The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-06-08
THE Ted TRIANGLE IS
KEEPING ITS PROMISES
Y. M. c. A, Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Small For The Biggest
OF Men

The American Y. M. C. A. is keep
ing its promises. American secretaries
are now, and have been for many
weeks. at work in the forward areas
along the battle front in France To
an indeterminate number OF Red Tri-
angle men over there" gas and shell
fire and mud and actual battle are a
grim reality-a part OF the days
work.
A personal letter Of absorbing inter
est was lately received from Mr.. Ralph
HARRISON, president of the Pittsburgh
Y. M. G. A. and well known business
man Of that city, who has been In
France on a special Y NJ G. A. Mis-
sion.
The Letter
Casualties had occurred among our
soldiers just before we arrived at our
village the letter reads, land we were
ordered to get under cover OF our de
suite. After supper of chocolate, war
bread, and canned beef, the six OF us sec
retaries were ordered TO the cellar OF
the ~ together with fifty soldiers who
happened to be In the old shelI-torn
building, as the boche were beginn ng
again to shell the town. We took cam
dies, a big basketful Of eanteen sup
plies, to last US in case we should have
to be dug out later, overcoats and blan-
kets. We fitted our gas masks on TO
be sure they were working well, and
then settled down--or tried TON the
dungeon. We expected 70 have TO stay
all night, but in an hour q sentry call
ed, All out and up we gladly went
The rest OF the evening we spent up
stairs in one Of the reasonably whole
rooms, with piano and songs and sto-
ries and the ever-present and wonder
full canteen, at which Itook my turn.
Needless to say, | slept none that
night, with all the bang and noise out
side, but nobody does, Tn told, the
first night. The night before ! cot
about two hours of ioziug with q stiff
neck, sitting up in a crowded night
train, but strange to say, never felt
the lack of 1t for minute
I'VE were UP the next morning. at
une bonnie heure, and after breakfast
at the officers mess Clarke and /
started off for the trenches, each OF
us lRdened with about fifty pounds OF
canteen supplies besides our helmet,
gas masks, carried At all timea at
'alerte,' etc.
For two hours we pursued tor
tuous way among the various lines Of
trenches and connecting trenches,
stopping frequently TO dispense our
popular wares among the boys, some
repairing the trenches, some building
new ones, some on sentry duty, some
sleeping in the dugouts, some man
ilng guns and watching for German
heads.
"As we entered the front.line
we suddenly ran into Secres
tary Baker and accompanying officers.
| stepped aside as we'll as | could, sa-
Iuted and said, Good morning, Mr.
Secretary AS they passed | heard
1ne of the officers say to the Secre-
Lary, You see, Mr.. Secretary, the "Y''
men are right up in the front-line
with the boys
"Time was flying, and we knew
here were still more soldiers further
On who would be glad to see US. Soon
We entered No Mans Land by means
Of a trench, a land which we had
seen frgnl tho rear lines in the dis
ance an hour earlier, all uprooted ami
orn ami desolate, and after some min
ties we crawled, hot and winded, into
/ she'll hole--the furthermoet listening
post in our lines - and found six sol
liers on guard, all very much alert
They gave us a warm welcome, ana
We conducted our communications in
ow whispers, for there were three
German snipers in three different d.
-ections only seventy.nve feet away.
Needless to say, our gunnysacks
we're empty when we came out We
hurried back 10 the sign OF the Rad
in the village, drank cup
Il hot chocolate, and started In again
n another direction.
I'VE watched the explosions getting
loser and closer, each one preceded
" the weirdest kind Of a wall and
whine through the air, and then dur
ng a let.up we rushed across the open
md into the dugouts in an embark
nent, where our second pack Of sup
lilies disappeared.
1.-TWO OF the secretal ies had been
yassed the day before we arrived at
his place, and one slightly wounded
" shrapnel, while others we're break
ng under the physic.l strain and need
d relief. I'm sure we will hear Of
abilities soon, but since ny expert.
nee in the trenches ] don ask the
question any more IL II worth
yhile7' Never was such an Opportun-
ty given to man to serve his fellow
men as this.
"Pass the word on, and pass Il
fulekly. that five hundred Of the most
capable, earnest, and bip-souled Chris
ian men srs needed here today in ad-
iltlon - the eekly stream that ls
coming. w are cabling New York
frequently but they don't come It Is
riticai. and we must not fail, but we
vii unl4ss more and better men come
Immediately. AS I see II, there Is no
I u. C. A. Job ove' here too small
~ fha hipgest -7cn IL America