New-York tribune., 1919-01-15
In Justice to the Y. M. c. A.

There is danger that very grave in
justice will be done the Y. NJ c. A.
Our fighters seem to be in a crouch with
it. The most human quality of youth is
gossip "If they didn't kick, they
wouldn't fight said an officer in France
last summer when he reminded "Y"
secretary that his doughboys were kick
ing about their mail their food, their
quarters, and their pay
Before the armistice was signed we
used to hear that the Y. NJ c. a. was
open to criticism behind the lines. but
that at the front the services rendered
under fire were beyond praise One com
manding officer insisted that the "Y" sec
retary attached to his battalion march
with the men through Paris on the
Fourth Of July. Secretaries were men
toned in citations and were elected hon
orary members of outfits
You can't very well criticise a man
when he crawls out to your machine gun
nest through barrage to bring you your
smokes and cookies and chocolates and
letters from home. And the records show
Y.
Many were wounded, some were killed.
The secretary in his hut back in the
training area had harder time and less
opportunity to win popularity. He was
a country storekeeper, janitor, d the
atrical booking agent, promoter Of ath-
letics and librarian rolled into one
Formerly the criticism one heard Of
thx ~ A nN
and differences into account and was at
least discriminating; but now it is be-
coming fashionable to say unpleasant
things about the organization, and much
Of its really fine work is disregarded
When you remember that each mill
tary unit formed it's opinion of the whole
Y. M. G. A. organization from one Y. M.
c. A. secretary you can realize how
much energy, tact and resourcefuness
each Of many hundreds of secretaries
should have had. Unfortunately many
Of them didn't measure up. That was
inevitable.
Perhaps the greatest fault of the Y.
M. {. A. was that it assumed too many
burdens. 1t was asked by the army to
run the canteens, and it did. 1t was
asked to organize entertainments, ath-
letics and educational work, and it did
1t was asked to send money home for
the soldiers, and it did The army called
for more new secretaries, and still more
The Y. NJ. c. A. got them and sent them
over, believing that, even though all of
them weren't ideal, it was better to send
them than to let the landing troops be
without their huts. And the troops were
landing by the hundreds Of thousands
The army wanted one secretary for each
unit Of five hundred men. But with the
number OF men III the army and the
number engaged in jobs which they
couldn't leave at home, that goal was
never reached. Ask the men who were
without "Y" service part Of the time.
They will tell you what it meant They
are the ones who realize best what our
army's lie Would have been without this
organization. The Y M. c. A. assumed
the prosaic, useful jobs. There was
little pictnresqueness in it's work. There
we're weeks and months of gruelling
iabor--in warehouses, for instance.
TO dismiss with a thoughtless, unin-
formed word the efforts Of an organiza-
ton which has earnestly tried to do its
best is not fair play. One hears the
work of the Y. NJ. c. A. contrasted 1n-
favorably with that Of the Red Cross
There is a sentimental reason, perhaps.
for that The basic appeal of the Red
Cross is that it helps the helpless. The
T. NJ. {. A. dealt with whole men. That
was the understood division of work be-
tween the two organizations. Soldiers
/ who say they didn't zee Y. NJ. e. A.
man or woman fror The time they were
wounded until they reached home do no.
I realize The reason. And they don't real
j ize how much they hurt the Y. M. C, A.
when they make criticism which seem,
to indicate lack Of human sympathy.
| When man says the Y. NJ. G. A. sold
! dear merchandise he doesn't realize that