The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-05-01
WHAT THE Y.M.C.A.
DID IN FRANCE
DR.. Woods Hutchinson, Well
Known Scientist, Praises Wei
fare Work Overseas.


and second, what the war had done
for the ~" which was scarcely less
| should feel ashamed of myself If
/ didn't speak out and add my mite to
clearing up this cloud OF superficial
criticism which has been allowed to
/ oyershadow the magnificent achieve
luent Of the Y NJ. C. A.
Most of the criticism against the
| ~" az brought back and written
kome by our boys in France seems
based on comparatively superficial
oharges. | have not the slightest hes
tia ton in saying that if all the COM
| plants were true, the balance in
| favor of the soldier would still be
| ninety nine percent of the entire war
service performed by the Y. M. c. A.
Its work as saw it from Belgium to
| tie Adriatic, and from the home
training camps to the front line
trenches was simply magnificent.
| While, of course, mistakes were
made, they were on the whole fewer
than those of most other organiza-
tons operating under such difficult
circumstances, not excepting the mil
itary authorities.
In my judgment, 1t was the "Y"
and its splendid army of volunteer
minister workers that saved the
face" Of the earth in this war. 1t was
practical Christianity in action and
did more to humanize the church and
.elegate creed and rituals to the back
shelves than anything that has hap
pened III fifty years.
These grave, quiet, bravely cheer
full and happy simple minded boys of
ours. who looked like cherubs and
fought like devils, had already made
the supreme sacrifice, had offered
their lives to make the world safe for
their loved ones and for the children
Cf the future. Greater love hath no
man than this, that man will lay
down his life for his friend" There
was no crucifix that could be held be-
fore those boys that they had to look
up to see.
1t was the bravest gayest most
loyal, justest and kindliest brother
hood I was ever admitted to, and
they're going to tear this gray,
greedy, selfish old world of ours at
home TO bits and make it over again
and better. And God be with them in
their crusade and God help anyone
who stands in their way!
Through them great humanizing
process began, by which the Y. M. c.
A. has been fairly transformed with
splendid augury for greater and
more efficient service in the future
than it has ever performed in the
last. It's programme was early rec
ognized as essential to military eff
ficiency and | violate no secrets OF
the military authorities, not only OF
the American army but also of the
French and Italian armies as well,
when ] say that the "Y' programme
could not have been dispensed with
except at the cost Of prolonging the
war AMI delaying the victory.
And may add that they seriously
considered the possibility of organic
ing some other force to do this work
in the camps. and ended by turning
everything over the Y. M. c. A. and
giving the Association carte blanche
and hearty support The French
looked at it for months askance on
account of the &c" in the name, but
ended by asking for 1000 French
speaking American secretaries and
their STATS. And although the ''Y"
was already burdened by the service
demanded of it in the American Elk
reditionary Forces, the response was
in the affirmative and today the "Y"
supervises the sopel alton Of 1900
Foyers du Soldat in the French army.
The Italians did the same and more
than ESQ American workers are now
in Italy, where three times that num-
her of natives have been assigned to
assist i'll the carrying on of the "Y"
programme and operate 1t when the
Americans withdrew.
| saw the "Y" In operation from |
Belgium all the way across the west |
ern front, on the two fronts in Italy, !
on the Isonze, and in the mountains /
of the Trentino. By it's, casualty list !
one may estimate the ser.~e which !
tie workers rendered in the most
dangerous sectors. Nine dead by !
she'll fire and gas. a total of 100 cas-
lislties. "a of whom died, IL men
p warded the Croix de Guerre, two
cited for the same honor, 10 given the
distinguished Service Cross,-these
figures tell story of heroic service.
SO vitality and pricelessly valuable
was its, work in keeping up the mo-
rale of the troops that the German
General Staff declared 1t combatant
and ordered its front line stations and
nuts shelled just as it did the dress
ng stations and field hospitals.
This work at the front was spec
acular, the kind that newspaper
leaders like to read about But the
outline work in j, the. ports, in the
raining and concentration camps and
n the great leave areas was even
more Dasically important.
The ~" programme repulsed the
gre atest enemy of an army, the bore
.om that settles over fighting forces
battles and over such
branches as the S. o. s. and as such
vas a great war-winning contribu-
ion. The "Y'' gave the soldier a
'ome, club a library. concert