Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-18


into the fighting zone during the big
tive and efficient in rest areas.
2. Y men have had a safe and
easy time of it when they ought to
have been carrying rifles in the M
fantry.
8. There are too many excursion
lists and sight-seers in the Y, who are
ready to go home as soon as they
have toured the battlefelds and tast-
ed Of the excitements of life In Paris.
4. Too many preachers in the Y,
and too much preaching. l..
70. The doughboys resent the I'M
%plication that the Y has Saved" them
from various forms Of perdition. They
allow with some heat that a few Y
workers needed a bit of shepherding
that they didn't get.
6. Toe many workers are conde-
scending and supercilious: too man
small men with inflated opinions of
themselves. r
7. The usual complaints about
overcharging for canteen supplies.
with many protests that the Y. NJ. c.
A. should give away its wares.
The reader will please remember
that the seven counts in this indict-
ment were drawn UP for me by SOL
diers met in various parts Of France,
w inv l11Sy = DCI uO"u 4lSlCs NV
as conclusions. but for further refer
ence and examination. Before we
take up the case for final judgment,
we will have a look about and see
how the organization is actually OPP
Grated.
Y. NJ. G. A. at Verdun.
One Sunday morning a party of
newspaper men drove into Verdun in
a military automobile, en- route from
the st. Mihiel region to the Aygonne
forest. We needed a few things to
eat at midday, as WI were about to
enter a region swept bare Of all civil
ian life. SO we drove t the Y. NJ. c.
A. headquarters. We found the Y in
a large, bare, and partly ruined build
ing opening into q desolate court
strewn with stones, bits Of broken tile
and other debris. The canteen occu-
pied a large room on the ground floor.
It was crowded with men and officers,
standing In a line that wound back
and forth, waiting their turns at the
counter. A man IN a. woma were
working as hard as they could. I
judged they had been there for hours,
and that they would remain for many
hours more
Now. the reason why I like the
Salvation Army. better than the Y.
NJ. G.. A."-came a. voice at my side.
! IStS Oio oSo6AooS was SC4A44b6
another that 1.-The Y acts as though
it is doing you a favor. while the SAL
walton Army folks make you feel that
you are doing them a favor in coming
to them" I did not, personally, envy
the Y workers their long. hard hours
in this muddy. desolate place, where
no M seemed inclined to give them
any thanks for their effort.
Foiline the Women.
The Y. NJ. G. A. occupies a large
building in a convenient central To-
crowded all the time. The canteen
workers get little time to reflect about
the aspersions Of critics, because the
critics keep them too busy
The library maintained at this
place is literally ~patronized by the
soldiers and sailors, and. the lounge
is a popular room, especially in the
Goldberg and l dropped in to buy
some soap and other home comforts
and we found the place crowded. A
sailor was playing on the piano. and
in a moment he was acting as ac-
companist for a oma violinist, who
performed to the evident enjoyment
of the boys. outside, the wild young
women of Bordeaux were literally
combing the. streets for victims, but
I1Ao "0b0 NSPA4tN~ W lax VppOl u
nifty OF %parading their charms before
one large building full Of Americans.
To end this discursive view and
get down to the charges. let us take
the testimony OF Lieut.. Stephen T.
Early of the 317th Infantry, now as
ISOLATED with the Stars and Stripes In
Paris. In civilian life. Lieutenant
Early was with the Washington stafl
of the Associated Press. SO We may
regard him as careful and reliable in
his statements and conclusions.
Y in Battle Zone.
my regiment was in the Argonne
fighting" he told me. Zone day my
n platoon was In the support line, just
a. little back Of the main engagement
and right alongside US there was b
Y mar with . stock Of chocolate and
cigarets, which he was giving away
free to the soldiers. To my knowt'
edge HI: worked steadily for twenty;
four hours without q stop. He did
all that anybody could possibly have
DONE"
I talked with a fine. capable ane
sensible Y. NJ. G. A. secretary WHIT
has spent eighteen months in France
and who knows the situation thor.
oughly.
Of the Y workers should never hays
sonnet Of $500 men. headquarters ha.
been obliged to give dishonorable dis
charges to 200 and send them. home
These men were Of the type who had
experienced temptation, and
who couldn't measure up to the situa.
ton. Some Of them went wrong NOR
ally. You have heard how three
workers have been locked up FOR en-
bezsling money entrusted to them by
doughboys about 10 go over the top
We have had too many minister,
without executive ability. Some min
listers have gone down before the lure
OF the girls on the Paris boulevards
Then we; have had some men who