Trench and camp., 1919-01-30
cealsd his dyspepsia when he Joined
the ranks of the "Y" workers.
Paralytic Who Served. =

the ranks or the " workers.
Paralytic Who Served.
! have much pleasanter memories
of the man at Nice, man who
limped and whose back was bent.
They told me that he had suffered
for years from a paralysis of the
lower part of his body and had been
in constant pain. But he had the
kindest voice imaginable. and a heart
bigger than all outdoors. You could
take your troubles to him with the
assurance that he would straighten
them out for you, or, IL they couldn't
be Strengthened, that he would SYM
pathize and that the sympathy would
be OF just the sort you craved. And
he had come across as secretary,
in spite of his feeble body, because ne
wanted to do his bit. and he was doing
1t so nobly that none of his fellow
workers could sing his praises loudly
enough.
On the whole, though. believe that
the woman workers in France were
of somewhat finer mettle than the
men. That was the impression that
i gained. They were women OF such
delicate tact. They knew when the
soldier wanted to talk and when he
wanted to be talked to. They knew,
too, how to approach a man who was
a perfect stranger to them, address
quainted with them and yet at the
same time convey to him the unmis-
taxable impression that in doing 90
they had observed every requirement
of social conventions. How did they
manage 1t? You've got me, but they
did. 1t was easy enough to get &C.
quainted with French girls-too easy
in fact with the wrong kind-but TO
meet real live American girl who
spoke your own language and per-
haps came from your own state and
knew some of the same people that
you dido boy, nobody but home-
sick soldier can know what treat that
was.
1t was in Paris on THANKSGIVING
day that ! found the most of these
woman canteen workers. They had
arranged luncheon for the men at
the Hotel du Pavilion. We sat down
to 1t, some two hundred of us at the
first table Q don't know how many
tables they served), and we were
helped to generous plates Of turkey
salad, and thin slices of brown bread
with plenty of butter, and enough
other delicacies to make us forget
thats the world was at war and half
the people of Europe starving, and
all the time the blue-gowned women,
all smiling and happy, were asking
US In plain English If we wouldn't
nave another helping of this or a
little more of that, and were we sure
we were satisfied or when had we
heard from home and were the folks
all well. That was almost too good
to be true.
And there was one middle-aged
woman, perhaps fifty years young. at
that hotel, who assisted In the library.
remember her so well, because one
-OI my relloW-sergeants who went to
Paris for long stay while he was
taxing course in gun repairing
Paris" he used to say, sure was
some battle. now I'm telling you. Il
thought at times it was going to get
me yet.
Those girls Oh. the boulevards did
know how to talk to you and two
or three times l had to think right
hard of Sweetie out in Kansas City or
Id have slipped But when things
got going too strong on the streets
land | felt that just couldn't stand
1t any longer, I'd sneak back to the
hotel and ramble into the library and
there was this nice motherly person.
Good evening, how are you
tonight? and then we were off for an
hours chat and the sirens weres~5ust
forgotten. 1t was dead easy, only
Just suppose she hadn't been there?''
And that's the sort of work that
] found the "Y" doing in France and
that Is why I've quit knocking the
association that I've never before
had the slightest use for. I still
believe that the ''Y" has it's iimita-
tions. l know it has made many
mistakes, but what organization
hasn't? You mustn't judge men by
their faults, why shouldn't you apply
the same rule to organizations?
Its religion may narrow down too
much after the war. and 1t may lose
some of the men that 1t has gained
for emergency service, but surely IL
will be a bigger and a better ~"
broader, more tolerant and more
charitable than 1T was in the old
days before the kaiser started on the
rampage. and 1 think that, perhaps,
we'll have little better army than
we would have had if the "Y" had
just kept hands off and let things
slide.
SGT. w. HOWARD RAMSEY,
Oh ~ n O.