Connecticut western news., 1919-03-27
WHAT THE Y.M.C.A.
 DID IN FRANCE
Dr. Woods Hutchinson, Well Known Scientist, Praises Vel
 fare Work Overseas.

I 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 tc overshadow the magnificent achieve ment of the Y. M. c. A.
 Most of the criticism against the "" as brought back and written home by our boys in France seems based on comparatively superficial charges. have not the slightest hes itation in saying that if all the com plaints were true, the balance in favor of the soldier would still be service performed by the Y. M. c. A. Its work as I saw 1t from Belgium to tie Adriatic, and from the homs 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.
 Tn my judgment, it was the "Y" and its splendid army of volunteer minister workers that saved the face" of the earth in this war. It was practical Christianity in action and did more to humanize the church and delegate creed and rituals to the back shelves than anything that has hap pened ,n fifty years.
 These grave, quiet, bravely cheer e,,1 e;rv fn howe .of CUTS, 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 Of the future. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man will lay down his life for his friend" There vas no crucifix 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 I was ever admitted to, and | they're going to tear this gray, greedy, selfish old world of ours at home 10 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 splendid augury for greater and more efficient service in the future than 1t has ever performed in the | rast. Its programme was early rec | ognized as essential to military ef- | ficiency and I violate no secrets of the military authorities, not only of 1 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 and delaying the victory.
 And may add that they seriously considered the possibility of organiz- 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 70" in the name, but ended by asking for 1000 French speaking American secretaries and their staffs. And although the "Y' was already burdened by the service demanded of 1t in the American Ex- reditionary Forces, the response was in the affirmative and today the "Y' supervises the operation of 1,50O Foyers du Soldat in the French army. | AL than 250 American workers arc now in Italy, where three times that num- Der of natives have been assigned to assist i'll the carrying on of the "Y' programme and operate it when tho Americans withdrew.
 I saw the "Y'' in operation fror; Belgium all the way across the west ern front, On the two frcnts in Italy on the Isonze, and in the mountain l of the Trcntino By it's casu>ity F.
 one may estimate the ser.~e whic' the workers rendered in the moe dangerous sectors. Nine dead D, skell fire and gas. a total of 1G9 cG9- ualties, 54 Of whom died, 12 men awarded tho CroiX da Guerre, two cited for ;hc samo honor, 10 given tH' distinguished Service Cross,--tLesc figures tell a story of heroic service.
 So vi.a,ly and priceiessly valuah' was it's work in keeping up the mo- rale of the troops that the Germ2n General Staff declared it a combata2t and ordered it's front line stations ard huts shelIod just as it did the dress ing stations and field hospitals. i This work at the front was spec tacular. tho kind t'22t 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 OaSIcally important.
 The "" programme repulsed the greatest oEcmr of an army, the bore com that settles over fighting forces between battles and over such branches as the s. O. s. and as such :, h,-