The Glenwood post., 1918-07-20
By CLARENCE q. HOLLAND.

BY CLARENCE q. 'OIIAN1'
Bill Jones and Jack Stevens, late
of the United States but now Of "some-
where in France" sat on bench.
They Just sat. They didn't talk, they
didn't smoke, they didn't cuss. You
could reach out your finger and touch
the gloom that exuded from them.
They weren't bunkies or townmates or
intimates of any sort, but they had
both gotten up with a gloom and had
inevitably sought each other out. 1t
was just before mess call.
A little man with a wrinkled face
and cane and a uniform and eyes
that twinkled, watched John and Bill
at their occupation Of being homesck,
and he sidled up to them. Pretty soon
he was sitting on an end of their
bench-and they didn't notice him any
more than If he had been an extra
cootie.
"The -th have got the best ball
team in France" he said positively,
apropos of nothing.
"Huh," said Bill Jones.
"They can clean up anything In
France. I've been down there week,
ana tnat Outnt is claSS.
"Huh," said Jack Stevens.
"Officers keep 'em busy. Say, where
you from2"
"Michigan." said Bill.
'New York." said Jack.
"Met some New York and Michigan
men with the -th,' said the little man
casually.
"Who?" said Bill and Jack at once.
The little man named half dozen.
with their towns. Bill knew some and
Jack knew some, and before they re-
allied it they were in the middle of
conversation about Detroit and Utica
and Lansing and Long Island, and
politics and the -th regiment.
"Mess CALL" said the little man.
Saint hungry" said Bill.
"Don't want to eat" said Jack.
DispeIIing the Gloom.
"Reminds me of Tom Judkins of
Pontiac" said the little man. always
getting off his feed. Know Pontiac?"
he asked of the Michigan man.
"Played football there"
"Judkins used to play"
"What year?"
"About fourteen
"Bet I played against him."
And so on and so on, talking about
the home localities and the home folks
and giving the boys chance to men
tion towns and streets that lay close
to their hearts. You could see them
straighten up; you could see their
eyes brighten; you could feel differ
ence In the air that surrounded them
Bill stood up.
"Guess I'll 20 feed" he said, and
banged Jack on the back.
"Pretty hungry myself" said Jack.
"Gimme light before you CO." said
the little man. without enthusiasm.
One of the boys held match over his
pipe and then both strolled off to the
mess tent with a bad case Of home
sickness operated on skillfully and re-
moved without pain-removed by a
man they had never seen before, but
who would always find welcome in
their locality thereafter-just why
they would never be able to tell you
:. And they didn't know, nor would
It have mattered If they had, that the
little man In uniform, wearing a Red
Triangle, was that imposing and awe
inspiring dignitary known as Bishop
Of the Church of England back In
America.
That's his job in France, Just talking
to the fellows. He has put in months
at 1t. Sometimes of Sunday, or in
the evening he breaches, but mostly he
Just wanders around looking for cases
of gloom and Inconsistencies and talk
Ing them back to the cheerfulness and
enthusiasm which Is the quality that
IL almost the outstanding characteris-
tic Of the A. e. F. In France.
Important Job With Army.
Curing or heading off homesickness
is IN important job in an army three
thousand miles from home. Officers,
from the new second lieutenant up,
will tell us that an army which sits
on benches and bottles up gloom Is
not an army that will fight. They say
any man 10 liable to an attack. but
they say, too. that the number and vio-
lence of attacks is amazingly few
when one considers the circumstances.
fudge Galloway Of New York said
the other night, "The job of the Y. NJ.
Q. A. here is not SO much with the
morals of the army as with the mo-
rale."
The Judge claims to know. For
mouths he has been travelling around
France from camp to camp, night after
. night, almost without rest or relief,
talking to the boys about France. His
Job has been to interest the fellows
in the country where they are guests
and welcome guests.
The army declares that the "Y" has
bitten OFF large contract. Officer af-
ter officer whom you meet on the
streets of Paris will tell you how I'M
portant he believes the "Y" Is to the