Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1919-01-02
% N NlI[UJNlILITY
SERVICE NEEDS
IS (UJlNIEE5NDING
mi
Red Cross VIII Be Emblem Of At
ter War Endeavor For
All Time 10 Come.
by II. G. Andrews

BY IT. G.. Andrews
No task imposed upon them by the
world conflict served to test the method
OF war work agencies more c~onclusively
than mas the business of readadjusting
the work of those agencies to a peace
time basis.
The signing of the armistice found
the war work programs OF the Y. NJ C..
A, the Y. w. c. A., the Salvation Army
the Jewish Welfare Board. The knights
Of Columbus, the American Library AS
ISOLATION and War Camp Communists
Service at their zenith. Not a single
one OF these agencies had reason to ex-
poet, during the trying months of the
midsummer, that the might of the Cen
trail Empires would crulnble SO sudden
ly, II that the militant phases of
their program would he brought auto
inatically to an end. Each organiZa-
ton realized that its work would not
end with the signing Of an arnistice
but not one of the organizations was in
a position exactly to determine the char
J acter and range of it's work following
the cessation of hostilities.
OF the seven Organizations named,
War Camp Community Service is the
only one without a, history prior to the
| time the United states entered the war.
That the Y. NJ. G. A, the Y. w. c. A.,
the Knights of Columbus. the Salvation
Army. the Jewish Welfare Board and
the American Library Association will
continue as going organizations, taking
up their usual programs in peace times,
is of course apparent. The future of
War Camp Community Service how
ever, was in many quarters considered
an open question. Indeed, the query
has been gravely p~ropounded as TO
whether or not there was any reason
whatsoever for believing that w. c. G,
S. had any claim to a future.
Busy with the work at hand, so intent
with the program Originally committed
TO them that their present occupied their
munity Service workers throughout the
entire time and energy, War Camp Com
country have suddenly awakened to a
realization Of the fact that a future has
been thrust upon item. The major out
lines Of this futdras aae Slowly becoming
clearly apparent.
Through War Camp Community Ser,
vice agencies, literally tens OF thous-
ands of men and women in hundreds OF
i American communities have been train
| ed, in social service. These men and
women nave organized community hos:
| pitality. have co erdinated community
effort. They have made their home
towns home towns for every soldier and
sailor who might sojourn there. As a
result of the work done in behalf OF the
soldier and the sailor, War Camp Com
munity Service volunteers have had q
new vision as to the reach and sweep
and value of disiIiterested community
effort. They have realized that the
work they have done for our enlisted
men is a work that is well worth doing
for their wv people.as a part Of a per-
manent definite local program. And
50. it has come about1hat in many ways
camp cites and communities, purely as
q matter Of local Initiative, plans are
already being made to utilize the entire
social service equipment brought into
existence through War Camp Commun,
ity Service agencies as centers of local
social endeavor.
Not paly are the volunteers who have
tEL 90 EAA.3tE u ,.9E - -e@EsI II
organized community hospitality for the
purpose of ministering to the needs OF
our enlisted men anxious TO &C forward
hut the soldiers and sailors themselves
find in the ideals and activities of War
Camp Community Service a definite call
TO continued service. Hundreds of en-
listed men have already made known
ssil.eir intention of becoming Community
Service missionaries when they return
to the home folks.
Recruited from the great industrial
army, the soldiers and the sailors will
upon ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to that ar
my. Tho Industrial field, therefore
the centers in whichsindustrial workers
ldwen. become Inviting fields for som,
munity endeavor-fields in which the
soldier who has received the benefits
of War Camp; Community Service anf
the volunteers who have aided in pro
viding those benefits can join their ef
forts.
War Camp Community Service mus
of course continue rs now projected I'm
til our army and navy have been rednc
Ht ME
ed to q permanent peace basis; Wher
that time comes, however, the needs d
the members Of regular military estab
lisaments cannot ~ overlooked. Ths
communities that haze had . welcome
cannot and VIII NOT turn away from TIL
TOR the soldier and sailor in times Of wa
soldier and sailor intiines Of peace II