Evening star., 1918-11-10
WHAT SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
ARE DOING FOR U. S. SOLDIERS
Providing Moral Occupation for American
Boys in France, Widening Their Visions
and Improving Their Minds.


How. otherwise. would parties Of 200
| go tramping through the mud with
Stoddard Dewey to the lordly ruins OF
| Marmoutier of a Sunday afternoon?
Books Are Increasing.
| The books are increasing An
American library association is striv-
ing manfully to bring over half mil
| lion books to be handled by the or
| so far. arrived
Another work, which has not yet
oeen begun, but promises the great
est utility in rest areas. bases and
during rehabilitation, while awaiting
TO return home. would be to supply
pIcycies. In quantity. to rent-so that
| the soldiers can see more of the coun-
Try and reach spots long read about
1 and dreamed of.
The educational program of the Y
NJ =. A already is worked out in con-
junction with the Army; and it is no
secret that the other organizations
VII cooperate in a vast scheme 10
offer the men means to pursue stud
les in almost every department they
need, especially along vocational lines
| eIher to continue studies which they
mad already begun at home or to aid
nnose having received new vision.
nat magic is in the word, Who can
estimate the dynamics in it. or dream
or the might of these new forces of
mlnd, viii and ina agination keyed up
10 nner vibrations. higher in the
c. A--the bringing over of uniyer-
sity and college professors in great
NUMBERS to De in close touch with
doughboys in this fertile environ-
think. "'
Many may say. in their haste, the
poys are fighting; where's the time for
1nis napdoodie? Tut, tut, Go slow!
iheres not Salvation Army girl
dealing out blessed doughnuts Who
could not tell you better. These are
Dig thingS. The Jewish Welfare is
keenly alive to them. Do you know
Wnat an Army of 100000 young
americans means in Europe? Last
month. nn. when We were touching 2,00O,-
wy, our army already had provided
9o'ooo beds in rest areas. far behind
Ine movement of war or even bases
ihese rest areas are. in fact, the most
! oeautifui parts of sweet and peace
1ul France, regular watering-place
and winter sports resorts of before
the war-if only because they alone
possess. in their vast empty hotels,
the necessary rooms, beds. bedding,
pariors and entertainment halls for
such masses of men on leave.
1t is the glorious old France of
Queen Margot. Henri ", Ch.cot the
Jester dAftagnan. Pompadour and
marie Antoinette, but how shall see.
!
answer my questions? Where can 1
get book about it?
, think it is one of the biggest
, Things, Already the Y. NJ. c. A. has
published remarkable series of
handy guide booklets for soldiers.
which are little chefs d 'oeuvre for
, tourists of all time-because differ
ent from the classic guide books of
before the war. each little brochure
,, of S, l6. 80 or 81 pages is o..-oted to
,, one city or region onl,
because, kindly ttke notice :: grows
bigger ana bigger toward the end. 1t
, is like pyramid standing on it's head.
: We probably shall be at the maximum
, OF our soldiers in Europe just as the
, war finishes, and do not imagine that
they can come trooping back instanter.
For one thing, the British boa is which
, brought so many of them over will be
needed for other uses than to tote
, them back-we cannot, do not expect
it.
, So, after the fighting. in the period
of occupation and demobilization-
, with The tonnage problem intervening
there will be 100000, then 2,Geo, 600,
. then 100000. then 100000 young
Americans in Uncle Sans uniform to
be kept occupied profitably to them
selves six months, one year. two
years, three years who knows? We
know only that the benefits of the
united welfare organizations to our
soldiers will go on increasing to the
elimination of the war-and then in
crease some more afterward,
The whole thing has been SO well
put by Arthur Lord. the X. of C. divi-
sion secretary at Tours already men,
toned, and Mr.. Lord has been so long
and widely known in Paris as an
American who knows his France that
II cannot refrain from quoting from a
letter which iIc permits me to quote:
) Guardians of the Treasure"
Dear Sir:
workers are the guardians of this
treasure. And it seems to me that the
fwork begun here, in war time. should
!, not cease at the signature of peace:
for the greatest enemy of the enlisted
man. whether in peace or war, 10 idle
ness. Vice turks at the street corner.
The man is lonely, far away from friends
ard country; his armor is, SO to speak.
unbuckied, in this that he feels strange
and friendless: and il is often easier
than might be thought, under such in
f1uences, to take a false step which may
. foul the crystal stream
1 think that the American people
realize, in part, the immensity Of the
J thoroughly understood at home, / think
there will be no lack of funds with
which to carry them on.
You have given me the privilege Of
laying before the nation. through your
paper. the fact that we are trying to
establish here that touch of home be-
, fore which every bad influence fails;
and thank you heartily for the oppor-
|, tunity. The word home contains in a
nutshell most OF the influences for good
which exist in this world: and it applies
!, equally well to the f1reside, the church
! and the state Home evokes a picture
in every Americans heart. He sees the
, mother by her heart, tne priest at the
altar, and the statesman in forum and
council working indeatigably for the
good of the nation. Sitting before the
fireside which it is our duty to keep
! warm for him, the boy dreams Of that
crystal stream which gushes SO plenti.
fully from the eyes OF every mother in
America; and he would be a pAful
: fellow. if with such pictures before
his mind he seeks ill company.
| One of our great privileges is to mix
with the enlisted man. Daily / come in
contact with hundreds Of them. and
! realize more and more. as i study him.
that our soldier boy is far and away
the peer of all the others. He has op-
portunities which the others. alas. have
, not had, and he has made-and is max
fng-the most of them. Here he is put
; ting on the finishing touch to the prac-
. tice of life. duty and culture. and IL
, / is our incommensuracle privilege to
, stand with him. shoulder to shoulder.
! and to point him out the way Of i'm
, harm And we desire to send him back
. as pure and undefiled as when he was
. conf1ded to our care-of us older men
yl-by the great Uncle whom We all love
and serve. ARTHUR LORD" :
.--4s