The Irish standard., 1919-02-22
Tho Y. N. c. A. in France.
February 8, 1919.

Z that don't like the Y. M. G. A. In
France. In fact, after the experiences
n Of the past several months, when
\ truth and unadorned honesty of mind
and speech have become even more
desirable in the eyes of an ordinary
soldier exile, 1 feel that l should
make known my bias at the very out
j set of the discussion. do not like
4 hypocrisy-and suspect the Y. M.
\ C. A. strongly of it. l resent being
4 uplifted-and the Y. M. C. A. has tried
to uplift me. l hate condescension-
/ and have yet to read an article about
J the "Y" that is free from it, or to meet
with a Red Triangle representative
who has, to all outward appearances
at least, quite consoled himself for his
enormous sacrifice of dignity before
the exigencies of service here. l am
biased. I feel that more bunk" about
the Y. M. c. A. has been spread over
the face of the land, more sweetness
and light" and Y. M. G. A. Goodness
than l can stand. And then today
came the climax
It was an article, typical Y. M. G.
A. article in the Saturday Evening
Post for September Z, 1918, page 26,
and it was written by Maude Radford
Warren. The magazine came to me
through the American Red Cross. Here
is the paragraph:
Until l came to France to work
under the Y. NJ G.. A., | had never
guessed how much the "Y' means to
the soldier. AS one does at home
had taken it's functions for granted;
1t was just slogan for me, meaning
gymnastics, lectures, and sermons,
and rooms for social intercourse. But
over here-I only voice the word of
hundreds of soldiers who have spoken
to me when say that without the Y.
M. G. A. we could not win the war,
anu at the same time send our SOL
diers back to be useful citizens"
That did the business. One of the
ambulance drivers gathered the maga-
zine to him and rose to his feet. Lis
ten follows" he yelled. The section
became quiet. Banjos and mandolins
ceased their plank-a-plank. A discus.
sion Of peace and war at one end of
the billet was hushed momentarily.
All eyes turned expectantly, curiously,
toward the speaker and then he read
that paragraph aloud. When he had
done, there was moment of dazed,
utter silence. Then,-"Well-I'n be
damned" "The nerve" "Of all the in
sults!" Wow! Couldn't win the
war!"-"nor go back home decent"
A chorus of derisive voices filled the
billet with clamor. No, the Y. M. C.
A. is not popular institution with
the thirty-two men of at least one
Ambulance Sectioh here in France,
men who have driven cars into the
lanes Of battle from the Argonne to
the Meuse and Verdun, from the red
horror of Consenvoye Road to the
reaches of strange, hashed mortar and
timber that was Thiaucourt
A small. negligible group? Per
haps. If 1t were not representative,
1t might be. There is the rub. That
small group represents the thousands
Of men of at least one Division and
parts Of half dozen others. for these
Ambulance drivers have come into
contact with the doughboys of nearly
every division in the Northwest of
Verdun" reports.
Let's analyze the attitude of these
thirty-two men. It will be an illumin.
ating performance, and will explain
that strange unanimity of opinion. For
these men are all hostile toward the
Y. M. G. A. When they get back they
are going to give voice to their hostil-
ity in vigorous terms. They hold the
entire organization in contempt In
this l am no partisan. am merely
chronicling an attitude. Not a sane
attitude, not generous attitude for
these thirty odd men to hold? How
ever, that is their frame of mind, and
what are you going to do about it?
Perhaps understanding it may help.
You may say that they are not quail
fed to Judge. reply that the section
includes university men from at least
three states, teachers, etc.
Their attitude toward the "Y" is
based upon series of concrete hap
penings. The first I shall cite to show
the feeling toward the organization
that we have found all over the front.
A driver in our Section ran across the
Divisional Y. M. G. A. Secretary and
found the man to be an old acquaint-
ance. The Secretary gave the driver
a carton Of Home Run Cigarettes,
which he took, not with the intention
Of smoking them himself, but because
he knew he could give them away to
men at the front. He had plenty Of