The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-11-08
BY e. A. BACHELOR.

BY e. A. BACHELOR.
That "the shortest way to q mans
heart is through his stomach" has been
proved In Italy. The American Y. M.
G. A, by few acts Of kindness toward
Austrian prisoners captured when
the Italians made their Pave drive,
were able to secure information of i'm
mense value to the Italian army.
These prisoners were in bad shape,
particularly In regard to food. In fact,
they were literally starving. They
said that they had been living chiefly
on black bread and gave the Red Tri-
angle workers samples of this food to
prove how inadequate 1t is for the
sole ration of fighting men. The bread
was hard, heavy and thoroughly unap-
petizing.
Some real food and cigarettes put
the captives in such a grateful frame
Of mind that they opened their hearts
to the Y. M. @. A. workers and, with
perfect candor, made startling revela-
lions regarding conditions In the Aus
trian army.
With one accord they said that they
are heartily sick of the war and tired
Of being starved. Mutinies of serious
proportions are prevented only by the
fact that many German officers have
been placed with Austrian regiments
These men, schooled in Prussian dis
cipline. do not hesitate to shoot any
man that Is slow about obeying the
order to advance, so the soldiers face
the alternative Of fighting the Italians
or being murdered by their COM
manders.
Opens Prisoners Eyes.
It was a revelation to those prison
ers to see American soldiers and Y. M.
@. A. workers. They had been told
U-boats would prevent the United
States getting any considerable num-
Der of men overseas. The fact that al
ready hundreds Of thousands of Yam
KEGS are fighting In Europe opened
their eyes.
The prisoners are desperately anx-
ious for peace and rapidly getting
to think that even a defeat would be
preferable to existing conditions.
Apparently the hatred Of Germany is
growing more intense every day and
it is only a question Of time before
Austria will seize an opportunity to
desert her ally.
The treatment accorded prisoners by
the "Y" was an eye-opener to the Aus
TRANS. They have been told the Yam
KEGS either killed their prisoners or
abused them SO death would be pre-
ferred. They hardly could believe a
man in an American uniform would
hand out food and tobacco.
Work among the Austrian prisoners
is just one small part Of the American
Y. M. G. A. activities in Italy. Splen-
did results have been obtained among
the Italian soldiers, whose physical
welfare and comfort are being en-
HANGED constantly. Not long ago re-
freshments were served to 5000 troops
in seven hours at one Of the kitchens.
The men arrived tired and dusty with
their heads down and left for the front
singing and laughing.
In Genoa, Florence, Rome and Ven
ice the Red Triangle has been dis
played and fine work is being done for
men on leave and among the wounded.
At Genoa the association comes into
intimate contact with American sail
ors forming the gun crews Of merchant
ships. These sailors find the home at
mosphere of the hut very pleasant aft
err their long and monotonous voyages
and are as happy as schoolboys when
they see the well-known sign.
Army Appreciative.
The italian army Is so appreciative
Of the work Of the association that II
has given it carte blanche and Is &C
cording every facility for carrying out
the program. Labor and material are
furnished whenever possible, and
travel on all the railroads is to be had
without much Of the red tape that US
ually surrounds journeys in wartime
The physical feature of the work is
making particular hit among the sol.
diers. They take to American sports
in great style and are deriving benefit
from the mass games that have been
so successfully used among all the al
lied fighters.
Wounded men find that properly d.
rected sports help them greatly In their
progress toward health and strength
and this work has been introduced In