Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-23
SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 28, 1919
JUDGE LINDSEY ON THE Y. CA.

Judge Ben LINDSEY Oh DCliNGT spent
much time at the front in France.
lie has written a frank article for a
magazine in which he tells of the UNI
popularity of the Y. NJ. c. A., and
why it was unpopular; of the popular
ity of the Salvation Army and why it
was popular with the fighters.
The Y. NJ. e. A. was blamed for
selling things to the soldiers at higher
prices than the same things could be
bought through the canteens, before
the canteens were taken over. But
Judge Lindsey says the soldiers who
made the complaints knew that the
articles cost the Y. NJ C. A. more be-
cause it had to pay freight charges
and the army didn't Also he points
out that when the Y. NJ. c. A. reduced
the prices and took the losses, the
popularity of the institution was not
improved in the slightest
He says beyond question the Y did
great work among the men and that
workers connected with the organiza-
ton went unhesitatingly to the very
fighting fronts and many of them
were killed or wounded But these
things failed to improve the VS.
standing with the men.
The trouble, he says, was that the
Y workers openly protested that they
were sent to the front. for the purpose
of reforming the morals of the men
and of converting them into members
of some church or other. They were
evangelists, and carried with them
selves an air of distinction from the
men they were there to save. There
was lack of brotherhood, in the sense
the soldier understood it, and in the
sense that the Salvation Army workers
We're brothers to the doughboys. He
believes out of the war will come a |
different sort of work by the churches
of the country
After consideration of the evils and
losses of the war; it is only fair TO take |
up the compensations and to give |
them equal chance to weigh upon the |
scales of God. One writer has pointed |
out that in the growing national in
timacies everywhere lie our best hopes
for true internationalism that shall |
safeguard the future of the world. |
Peoples who differ widely in their
customs, habits. religions, loves and
hates, are nevertheless coming to- |
sether from the four corners of the |
earth and working for common
cause. Judge Lindsey says the church, |
as represented by the Y. NJ. C. A.. is |
out of touch with this trend and
should get into step with it at the |
quickest possible moment.
Joseph Cook once said that the
nineteenth century had made the
world neighborhood and that the
twentieth century would, make it into
brotherhood. He spoke apparently
better than he knew Judge Lindsey
says the Y. NJ. c. a. workers. with
few exceptions, maintained the atti-
tude, without intending it, of being
out of touch with the brotherhood
idea.
Charles NJ. Sheldon once wrote
poem with a fine inspiration in which,
speaking of Jesus work at the car
penter's bench, he said: Brotherhood |
was buided there" (
There is little pamphlet at hand, |
written by II. Il. Fosdick, entitled, |
THE Challenge of the Present Crisis"
1t argues that We should accept the |
crisis not as hopeless calamity. but
as great Challenge challenge to
the practical working out of an inter
national cooperation for the solution
Of the moral and material problems
emphasized in the war, Among these
probNhs is how to uplift Ut individ-
ual without necessarily bringing him
up through membership in a church.
On these matters the Journal does
not pretend to pass judgment 1t
merely presents these facts as indica-
tive of the attitude of a vast majority
Of the men who enlisted or were
drafted into the war.