The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-31
h o mai % AeN h does
HUMOROUS SIDE OF "Y" MOBILIZATION
VIVA, can you say of his home

What can you say of his home
lifeo
Idea. He is bachelor"
What. II any. special weakness Of
character has he ?"
He owns Ford"
What are his qualifications for re-
ligious leadership?
plays organ. Not much other
wise"
Thus did the comic mask grin. un-
consciously. behind the scenes in the
m Civilization OF the greatest civilian
army ever recruited for war service.
Approximately 100000 persons
commented upor the characters of the
$50 900 volunteers who sought to en-
list under the Red Triangle to serve
the fighting mon OF America at home
and overseas. Every one of the so 900
made his own personal confessions in
his application
BY virtue OF the responses to the
inqusition Of this million. and the con-
fessons of the | 1000, the 1896
men and women Y. NJ. C. A. workers
who served at one time or another
in camp and overseas were chosen.
Among the responses and confessions
were the unconscious bits of hum or
, that re}iewe4i5 he tension Of the tra ma
Of y" mobilization, And, now that
! the crisis is past. the war personnel
board of the "Y' National War Work
council has lifted the curtain on these
comic interlu0cs.
stands revealed the minis
ter who, according to one of his ref
erences' plays i'll a band and uses his
horn to social advantage otherwise. -
Here is another who won this com
III l..
too often gloom -dispeller, butts the
| opposite
One would be "Y' secretary was
recommended because his right leg
| is about an inch shorter than his left
| leg. Would use. this man because OF
| his ability to meet men on their owr
! ievel"
'If any further information Is de.
| sired" ran letter commencing thu
| secretary of one of the leading mis-
sion boards. Of the country, Il shall
be glad tc give 1t. l nope he viii b
able to- got Lis pass,".tt at an earl,
date as II viii be fore the good o
the country AVE him 20 as soon 4
ossible."
One candidate facing the porspec
i Of being sent to Vladivostok or Meso
potamia, wrote:
'1f | go 10 either OF the countries
mentioned, would it he permissa Bile t.
! carry a rifle or two? l understand
that both are big game countries ant
are only semi civilized hav
several high powered rifles AM
would like to be allowed to carr
at least one. if not two
Another. determined not to lie
Jerry" get away" with anything jus
because his own duties were to b
, non-com Blatant inquired:
What is the chance of doing lit
tie fighting on the side, if | am /
the front line, trenches or openo i
. other words. il | am carrying in
/, casualty or passing out cigarettes an
, n Boche takes q. shot at me, can
shoot back. or will have to let hir
get away"
One secretary from a western stat
said that a woman called on him be
fore he left to go overseas. She ha
heard that some rare ferns grew i
no mans land and she wished h
J would dig up few and send Their
Z to her.
Like most preachers" said on
recommendation ''he is used to Civ
ing orders rather than taking them.
Another conn ent was: He is per
fectly honest but highly educated.
This was cited as an eccentricity q
character--''He sometimes tells tn
truth when he should have said moth
ing" Other "eccentricities" In
Guided being bachelor and being I"
lawyer and red headed"
one applicant gave his build" a
Scotch irish. Another, unde
positions held" wrote: Have Away
worked in the employment Of my
/, self"
Under use of ntoxicants?" wer
/, found these rotations by applicants
Not as intoxicants.' DO not us
them--except rarely, Total ah
stainer. dry as punk"
The motives of one applicant fo
entering the work were given as 'Fo
the sake OF humanity, and making hi