News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1919-03-19
FUNNY NOTIONS
ABOUT Y.M.C.A.
The Canteen Produces a Strange
Crop of Fables-Ludicrous
MISUNDERSTANDING.

The war has brought the Y. M G.
A. into world prominence. Because Of
this prominence, constant questions
nave arisen with reference to 1t in
the minds of the uniformed and
some most ludicrous statements have
eeen passed about.
For instance. we have it on the
word Of good friend. former secre-
tary of the Y. M. c. A., that a soldier
In one of the southern camps came
TO him to express his appreciation OF
all that the Y had done for him, and
said that he was doing all he could
to help the "Y." Some one asked him
what ne was doing, and his reply was
that he bought all his postage stamps
there, and 1t developed that he really
thought the Y. M. c. A. made a profit
from The sale of postage stamps
which they sold in such enormous
quantities to the soldiers as a matter
OF convenience.
Another ridiculous assertion on the
part of men who have come in con-
tact with the Y. M. C. A. for the first
time, emanates from overseas, and
we hear the statement. in all serious
ness by somebody who processes to
know, that the Y. M. c. A. is making
great deal of money from its can
teen and is even charging the
soldiers. OF course, the story would
not be complete without inventing
some way of utilizing these alleged
large earnings from the canteen. In
some cases the story goes that the
local Y. M. G. AS back home receive
the profits from the canteen, in other
cases the story has been solemnly
passed about that the Y. M. C. A. was
a great stock corporation and that
it's stock was paying big dividends.
on account of the canteen earnings.
The inventor Of the story did not. Of
course, understand the difference be-
tween a voluntary religious corpora
ton and a stock corporation for bust
pess purposes.
On the other hand some of the folks
back home have contributed to the
first Y. M. C. A. drive expecting that
the Y. M. c. A. gave away everything
the soldier needed, falling to realize
that the sums contributed to Y. M. c.
A war work If used in that way
would De but a proven bal drop in the
bucket. The Y N. C. A. did give
away vast quantities of supplies,
such as tobacco, hot cocoa, chocolate,
etc, to men In the front line trenches
and those coming back from battle,
but the great bulk of the money con
tributed was used for the wonderful
service program Of the Y. M. c. A.
The eanteen received none of this
money, that department being han
Cled entirely for the government on
borrowed capital on a fiat cost turn
over basis, as a convenience to the
men who could not get those supplies
In any other way.
Another strange statement was to
the effect that "Y" secretaries did not
brave the dangers of the front line but
stayed safely in the rear. OF course
they were in the rear because that
was where most of our army was.
They were, however, in the front line
and went over the top with our boys.
Witness the hazards that have over
men. Remember the story of Edward
Sherman of West Roxbury, who
served in the "Y" outfit of the Second
Division, who saw his bunkie, James
Birchby, given his orders to go West
by machine gun bullet. Sherman,
and lay in hospital for weeks. Harry
Chase of South Braintree Just re-
turned from France with the marks of
exhausting service and exposure to
the acids of war in his face. 1t was
arsenic gas that almost finished his |
career as a "Y" secretary. In the
October drive he was driven back by |
shell fire from taking supplies to an
ether secretary who was killed in !
the same drive. Voorhees, of Hart !
ford came home to die of his wounds |
Scion Borglum of Connecticut, and |
eleven other "Y" men received the |
Croix de Guerre, and two more were
cited for that decoration. Henry |
Smith of Beverly, Mass, was badly
wounded on October 16; Rev. Joel
Metcalf OF Winchester, Mass, with
the 3rd Division. was gassed the
same day. We wonder where these
"Y" secretaries met up" with the
bullets, gas. and shells IL not in the
danger zone.
Perhaps the funniest part OF all
these ludicrous Misunderstanding is
the fact that some OF our most intelli-
gent people here at home. hear them;
accept them without question and
pass them on.
This Is a funny world