The sun., 1919-02-09
SAYS 'Y' WELCOMES
HONEST CRITICISM
DR.. Mott Describes Some Of
the Vast Work Accomplished
in the War.
WINS PRAISE OF NATIONS
League for Political Education
Told Association Helped
Morale Of Troops.

All honest and constructive criticism.
no matter from what quarter. is well
coined by the Y. NJ c. A. concerning its
war work with the American Expedl-
tionary Force in France. said Dr. John
r. Mott. general secretary. yesterday,
when he spoke before the League for
Political Education in Carnegie Hall.
DR.. Mott declared that the association
had strengthened the morale OF the
allied armies and had distributed mill
lens OF dollars worth of comforts among
the troops.
I'VE Judge of the honesty of critics in
two ways" he said. First, is he ready
to give the name. date and placer II
he is unwilling to afford you a handle
on which you can take hold, Is 1t unfair
to assume there Is something Interior
or unfair behind his criticism? II after
he has given you definite facts. and you
have assured him you will give the mat
ter prompt and thorough attention he
goes behind your back and continues to
spread distrust you can make up your
mind he is not playing the game and
that there u something sinister back of
1t ALL
Our request OF all sincere critics, and
by that ! mean all those who really
desire to have the grounds OF criticism
! removed for the good of the service on
behalf Of the men In the army and navy.
Is to be definite. constructive. play the
game. give the organization the benefit
of the doubt. and to tell all they may
know that is good about the associa-
ton"
Praise From wounded Soldier.
Or. Mott quoted a wounded soldier in
New York hospital who. he said. had
told him the Y. NJ c. A. furnished the
best meals the men had at a base port,
and at the lowest prices The wounded
man. according to DR.. Mott. declared
that the Y. NJ. c. A. changed the SOL
diers' money at satisfactory rates where
others had fieeced them: that the big
he had seen in France and that the
association provided free writing paper
and envelopes and American magazines
for the enlisted men.
There was an entire lack OF criticism
so DIR. Mott asserted. of the associations
regular work in the United States. the
efforts In behalf Of the soldiers which
he said It had exerted during the Civil
War under the name of the Christian
Commission and its activities in the
Russo-Japanese and Spanish American
wars and during the mobilization on the
Mexican border. There had been "prac-
tically no criticism" he told his audi
ence. OF the association work In the large
camps and smaller military posts on this
side or the Atlantic.
| Dr. Mott reviewed in detail the or
! ganization's service with the troops OF
! Italy. France and the Czecho- Sovak
| forces, quoting the concentrations Of
their leaders. He said the Italian King
Its maximum in the italian army. and as
result there were now nearly 800 work
ers In that service.
No Criticism From Russia.
Not a single adverse criticism had
come from Russia. declared DR.. Mott
who added that Or. Masaryck president
OF the new Czecho-Slovak Republic. had
! expressed the greatest appreciation" OF
! the y. NJ. c. A. service with his forces
! MaJor-Gen. Graves. the ranking Amer
| lean officer on Russian soil. was quoted
as saying that the Y NJ. c. A. had done
more to stabilize Russia. in parts. than
any other influence. DR.. Mott asserted
/ that nothing but praise was heard
concerning the organizations efforts
with the troops In Palestine. NJ. 7opota-
mia. at Gallipoi and in the Mace 1onian
campaign.
So satisfactory had the work of the
American Y. NJ. C. A been among the
! 100000 French soldiers. according 70
Dr. Mott, that the Government there was
continuing to expand the Foyers du
! Soldat, the Franco-American y. NJ. c.
A. until at the beginning Of the year
| 1000 foyers had been dedicated. The
French War Ministry, he said. recently
| sent a deputation to New York with the
request that the Y. NJ c. a. work be
spread to 1000 points. covering the en-
tire French army.
You do not deceive the French" he
said. Face to face with what we were
doing in our own army. recognizing the
real merit OF our work. they said we
want to entrust the greatest enterprise
of serving our troops to the American
Y. NJ G. A.
Helped Prisoners of War.
Nor have you heard we'll anthem