Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-03-28
ELIZABETH GILMAN TELLS OF
Y. M. C. A. WORK LOVER THERE

a work over there" SE; calls it |
"A tale from the Wayside Inn at |
Chateau Thierry:"
Now that Paris is regainips SO much !
of its normal life, with sand bags and !
notices of "Abris" removed cakes for |
sale in the shops and smartly dressed |,
girls going out for their morning |
horseback ride in the Bots, it is some !
what interesting and invigorating to
leave the city for awhile and to go out
to the country where our men and the
French together did such a large share
in winning the wal between June LIST
and November 18th. Rheims, scissors,
Chateau Thierry, Verdun will be names
to conjure by for all time and it has
been my happy privilege to have been
sent out TO Chateau Thierry TO help Or
game the Y. NJ. c. A. work under the
Rev. Samuel Wilson, a Y. NJ. c. A. sec
rotary, from Santa Rosa. Cal Having
come over long ago to help win the
war the great objective now is to keep
the boys contented and happy during
the prolonged period of waiting before
they can go home.
Let me tell you what our work was
on the side of the Marine very near the
bridge which was blown up during the
war and then so speedily repaired by
some of our American troops. The Y,
NJ. c. A. was fortunate in securing a
fine private dwelling house, built by the
notary public of the town just before
| the war. The Boches occupied it for
a time but did no very serious damage
| beyond broken windows and dents in
| the wall. So very quickly we were able
| to take possession. A large room
proved Il splendid meeting place for
| the dances, cinema, Sunday night ser
vices and our smaller rooms are used
1 fCt- Il,
| canteen. On cold, snowy day the
men would crowd around the stove in
| the dry canteen and discuss everything
under heaven and on earth with the
secretary. | could not but think how
| necessary it would be, now that Amer
lea has gone bone dry" to have such
a room on thousands of street corners
in our big cities, which the men would
| feel to be their very own for free dis
cussion a game of pool, and for soft
drinks The free luncheon" so much
advertised i'll many a corner saloon
could fill u niche just as usefully I'M
der the non-alcoholic regime which we
now enter. I do not know whether the
people at home realize how strong is
the resentment in many soldiers
heart that these prohibition laws have
been passed while they are out of the
country and therefore unable to vote
for, or against. 1t seems to me thai
it is up to those at home to see that il
missing his glass of beer, that the sol
: der does not miss his natural meeting
place and club with the comforts tina
go with it. This is indeed side issue
from my story, hut one that was ST
, impressed upon me that it had to come
out.
Upstairs in the Y, NJ. C. L house
there are about ten rooms, which Wer,
) filled with cots and good warm army
! blankets, which We're in turn nightly
filed by eighty or hundred soldiers
q, sailors, or officers, as the case nigh
be, who had come down from Paris t.
see the memorable places in the vi
cinity, Vaux, Belleau Woods, the i'm.
placement of the Big Bertha" Quentir
Roosevelts grave, as well as Scissors
: and Rheims. After tramping all da!
; they were delighted to find IN this Y
: NJ. C. A. rest house, a friendly wei
come. and hot supper and q warm cot
l The warm supper brings me to m.
own particular share of the work
which was in the bright, warm kitchen
: where from about eight in the mOrnin|
until about ten at night the boys coult
get something to eat, except during tW'
b. half hours when the place was cleaned
/ out and the workers themselves Wer
l able to stoke up. Fried eggs seemed t.
L be the touch of home that most of TIL
/ boys longed for, but they We're conten
t with almost anything we could Civ
5 them in a kind of dairy lunch room
r such as soup, hot drinks, baked beans
etc.
, On Sunday night salad and cold han
t seem quite like what mother Woul
2 give them. The boys of course Wer
/ glad to pay for these things and as tn
Y1T-i1o for
:. lunch or supper is served for Is
1 francs, if eggs are not ordered, it meet
e every requirement, though occasional
< the boys give so many 'encOreS" the
r run up quite a little bill. The first te
S boys to come i'll sit around the lon
: table in the kitchen, for that is tn
+ most popular place and they are a
}. that table almost every moment of tn
day But when thirty or forty hungr
- mortals are clamoring for food. at tn
r same moment, We send in trays to tn
+ adjoining rooms.
s have given the skeleton of our wor
e -"the outward and visible sign''-bu
n to those of us who are working owe
here with a deep sense Of our priVileg
of rendering true service, We can al
ways find the inward and spiritu&
= grace" as well, and here at Chateau
Thierry the great delight has been tn
y homelike atmosphere where friendl
: ! condolences and vital interests can b
I talked over. I have seldom felt NOR
2 | pleased than when one Of the boys sal
d quite naturally This isn't the Y. NJ.
2 A. this is home" Besides the crow
J of sightseeing members of the A. e. i
: We have had quite a number of Amer
leans stationed at Chateau Their,
two ambulance units, military polio
n quartermaster's department and a pho
: tographic outfit To all of these. tn
2 ~ has meant for the past six week
u their rendezvous when off duty an
: to the Photographic outfit sent out
e take official photographs under the d
! rectiOn of officers from the differer
divisions engaged in the fight last sum
mer We have been able to extend NJ
y only the use of the upstairs room, bJ
also dark room, etc, in the cellar.
As everybody knows the enlisted me
n are of all types and many interests, an
=" those at home may like TO hear bits
X talk which we have had around II
4 kitchen table. One sergeant | foun
reading Shelley at every possible me
l. ment so we exchanged ideas on poety
a and literature. love and life in ii
o the twentieth century, and | hope c
my return to Baltimore he and h
wife will come to see me.
A dear boy not quite eighteen ha
been in the army for nearly two yea
=. and he with his manly height of s
* feet two was in marked contrast to h
, little buddy" Jack, a Welshman wi
= could hardly touch the five foot MAJ
[ imagine, and they were both in al
- out all day long whenever they cou
Il get a chance to come for a cup of h
cocoa. or jam, and the big tall Amer
.e can was constantly bringing candy
the American ladies.
}. Perhaps the most interesting boy
l9 all was the young cowboy, who hs