Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-07-05
The RED TRIANGLE IS
KEEPlNGlTS PROMISES
Y. n. c. A. Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Small For The Biggest
OF Men

The American Y M. G. 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 Tr4-
angle men over there" gas and she'll
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 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, "anG we were
ordered to get under cover OF our dc
suite. After supper of chocolate, war
bread, and canned beef, the six or US sec.
retaries were ordered to the cellar OF
I the " together with fifty soldiers who
happened to be in the old shell-torn
building, as the bOche were beginning
again to shell the town We took can.
dies, big basketful Of canteen 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 to have to stay
all night, but in an hour 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 eyer-present and wonder
full canteen, at which | took my turn,
Needless to say, slept none that
night, with all the bang and noise out
side, but nobody does, I'm told, the
first night. The night before / got
about two hours Of doing with stiff
neck, sitting up in a crowded night
train, but, strange to say, | never felt
the lack of it for minute.
1--WE were UP the next morning at
une bonnie heure, and after breakfast
at the officers mess Clarke and l
started off for the trenches, each OF
us ladened with about fifty pounds Of
canteen supplies besides cur helmet,
gas masks, carried at all times at
alerte,' etc.
For two hours we pursued a tor
tuous way among the various lines Of
trenches and connecting trenches,
stopping frequently to dispense our
fIa
repairing the trenches, some building
new ones, some on sentry duty, some
sleeping in the dugouts, some man
inng guns and watching for German
heads.
AS we entered the front-line
trenches, we suddenly ran into Secre-
tary Baker and accompanying officers.
l stepped aside as well as could, sa-
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 ~"
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 Zines in the dis
iance All hour earlier, all uprooted ami
torn AMI desolate, and after some min
utes we crawled, hot and winded, into
a she'll hole-the fllrthermost listening
post in our lines and found six sol
diers on guard, all very much alert.
They gave us a warm welcome, and
we conducted our communications IN
low whispers, for there were iHree
German snipers in three different d.
rections only seventy-fye feet away.
Needless to say, our gunnysacks |
were empty when we came out. we |
hurried back to the sign of the Red |
Triangle in the village, drank 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 weirdest kind of wall and |
whine through the air, and then dur
ing let-up we rushed across the open
and into the dugouts 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 | don't ask the
question any more = Is It worth /
while?' Never was such an opportun-
ity given to man to serve his fellow
men as this.
npass the word on, and pass z
quickly, that five hundred of the most
CAPABLE. earnest, and bie-souled Chris |
tan men are needed here today in ad-
dltlcn to the weekly stream that y
cominc. We are cabling New YORK
frequently, bct they don't come, II 10
critical and we must not fail, but we
viii unless more and better men come
Immediately. AS ! see it, there Is no |
Y. M. c. A. job over here too small
49,. -. aSsfNn y