New Britain herald., 1918-05-01
UNDER THE RED
 TRIANGLE IN FRANCE
(By Carl J. Balliett)
 CHAPTER I. Being Tnnocl1Iated

Being Innoc,lIated. (En rOute) On this, the ninth day
 since leaving New York, my arm is red, sore and swollen. My mental condition is the same. Two weeks
 ago l was an advertising man, serv-
 ing principally, myself Today I am
 Y. M. c. A. secretary, serving the American soldier. This complete change has been accomplished by a
 series of highly concentrated innocu- 1ations.
 Physically. I was expected 10 take
 in several billions of anti typhoid and anti-other germs. Mentally. I have
 been innoculated with shot after shot of ideas and facts-Y. M. c. X. his
 tory, experience, principles and war work methods; world history, French,
 and many other studies.
 Just as my arm sWels and reGdens with the effort to digest these new organisms, so do my brain and nerves struggle with the effort to take in all these new thoughts. I expect that for weeks the boom of the big guns at the front will be drowned out in my consciousness by the nearer rat tie of these ideas settling into place. During these days of nasty preper~ ations for leaving, during the hours and hours of cramming of know,- edge for the job, both in New York headquarters and every day aboard ship, I have been amazed and en- thralled with the vision given me Of the bigness of this task. Our party of about 100 are the vanguard Of an army of at least 5000 men who are going to the European war fronts. Amongst us are a great many busi- ness and professional men who have never done social or religious work and a, very few who have been Y. M. C. A. secretaries in the cantonn1ents of our new army at home.
 Men who for years have been in structing others and ordering them about are taking orders and going to school.
 When a man decides to lay down everything at home and go into any service at the front, his friends are apt to make a hero of him, and to send him away feeling that ne is real man and that he has already done something big. But when you 1 find yourself among hundreds who have taken the same step, and fine yourself up with them to learn the 1 new job. you soon realize what asmall factor you are The desire that fol- 1 lows is to come through and make good. One can only be big over there by arising to meet the new op- l portunites.
 Perhaps you have been accustomed l to think of a Y. M. c. A. as read 1 ing room. decorated with dumb bells. in which the goody-goody bow! gather at o'clock to have a tea and 1 to discuss the latest stitches. I know it as a red -blooded instltu 1 ton where men learn >J live simply, l to conserve strength, to learn largely. and to rise to their opportunlt@ l through the Christian life.
 i It is because the Y. M. C. A. Is con- vinced that the Christian man makes 1 the Attest and the best soldier that l it has gone in for war work, and the ] war work program has united what l were a vast number of separate asso- ] citations into a gigantic corporation, l the profits of which are the mehtal and spiritual gains of the soldiers. 1 The Y M. c. A. at the front Is tue
 home away from home for the tired l out. discouraged boys coming back l from their trick in the front nae trenches. It is about all there IS 10 1 save them from the moral ruin that
 so often follows despair. In *1e huts l the lads warm themselves, Write home. send money back to the folks, i read wholesome literature, play small games, see the moves listen to con- l certs. enter into stunt programs. have 1 athletic contests. and take up the
 study of educational and religious 1 courses. Enveloping it all is clean, 1 fine. manly, Christian atmosphere. l The opposition attractions are the saloons. the gambling resorts and the
 ! houses of prostitution.
 1 That is too brief a picture of the 1 work at the front. Just a few high
 ] lights.
 T hope to get up there very soon,
 1 and will then tell you little stories
 of the life There will be no general
 1 tiles. I will make you see what hap
 ] pens back of the lines by simple nar-
 rations of the happenings themselves