted him to do.
@ Well" replied Mr.. Whitmore. "a
e lildl Cuse SOu VI sun po u W. ASSN''N'NN
=. The Lord gives his message to onl
4 one Y. NJ. c. A. man IN France-he'
d Ned Carter, our chief secretary-an
II you'd have to take Ned Carter's wor
d for It that you were getting the Lord
p message straight"
n Type Of Man That Is Needed.
l. And as the messenger whose messag
never will be delivered went on hi
way Mr.. Whltmore shot after him hi
n notion OF the kind of man who is neeC
e. ed in France today by the Red Tr
" angle. He said:
In "First of all. the man who Is ser
le to France by the Y, NJ. @. A. must III