Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-06
Organizations Popularity
at Front Lessened by
Several Factors
CANTEEN is CRITICIZED
Personnel and Too Much Re.
ligious Zeal Also Pointed
Out as Drawbacks
By EDWIN L. JAMES
Special Gable to Erening Public Ledger

CopDrioht. 1919, bU Nci0 York Times co.
COblenZ, Jan. 6s-George w. Per.
kins. chairman OF the finance com.
mittee of the American Y. NJ. c. A..
who is on the Rhine n,akiLS a sur.
vey of Y. NJ. G. A. work, says the
organization has something like $780,.
100000 to spend over here. 1t appears
that the Y. NJ. G. A. does not know
exactly how to spend the money. There
is an evident desife to spend it in a
manner that will do the most good
for soldiers and in so doing to re.
habiltate the suffering reputation of
the Y. NJ. {. A. among the soldiers.
Mr.. Perkins has been seeking in-
formation as to reasons for the uil.
popularity of the Y. NJ. c. A., and at
the same time has been seeking ideas
as TO the best ways in which can be
used the large funds that the organi.
zation now has at it's disposal. He
has been told that there was no doubt
that the Y. NJ. c. A. was chock-full
of full intentions, but that its career
with the American eXpeditionary
forces had been lavishly mismanaged
1t Is idle to try to express In few
words what has been the matter
with the Y. NJ. c. A. Its present un-
popularity is an outgrowth of many
factors. If 1 were asked to set forth
the biggest factors in making the un-
pleasant reputation the Y. NJ. c. A.
now has over here, I would say. first,
management of canteens; second, un-
fortunate selection of much Of its per-
sonnel and third, overmuch care for
sol 20
doughboy.
Y. NJ. G. A. Canteen a Mistake
Let us take the matter of canteens.
or course. it is true that the army
asked the Y. NJ &. A. to take over
the canteens. Disregarding opinions
as to the wisdom of that procedure,
the Y. NJ. c. A. found itself with the
canteen job on its hands. In accept.
ing that job the Y. NJ. c. A. made its
big mistake. And this is why the
doughboy has never been able TO
understand why he should pay fancy
prices at Y. NJ. c. A. canteen when
he has read of millions given to the
Y. NJ. c. A. by his folks back home.
For the Y. NJ. c. A. it was and it is
unfortunate sthat the doughboy is not
endowed with judicial temperament.
Were he so endowed he would doubt.
less weigh carefully that the Y. Al. c.
A. had to pay big shipping freights,
that the Y. NJ. c. A. had to pay rents,
that the Y. NJ. c. A. had to pay many
salaries, bigger than the doughboy got
for fighting Uncle Sans battles. He
would consider all these things--if
he had the judicial temperament. But
not having it he has said:
"Why the deuce should we have
to pay big prices for those things
when the money was given the Y
NJ. C. Az"
Now the Y. NJ. c. A. sets forth per
sistently that nowhere in its publicity
campaign did it say that It was going
to use money raised to give things to
doughboys. Yet the conclusion seems
justified that it did not set forth plain
ly enough that things were to be sold
to doughboys, because in countless let
ters from home doughboys were told
of how parents and friends had given
money to the Y. NJ. c. A. so that can
teen supplies would go quickly ant
freely to fighting men.
Take the question Of personnel. This
links closely up with the canteen prob
lem. Great changes which have beer
made in Y. NJ. c. A. personnel in the
last few months go to prove what
say about many of the secretarie:
sent to France being best described
in American slang as lemons" Mr.
Perkins points out that great many
men had to be found quickly and i
was difficult to get all good men.
| agree with Mr.. Perkins that tina
statement is particularly true. but III
being true by no means changes til,
fact that the Y. NJ. c. A. had SOM
men over here who should have stayet
home and conducted pink teas. mad,