Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-08
WANT BEST OF MEN
FORY. M. LEA. WORK
Association Desires to Give Tipa
Top Service to Men
on Transports.
INCIDENTS ON THE ATLANTIC
Band Concerts, Boxing Matches
and Many Games Keep Sol
diers in Cheerful Humor.
ny William q. sHErHERD.

"hcn do We leave de sea and sit
onto de ocean? askcd~a worried-looK-
ing negro soldier on a transport in mid.
Atlantic.
Why man. were on de ocean nov.
les eZ much ez we'll ever be-" an-
oeesn 9 Bis bis Is too SIN ,mootn for 90
The next day the season of CLASSY
seas had gone and lively wind
whipped the Atlantic. -
said the negro soldier. II knew sure
we'd come to de ocean II we kepI
on travelin."
But it isn't only among the darle
the ocean prevails. Not one IN thou-
sand of the million and more American
boys In France to-day ever crossed the
ocean; literally hundreds or thousands
or them never saw elmer tho Atlantic
seacoast to take ship TOR the war.
Hiding: crowded. in ship, on a strange
ocean Is no fun.
sands OF boys happy and we'll ana as
comfortable as possible wniie they arc
passing through the strange adventure
or getting TO France Is task thar
the army: the navy and tho Y. NJ. C. *.
are working out It's an unblazcu
with new experiences and new lessons
erinES them nearer TO the mark
TEN DAYS ON OCEAN HEAvY =,
DRAG ON SOLDIERS MORALH
Ten days on the ocean IS a heavy
drag on soldiers morale How. to r-et
into those ten ocean days pen, fun.
laughter. music and lots of play. AS we'll
solve. -.
The army men realized as soon "a
We began transporting troops 10
France, that mid ocean strains on tile
men might injurc their morale con-
sidcrably. and perhaps. undo much good
Work that had been previously done IN
the camps at morale building.
The navy men, who supervise THE
TRANSPORT work, came TO the same reatt-
transported and their own civilian or
merchant marine crews. -.
And thus the y. NJ. c. ~ was invited
fully.
At first, so it appears. tho work was
Being a human Institution. the "Y'
n NAG 70 hnd out. iirst. how not to do tho
}oo, For instance, on several ships, =
HAPPY -So-lucky type OF secretary tried
the work. His wholesale "Euod morn
iings," his stories. which he had trained
himself 70 tell, and whicn were never
OF the zippy sort that the men them
selves ma" at their tongue ends. and
ms ATTEMPTS III, at breezy 5000 cheer all
OF being considered as excess Cargo.
On The other hand. the y. NJ. [. a.
siopary among y lot OF hayward boys
round himself left out III the cold THE
leaders have discovered pye this
time in the great war, that a ~: man
who isn't liked by all the men win
whom he comes into contact had better
DE called back home.
NOTHING HUI Till. REST Or
SERVICE IS NEEDED
experimenting, the Y 81 e a. has
learned that service to the boys and
IS needed TO make their work efficient.
The secretary who goes on each troop
snip TO France keeps himself in the
background. and only men who can do
inns are chosen Tor the work. The ~
service may stand out but never the
man who renders It. .,
For the first day or TWO the ..y,.
man on a transport quietly makes his
preparations: the novelty OF being -rp
me Gee, ocean Is claiming the full attention
abroad. and sea sickness has not lIt
them. -
hese preparations CONSIST of tho
.orlnation OF a committee usually con-
SiStinS OF the commander OF the shin.
ne commanders OF troops abroad. the
ships chaplain. all the army chaplains
present and the ~" man.
Abou, the second day out the Young
men men are sian enough TO READ yhai, IN
that evening, there is 10 be a box,rs-
a ana,fm or 9L.s movie ?.y. show Word gets
with him, and thousands OF ma gaines.
punching bags appear mere and there.
w here'd you get those cneckers?" tho
onlookers ask of IA. team or checker
PLAYERS They learn that the ',Y'' man
Is giving them out TO all-comers, and
the asking. y medicine bali game. In
which scores can play at once is
mSsterlously begun on one of the decks.
notice is posted up that some chap
VINO Sot decision in one OF the hoN-
ing rings the night before challenges
a.; Al comers; IL is typewritten on fed
pon gets the IS" man to write oilt and
post a challenge for him. In ali tho
several divisions OF the crowded ship
-,
men enough to Europe FOR quick
hnlsh OF their big job--a monograph
appears at unexpected times OF the day
or evening: Down in a packed hatch
way white curtain goes up, and al
most before the men realize 1t NOV
hss, picture n,n show: with the latest and
down In their bedroom.
hLAsTs OF BAND MUSIC
TICKLE SOLDIERS EARS
BLASTS of band music strike thou
afternoon This means that. with the
permission Of the commander OF the
81 Scoops ,ps,In.,t the ~ man has dug tho in.
the hold and has put the whole happy
band onto his program.
=, M nM. 10 there have appeared
french Of the sort they'll need. These
are studied without fail
There Will be 4 stereopticon Iectura
on France on the deck this evening"
IS notice that attracts attention. On
the decks that evening the young
Americans hear first-class illustrated
are going. Before their trip is ended
the boys who are Interested enough TO
attend viii have heard lectures OF this
sort on France. Belgium England and
italy. -
Every now and then. in some mys.eYt-
Gus fashion. big "sins-song" Is
was given book OF songs. on which
was the Red Triangle. There are cven-
inss when the spirit OF song over.
whelms almost everybody on the shin
II seems. gargantuan orgy or sing.
ing ensues. Not every man OF the tnour
sands can gather in'ithe same place. so
overflow sing-songs take pIace "A Is
many as six different sing songs hayn
been going on at one time on the sanaa
deck. in the case OF ono of our Ii rrest
transports It's probably the most
music that old Nsptnne ever heard.
Ivontinpe1 ~, Irhf ~ S~-S-'7---~-.fl ".