The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-06-13
SOME ARMY Y WORK
LETTERS FROM BREs1
Son of Rev. w. S. Hawkes. Gives
Light on Y. M. c. A. in Ex-
peditionary Forces.

gagged in army " work at various |
places in France, was sent to Brest,
from which place he writes, giving |
information which casts some light !,
on the, vexed "Y" problem in France.
He says:
1--WE have here the largest camp in
France; six miles in circumference,
with 1000 to 10000 men, IL miles of
"duck-boards,' seven of railroads,
5000 tents, Ia kitchens each serving
5000 an hour or more, IL big Y. M.
G. A. huts, one seating and standing
nearly 300O We have had as high
as 90 meetings Of religious nature
week here. When / came the sec
retaries were doing the speaking,
sometimes as many as three times a
Sunday; there were three pianists in
the camp and one song leader; most
of the speakers led their own music
as best they could, often getting a
pianist out of the audience. ~
| The office staff of the religious
work department consisted of Dr.
Kirk and myself, and we were hav--
ing a desperate fight to hold any ade
quate service. Sunday. nights there
was movie put on and often the
cinema man would flash his light in
the speakers face if he thought he
was too long winded. The entertain
ment department would put on their
exhibitions on our one religious
night a week, and we were in a fine
row with them; the religious depart
ment was the football of all the 9th
ers. That was a month and half
ago; yesterday we had fourteen
speakers, most of them of national
fame in the United States. and fur
nished each with a song leader and
pianist. We held our services as long
as we saw fit, and nothing went on
in any hut we did not approve. We
had audiences of nearly 5000 in the
auditorium, where / conducted fine
song service of half hour to some
400 in the smallest hut We are hold
ing 90 services week now, with
speakers filling in vacant hour in
a hut with special song service. l
put on popular sing-song, some
l2O a week, and twice | have put on
an entertainment program where some
other department has failed to appear
There was no music department and
took that for my work: then DR..
Kirk and / laid out a program of what
we thought we must do here. We
!, DOIllOdiuCu thC I0lCSt OlliNO dhd al 10,
fought the entertainment department
to a standsttill, had the head of it
out here disciplined (pretty rough and
impolite defiance) because he would
!, not make way for us; had investiga-
tors down from Paris, and finally we
have had our own way to work out
our own program. The only fault we
: find is that as usual when we got
things started Paris sent down an
armySchaplain to take charge and SUI
, persede DR.. Kirk. DR.. gets most
of the glory and DR.. Kirk and 7 do
, most of the work. We have at last
put the &C" back into the "Y" work
and dem onstrated definite. adequate
religious program can be put over in
a hut without movies or show to
follow. Thew said it couldn't be dore
: We have done it. Paris Ii. e. the
Paris "Y" headquarters) has giver
me a staff of 81, some in huts and
some! personal staff; It has also sent
us the best speakers in France; DR.
Bell of San Francisco, Erdman o.
Princeton. Hunniwell of Chicago
formerly with Billy SUNDAY, Chad
bourne Of Boston, Hugh Black Of
New York. Gordon of Topeka, Kan.
etc.
:, If I have any real criticism of ths
: "Y" over here it is they started ou
{ with too much ambition and the wrong
idea of what was most needed; they
were ambitions to do everything ant
their. idea was entertaining, which
was more or less necessary during
the rush of war; in this rush religion
; lost out. Hundreds Of "Y" men en-
:, listed as truck drivers, cinema men
y entertainers, business men, canteeI
y workers, etc. The result was smok
I ing universally among "Y" men. min
listers included, cigarettes chiefly iii
some cases several things which ar
. not usually staged in American
= churches). and any sort of earnes
- vital religious work was taboo. Wha
the "Y" stands for at home chiefl
;. was merely tolerated'here. The Who'll
- spirit was entertainment, dancing
y free smokes, with soft pedal religion
x Then came the armistice and ca
L. from the men for religion.
). The "Y" could not give it. 1t di
not have it. Ministers driving truck
" smoking much (some Of other things
ministers running entertainments ur
70 til permanently warped, serving a
Ar hut secretaries and selling cigars an
/, candy, but no thought of any vita
thoroughgoing religious program
|, Trained song leaders and solois'
5, driving trucks, opening boxes in ii
III Paris library, like - of Oberli
re who led the - around the worl
one of the sweetest spirited and mo-
It's religious of the singers in Franc
wv as .roustabouts. like Jones. a gran
baritone, athletic director like Fish
of in Brest etc.
1t. The religious department the jok
finally came into control of Pres
M dent King Of Oberlin college, b
s. wherever its work has been vital al
not snowy, as with -. it had to
he individual. When they return fro
Paris and tell US we have been doir