The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1919-05-03
WHAT THE Y.M.C.A.
DID In FRANCE
DR.. Woods Hutchinson, Well
Known Scientist, Praises Wei
fare Work Overseas.

fronts, what the "Y'' had done for the
war, which was beyond all praise,
and second, what the war had done
for the "Y," which was scarcely less.
/ should feel ashamed of myself if l
didn't speak out and add my mite to
clearing up this cloud of superficial
criticism which has been allowed to
overshadow the magnificent achieve
ment of the Y. M. G. A
Most of the criticism against the
"Y'' as brought back and written
home by our boys in France seems
based on comparatively superficial
charges. I have not the slightest hes
itation In saying that If all the COM
plants were true, the balance in
favor of the soldier would still be
Dinetynine percent of the entire war
service performed by the Y: M. G. A.
It's 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 mill
itary authorities.
In my Judgment, It 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
1elegate 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
Ct the future. Greater love hath no
man than this, that man will lay
down his life for his friend" There
was no crucifx that could be held be-
fore those boys that they had to look
up to see.
It was the bravest, gayest, most
loyal, justest and kindliest brother
hood 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 a great humanizing
process began, by which the Y. M. c.
A. has been fairly transformed, with
a splendid augury for greater and
more efficient service in the future
than it has ever performed in the
FAST. Its programme was early rec
ognized as essential to military eff
ficiency and 1 violate no secrets Of
the military authorities, not only of
the American army but also of the
French and Italian armies as well,
when I say that the "Y" programme
could not have been dispensed with
except at the cost OF prolonging the
war and 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
peditionary Forces, the response was
In the Affirmative and today the "Y"
supervises the operation of 1900
Foyers dt1 Soldat in the French army.
The Italians did the same and more
than $50 American workers are now
in Italy, where three times that num-
Der of natives have been assigned to
assist in the carrying on of the 'Y'
programme and operate it when the
Americans withdrew.
I 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 sersSce which
the workers rendered in the most
dangerous sectors. Nine dead by
she'll fire and gas, total of 100 cas-
ualties, "a of whom died, IL men
awarded 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 price1essly valuable
was it's work in keeping up the mo-
rale Of the troops that the German
General Staff declared it a combatant
and ordered it's front line stations and
huts shelled just as it did the dress
ing stations and field hospitals.
This work at the front was spec
tacular, the kind that newspaper
readers like to read about. But the
routine work in the ports, in the
training and concentration camps and
in the great leave areas was even
more Dasically important.
The "Y" programme repulsed the
greatest enemy of an army, the bore
dom that settles over fighting forces
between battles and over such
branches as the S. o. S. and as such
was a great war-winning contribu
ton. The "Y'' gave the soldier a
home, a club, library, a concert
Lall, church, theatre, and an ath-
letic field and stadium, but first, last
and best of ala Home.