Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-06-06
WOMEN RECEIVE
HIGH TRIBUTE
FROM ny" MAN
Rev. Sewell, Wounded at
Argonne, Says Women
Served Faithfully.

Rev. f. X. Sewe1l, formerly pastor
of the Methodist church at Wynn,
Ark, later in the Y. NJ C. A. service
in France, and now in the general
Y. NJ G. A. work in Arkansas, speak
ing at the Fellowship luncheon 1T the
Y. M. c. A. last night, paid a high
tribute to the American woman work
ers in France and England during the
war. Where there was a service to
be performed, you saw them-the
American women"
Rev. Sewell entered the Y NJ c.
A. service In July, 1913 and after
period of training, was sent across
He was wounded in the Argonne sec
tor in October when a shell burst near
him while he was returning to the
|"Y' dugout from delivering supplies
to segregated balloon corps The
shell cast a fragment which struck
him in the knee. of the right leg, ne
cessitating two operations before he
recovered. He still walks with limp,
and uses a cane.
Canteen Il "White ELEPHANT"
The Y. VI. c. A. took over the can
teen work, he said, by request of
General Pershing, and with doubts
by John r. Mott. Pershing said,
Shall the Y. M. c. A. be guided by
spirit of fear than by spirit of
service?" That decided the course
OF the Y. NJ. c. A., the speaker said,
and the Y. NJ c. A. then took charge
of what Pershing himself termed, 1.-The
white elephant of the army"
Rev. Sewell spoke briefly of the
,fott tL-+
100000 applications, II 900 were sent
across. 1t is not the usual thing to
find preacher staging a prize fight,
but that it what Rev. Sewell did, for
he was one of two "Y" men on
transport going over. and to relieve
the motonony and bolster up the mo-
rale OF the men, he staged boxing
matches on the deck every day. The
"Y" men, he told his audience. who
were to go overseas, were to go over
seas, We're drilled five afternoons
week, and were taken on five-mile
hike every Saturday afternoon 1--WE
We're in pretty good shape,D he said
Men Met Many Temptations.
London, according to Rev. Sewell,
was recreation center for some of
the members Of the A. E. F., especi-
ally after the armistice was signed.
| Thousands of American soldiers
streamed into London, and to meet
this great throng of American visi-
tors, the Y. NJ. C. A. rented five Lon
don hotels which were placed at their
disposal at very reasonable prices.
The most famous of the 'Y" recrea-
ton centers in London was the Eagle
Hut.
"The four-year struggle had a
strong effect on the morals of those
countries Rev. Sewell stated. "Ev-
erywhere was seen the painted wom-
an of the streets, stalking about,
seeking her victims. Booze was at
their disposal also, and, with the
booze, and the painted woman, the
American soldier was presented with
temptation which the Y NJ G. A.
tried to alleviate.
Women Patrolled Streets.
American women numbering about
40. the speaker said, known as the
street PATROLS were upon the streets
of London at nights until o'clock in
the morning, and they were most
numerous in the vice districts. These
women were there to protect the
American boy from the wiles of the
vampire. and if they saw boy drunk,
or with one of the painted women
they usually succeeded in getting him
into cab and sending him to the
Eagle Hut.
1--WE saw" Rev. Sewell said, "Amer-
lean womanhood wing with the paint
ed woman of the streets, in her eff
fort to save American manhood"