The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-30
FOsDICK's OPINION.

VI lie SIX SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS working
the American troops in France the Salvation
Army was the most popular with the men, ac-
cording to Rayr1ond Fosdick, chairman of the
commission. on training camp activities who re-
rently returned from Europe, where for five
months he attached to General Pershing's
staff as a civilian adviser
In statement made public by the war depart
ment. Fosdck reviewed at length the social well
fare work of the Y. M. G. A., the Y. w. G. A,
Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare Board,
Salvation Army, and American Library Asso-
citation Summing up his observations, he de-
cared:
1T seems to me the lesson of the war involves
perhaps three points: The elimination of secre-
tartan auspices, reduction in the number of agen-
cies employed, the transfer to the government
itself Of much of the activity hitherto left to pri-
vate initiative
Referring to the Y. M. C. A., the largest of
the six organizations, Fosdick told of criticisms
of its work by men in the service
Some of this criticism is nerited; much of
it is due, believe, to misunderstanding" he OBJ
served. Probably the bulk of the criticism
arises from the operation by the Y. NJ. c.. A of
the army canteens. Moreover, the personnel of
the I. M. G. A. was unframed for this kind of
work, and it soon found itself in a maze of bust
ness and technical difficulties with which it was
unable at first to cope.
In the minds of the soldiers it Immediately
Eecame commercial organization and from this
stigma it has never succeeded in freeing itself
The charge that the Y. M. c. A. made money out
of the canteen business is, of course, erroneous
However high its prices may have been in in
dividual localities, considered as business ven
ture the total results show large losses.
Another ground for criticism of the Y M
G. A, was in the character of the personnel
while many of the men chosen to work
among the troops were excellently qualified
he continued, many of the men were utterly
anadapted to this purpose, and had no common
ground in mixing with our virile, red-bIooded
young soldiers"
The excuse for this situation, Fosdick believed
was that the best men for this kind of work
were themselves in the army, and other sources
of workers had to be tapped"
Fosdick paid high tribute to the women work.
ers, declaring that the average woman worker
attached to hut is worth four of five men work
ers.
"Her effect on the morale and spirit of the
troops is extraordinary" he declared. can hon
est-to-God American Girl as the soldiers cal
her, can do more to keep the men cheerful anc
to create atmosphere of home than any Other
factor
Their work has been in no small degree re
sponsible for the unflagging devotion and mex
haustible patience with which our troops carried
forward their high enterprise"
Speaking of the Salvation Army Fosdick de
clared it the inner spirit of service of this
organization that has endeared it to the hear
of the doughboy." Its personnel was carefully
selected, he said, and consisted of men and WON
en- who "knew how to meet their feIow-men OF
common plane, and no task has been too humble
and no service too small for them to perform fol-
the troops"