Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-22

Social work in the Army In any
future emergency should be handled
by the government itself through
single. non-sectarian agency. in the
opinion of Raymond d. Fosdick.
chairman Of the commission on train
ing camp activities, expressed in
report made public today by the War
Department. Secretary Baker was
said to be substantially in accord
with Mr. Fosdick's view.
Rivalries engendered by the sec
tartan nature of the Young Mems
Christian Association. knights of
Columbus. Jewish Welfare Board or
other societies sharing in the united
war work campaign fund of $172,OO0,-
000 Mr.. Fosdick found to have pro-
vided "the worst possible basis for
social work with the Army" re-
suit for which he held the training
camp commission responsible for haV-
ing turned to these private agencies.
Lesson Taught by War.
ut seems to me-" said Mr.. Fosdick.
| that the lesson of the war in social
work involves perhaps three points
the elimination of sectarian auspices.
reduction in the number of agencies
employed and the transfer to the
government itself of much of the
activity hitherto left to private in
itiative."
Discussing the work of the six or
CARNATIONS that served abroad with
the Army. the report said the Young
Mems Christian Association. handling
So per cent of the war work budget.
and with 5000 representatives IN
! France, was far the largest and ere
| ceived a good deal of criticism from
the soldiers in France"
Some of this criticism Is merited,
Mr. F'osdick said: much of it is due,
| believe. to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The bulk of the complaint arose
from Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton operation of Army canteens
which Chairman Fosdick said was a
| mistake. although it was undertaken
as a service to the Army and released
large combatant personnel. From
early days the canteen had been an
Army prequisite and the soldiers could
not understand why it should be
which was at the same time raising
millions at home for support" the re-
port said. and continued:
, Moreover, the personnel OF the Y.
/ NJ. c. A. was unframed for this Kind
of work and it soon found itself in
a maze of business and technical diff
fculties with which it was unable at
first to cope. In the minds of the SOL
diers, 1t Immediately became a COM
| mercial organization and from this
stigma 1t has never succeeded in free
! ing itself"
So far as the effect of the transfer
| of the big canteens on the Army
! command went, the report continued,
| lit was genuine relief to the gen.
,~s 10 R<rht t,1rv
dayes OF the Army. II did not have to
handle the ever troublesome canteen
| problem.
Results Show Large Losses.
THE charge that the Y NJ c. A.
made money out of the canteen is. Of
course. erroneous" said Mr.. Fosdick.
| However big its prices may have
been in individual localities. consid-
! cred as business venture. the total
| results show large losses
i Another ground for criticism of the
! Y NJ. c. A, which Mr.. Fosdick said
WAS somewhat justified. was in the
character of it's personnel. While
many of it's men were well qualified
| for their work. he said, many others
were utterly unadapted to this pur-
| pose and had no common ground in
mixing with our virile, red-blooded
| young soldiers" He found also. how
ever. the field of choice was limited.
| men of proper qualifications being in
most cases in the Army.
The work of $500 young women,
| serving under the Y. NJ. c. A. with the
troops in France. 'fs beyond praise
| Mr.. Fosdick stated. the girls being
1 far better adapted to the task than
the average man. He said also the
charge of badly adapted personnel
could not be confined to the Y. NJ. c.
! A. alone.
| Viewed broadly. Mr.. Fosdick de-
| clared. the Y. NJ. c. A. deserves the
appreciation of the Army and the con-
| tinued support of the public"
Other Organizations.
! Similarly Mr.. Fosdick found that
the Knights of Columbus carried on q
helpful work on The same general
lines. noting particularly that this or.