Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-08-13
REV. R. c. KEAGY
Tells OF "Y' WORK
MANCHESTER BOY TELLS OMAR
yELOUS WORK ACCOMPLISH
ED BY ORGANIZATION.
SAYS sY' NEEDS no DEFENSE.
VIII Engage in Y. N. c. A. in South
Dakota--ls Chosen State Sec
retary Of Organization.

4
|retary, arrived home recently, and
spent few hours in Manchester on
Monday. Mr.. Keagy leaves this week
for Chicago to attend conferences OF
Y men relative to the work he Is to
take up as state secretary for South
Dakota on September 1st. The Y. NJ.
C. A. is to extend its work in such a
way as to include community work
in its broadest sense, and 1t is Mr..
Keagy's plan to bring about work
ing organization In every county OF
South Dakota.
Relative to the work that the Y. M.
C. A. did during the war Mr.. Keagy
gives most interesting interview,
which we take from the Clinton Her
aid, and which will be read with in
Iterest by our readers:
Although the American soldiers
may come home with a bit more
abruptness and coarseness Of speech,
at heart they are all bigger men be-
cause OF their service overseas de-
clares Rev. r. C. Keagy Just return
ed to Clinton after eight months SER
vice in France. He will stay here for
month, with occasional visits into
Chicago, in order to, get acquainted all
over again with his wife and the
baby, and September I, will 60 TO
Sioux Falls, s. D., to take up his work
as state Y. M. C. A. secretary
When he left France. says Mr.
Keagy, there were practically no
Americans left at Brest, and mere
Handful In Paris so that the work IN
which he has been participating was
really at an end. Toward the end OF
the stay he was in Paris, and among
his memories is that OF the night when
the Germans said they would sign the
treaty. He was attending the opera.
The curtain was lowered and the lead
ling soprano stepped out on the bal
cony where she sang The Marseillaise
Ito $4,000 assembled in the Plaza
There was applause. naturally, put
when the notes of the Star pangied
BaMr en- came from her throat, the
wild huzzas rent the air. AfterWard
everybody went inside expecting to
see the completion of the opera but
the orchestra OF 100 pieces played The
Marseillaise to standing audience,
and then played the Star Spangled
Banner and there was no place for
opera singing after that. The crowd
could not contain itself.
On Peace Day he mingled with the
Others about the great building at
Versailles seeing the president,
lClemenceau, Foch and many other
celebrities and had his last glimpse OF
them at the opera July 4. In the
foyer they walked, and down the mar
BILE corridor, Foch, bent. looking OLD
and careworn, and tired; Pershmg
the grim fighter. his squared shoul-
ders and military figures impressive
even though you might have not
known the man.
"Paris is beautiful beyond descrip-
ton" says Mr.. Keagy and more IN
teresting than ever. Particularly was
he interested in seeing one o. the
newest after the war paintings which
! is eventually to find its place IN
Louvre: artists must wait for public
approval before their productions are
hung there. This painting depicts the
dethronement of the kaiser who lies
prone at the foot of the throne. the
picture OF Christ in cloud. the spirit
Of Victory in the background. Tne
figure OF the crown prince lies In an
abject heap and Ludendorff and
Hindenberg are portrayed in ignomin-
ious attitude. It is tragedy IN pig
ment and one that is compelling wide
attention.
Appreciate America.
"As a result OF eight months res
idence in France, fully half OF the
time passed in Paris and the remaind-
er between the channel and the sea
on the south, Alsace-Lorrafne the
coast. / may be considered competent
to say" observed Mr.. Keagy, that
France as a whole is Americas friend,
and an appreciative one"
Then he swerved to the Y. NJ. G. A.
and said clearly, "The Y. NJ. c. A.
needs no defense. Truth will always
rise triumphant and the pendulum is
even now swinging backward. The
association was so much bigger than
any one else on the job. The others
were just drop in the bucket In
comparison, they did fine work in
small units. but the Y. had the war
job. They say they were not in the
Argonne The reason why is because
the military officials took over all our
ambulances and our men and instead
| of peddling chocolate and food we
were militarized attached to the hos
pital corps.
when the final word is said the
BOYS will realize the parental care OF
the Y. NJ. C. A, in whose huts other
associations ard organizations dis
pensed comforts. The association
made mistakes. So did the army. Both
were vast in their scope and did Won
derful work. Every doughboy who
has been into the leave areas has no
criticism of the Y. work in those dis
tricts for there the associations work
ed freely and unrestricted. The men
and women of the staff ranked high
In personal characteristics, and some
of the attacks made by women writ