Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1918-06-27
THE RED TRIANGLE IS
KEEPING ITS PROMISES
Y. M. G. A. Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Small For The Biggest
OF Men

The American Y. NJ. G. A. is keen
ing its promises. American secretarie.
are now, and have been for man,
weeks, at work in the forward area.
along the battle front ia France. T,
an indeterminate number of Red Tri
angle men .over there" gas and shell
fire and mud and actual battle are
grim reality-a part of the day
work.
A personal letter Of absorbing int
est was lately received from Mr. Ralp'
HARRISON, president of the Pittsburg
Y. M G. A. and well known bushes.
man of that city who has been
France on a special Y. M g. A. Mi
sion.
The Letter
Casualties had occurred among on
soldiers just before we arrived at GU
village the letter reads, land we wer,
ordered to get under cover of our d.
suite. After supper of chocolate, wa
bread, and canned beef, the six OF us sec
retaries were ordered to the cellar o
the ", together with fifty soldiers VIII
happened to be in the cid shell-tors
building, as the b0che were beginnin
again to shell the town. We took can
dies, big basketful OF canteen su
plies, to last US in case we should hav,
to be dug out later, overcoats and blair
kets We fitted our gas masks on I.
be sure they were working well, an
hen settled down-or tried TON tn
dungeon. We expected to have TO sta.
all night, but in an hour a sentry ga
ed, All out and up we gladly went
The rest OF the evening we spent W
stairs in one of the reasonably who'll
rooms, with piano and songs and $50
ries and the ever-present and wonder
full canteen, at which l took my turn
Needless to say, l slept none tho
night, with all the bang and noise out
side, but nobody does, I'm told, tn.
first night. The night before 60
about two hours of DOING with a stiff
neck, sitting up in crowded nigh
train, but, strange to say, | never fel
the lack of it for minute.
1--WE were up the next morning a
une bonnie heure, and after breakfas
at the officers mess Clarke and
started off for the trenches, each 0.
us ladened with about fifty pounds o.
canteen supplies besides our helmet
gas masks, carried at all times a
'aIerte, etc.
For two hours we pursued tor
tuous way among the various lines .
trenches and connecting trenches
stopping frequently to dispense ou1
popular wares among the boys, some
repairing the trenches, some building
new ones, some on sentry duty, soI0c
sleeping in the Gugouts, some man
ming guns and watching for German
heads.
"As we entered the front-lin-
trenches, we suddenly ran into Secre
tary Baker and accompanying officers
stepped aside as well as / could, 50
luted and said, Good morning, Mr..
Secretary AS they passed | heard
one Of the officers say to the Secre-
tary, You see, Mr.. Secretary, the "Y''
men are right UP IN the front-line
trenches with the boys
Time was flying, and we knew
there were still more soldiers further
on who would be glad to see US. Soon
we entered No Mans Land by means
Of a trench, land which we had
seen from the rear lines in the dis
,ance ali tour earlier, all uprooted ami
torn AMI desdlate, and after some min
utes we crawled, hot and winded, into
a shell hole-the furthermost listening
post in our lines and found six sol
diers on guard, all very much alerr
They gave us a warm welcome, and
we conducted our communications IN
low whispers, for there were r1ree
German snipers in three different d.
rections only seventy-five feet away
Needless to say, our gunnysacks
we're empty when we came out. We
hurried back to the sign OF the Red
Triangle in the village, drank a cup
of hot chocolate, and started in again
In another direction.
1--WE watched the explosions getting
closer and closer, each one preceded
by the weirGest kind of wall and
whine throueh the air, and then dur
ing a let-up we rushed across the open
and into the dngouts in an embank
ment, where our second pack OF sup
plies disappeared.
1.-TWO Of the secretaries had been
gassed the day before we arrived at
this place, and one slightly wounded
by shrapnel, while others were break
ing under the physical strain and need
ed relief I'm sure we will hear OF
fatalities soon, but since my expert
ence in the trenches 1 don't ask the
question any more = is It worth
yhile?' Never was such an emporium
iSy given to man to serve his fellow
men al this.
"Pass the word on, and pass It
quickly, that five hundred of the most
capable, earnest, and big-souled Chris
tian men are needed here today in ad-
ditlon to the weekly stream that Is
coming. We are cabling New York
frequently, but they don't come. 1t is
osatical, and we must not fail, but we
will unless mere and better men come
Immediately. AS l see it, there Is no
7. N. C. A. job over here too small
~ the biggest men in America"