The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-03
FUNNY NOTIONS
ABOUT Y.M.(;.A.
The Canteen Produces a Strange
Crop Of Fables-Ludicrous
Misunderstanding.

The war has brought the Y. NJ. c.
A. into world prominence. Because of
this prominence, constant questions
have arisen with reference to it in
the minds Of the uninformed and
some most lUdicrous statements have
teen passed about.
For instance, we have it on the
word OF a good friend, former secre-
tary of the Y. NJ. C. A., that soldier
in one of the southern camps came
to him to express his appreciation OF
al that the Y had done for him, and
said that he was doing all he could
to help the "Y' Some one asked him
what ne was doing, and his reply was
that he bought all his postage stamps
there, and it developed that he really
thought the Y. NJ. c. A. made a profit
from the sale of postage stamps
which they sold in such enormous
Quantities to the soldiers as matter
Of convenience.
Another ridiculous assertion on the
part Of men who have come in con-
tact with the Y. M. C. A. for the first
time, enlanates from overseas, and /
We hear the statement, in all serious |
ness by Somebody who processes to /
know. that the Y. NJ. G. A. is making
q great deal of money from its can
teen and is even over charging the |
soldiers. OF course, the story would
lot be complete without inventing
some way OF utilizing these alleged
large earnings from the canteen. In
some cases the story goes that the
local Y. NJ. G. AS back home receive
the profits from the canteen, in other
cases the story has been Golemnly
passed about that the Y NJ. G. a. was
{. great stock corporation and that
its stock was paying big dividends,
on account of the canteen earnings.
The inventor of the story did not, of
/ course, understand the difference be-
tween a voluntary religious corpora
tion and 4 stock corporation for bust
i ness purposes.
| On the other hand some Of the folks
back home have contributed to the
first Y. NJ. c. A. drive, expecting that
The Y. NJ. c. y. gave away everything
| the soldier needed, failing TO realize
that the sums contributed to Y. NJ c.
a war work If used in that way
would De but a proveIbial drop in the
bucket. The 7. NJ c. A. did give
away vast quantities OF supplies,
such as tobacco. hot cocoa, chocolate,
etc. to men in the front line trenches
and those coming back from battle
but the great bulk of the money con-
tributed was used for the wonderful
service program of the Y NJ. c. A.
The canteen received none Of this
money, that department being han
. Cled entirely for the government on
borrowed capital on a fiat cost turn
: men who could rot get those supplies
e in any other way.
! Another strange statement was to
the effect that "Y" secretaries did not
brave tho dangers Of the front line but
, stayed safely in the rear OF course
trey Were in the rear because that
; was wnere most of our army was
They we're, however, in the front line
: and Went over the top with our boys
Witness the hazards that have over
! taken some OF our own New England
men Remember the story of Edward
Sherman of West Roxbury, who
served in the "Y" outfit of the Second
V Division. who saw his bunkie, James
g Bircbby, given his orders TO go West
e by a machine gun bullet Sherman
himself. sampled two kinds of gas
ana lay in hospital for weeks Harry
Chase of South Braintree just re-
: turned from France with the marks o.
exhausting service and exposure Il
. the acids of war in his face 1t wa.
2 arsenic gas that almost finished hi!
career as q ~" secretary. In TIN
October drive he was driven back b,
! shell fire from taking supplies to an
ether secretary who was killed il
tho same drive. Voorhees, Of Hart
ford came home to die Of his wounds
Scion Borgium OF Connecticut, an
: eleven other *" men received tn
Croix do Guerre, and two more wer
!. cited for that decoration Henri
: Smith Of Beverly, Mass, was badl
; wounded on October Is; Rev, Joe
a Metcalf Of Winchester, Mass, wit
The 3rd Division. was gassed tn
n same day, We wonder where thes
''Y" secretaries met up with tn
(. bullets, gas and shells If not in tn
I'd DANGER zone.
I'd Perhaps the funniest part of a
$, these lGdicrous misunderstanding
Tire fact that some of our most INTEL
gent people here at home, hear them
accept them without question an
:. pass them on.
.