Trench and camp. (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, November 07, 1917, Page Page 6, Image 6

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Kb! Hl / Mk '’til Ww 11 y^gj w 1/ H s I j .1 i •* / I 4 ’ hi I ill I I eras Page 6 Catholic Chaplain Endorses YMCA Says Association Was Friend To Men on Mexican Border. Farewell Talk by a Roman Catholic Chaplain to the men of his regiment at the Young Men’s Christian Association Camp Building on the day of their de parture from the border to go home. And now, men, I would not be dealing fairly with you were I to close this fare well service without expressing in your behalf our heartfelt thanks and deep’ap preciation to the Y. M. C. A. for its num berless kindnesses and untold helpfulness. It is one friend x that has never failed us; that has never found difficulties too great if there was any chance to help us; that Jias never left us even when we thought it would have been justified. When we left the State camp and start ed for the border we felt we had parted from our last friends. We had left every thing friendly back at home. Can you re member our surprise when we found that right there on the train we were already being taken in hand by the Y. M. C. A.? They were right on the job in the very beginning to cheer us and help us. But, we thought to ourselves, they will leave us when we reach the border. There will be none of these kindnesses there. But we were mistaken. For there was the Y. M. C. A., ready to serve us and meet our needs as long as we were to be there. , Then orders came for a long, long hike and changing of camp location. Well, we would have to give, up the Y. M. C. A. now. it was absolutely unreasonable to oven think of their being able to do any thing for us on a long drawn .out, dusty hike like that. But not so. For the very first day out we were cheered by seeing the Y. M. secretary hiking right along with us. And we were glad to know that one of the trucks was carrying sta tionery and other Y. M. conveniences for us. And the next camp in which we finally settled! Absolutely a God-forsaken hole! Even the sugar fermented there. Os course there would be no Y. M. C. A. in that place. But as I was walking around the camp a little later [ asked "What are those tents over there? The largest ones in the camp." And the answer was. "Oil. they are the Y. M. C. A. tents ” And sure enough they were. And the Y. M. stayed there. Willing to bear hardships with us in order to be of service to us. Then we moved to the next site. And they welcomed us with open arms. A concert the very first night—and help fulness and delights ever since. But now our border service is over and it is time to start back home. Do you think the Y. M. C. A. will leave us now? No, sir. Just late this afternoon I re ceived a telegram from our local Asso ciation saying they will be glad to wel come us home. Their building is open for our use. And they will assist every man of the outfit in getting a job and settling back to his useful civilian life. M6n, they have been our friends. In your behalf 1 want to thank them with all my heart. They haven’t asked us our special brand of religion—but they've wel -1 coined us all and tried to help us all. 1 have felt at home in holding/mass in the Association building and we have en joyed our Roman Catholic services here every Sunday morning just as the Pro testants have enjoyed theirs in the 'Even ing. The Y. M. C. A. has been a God send to the men on the border. MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA UP TO-DATE. Canning the Kaiser. (By Upton Sinclair of The Vigilantes.) News dispatch—London, Sept 15.—The newspapers declare that the American sol diers and marines have already found a slogan, which is “Can the Kaiser!" The British are much puzzled by the ability oi the Americans to invent new slang and the papers explain that the word "can” is used in the sense of hermetically sealing the kaiser to prevent his further activity. (Tune: Marching Through Georgia.) Bring the good old bugle, boys, we’ll sing another song, Sing it with a spirit that will move the world along, Sing it as we need to sing it, half a million strong— While we are canning the kaiser. Oh, Bill! Oh, Bill! We’re on the job to day ! Oh, Bill, Oh, Bill! We’ll seal you so you'll stay! We’ll put you up with ginger in the good old Yankee way— While we are canning the kaiser. Hear the song we’re singing on the shin-, ing roads of France; Hear the Tommies cheering and see the Poilus prance; Africanders and Kanucks and Scots with out their pants— j While we are canning the kaiser. (Chorus.) Bring the. guns from Bethlehem, by wav of old New York; Bring the beans from Boston, and don’t leave off the pork; Bring a load of soda-pop- and pull the grape-juice cork — While we are canning the kaiser. (Chorus.) Come you men from Dixieland, you lum berjacks from Maine; Come you Texas cowboys, and you farm ers of the plain; From Florida to Oregon, we boast the Yankee strain— While we are canning the kaiser. (Chorus.) Now we’ve started on the job, we mean to put it through; Ship the kings and kaisers all, and make the world andw; Clear the way for common folk, for men like me and you—• While we are canning the kaiser. (Chorus.) Send Them Trench and Camp With a One Cent Stamp TRENCH AND CAMP Statistxcal Report of the Army Y. M. C. A., Camp Hancock, for the Month of October, 1917. Attendance . . ........ ... .205,900 Lectures (18) 4,875 Educational Classes (88) 2,354 Books Circulated . , 5,953 Physical Participants .. .. 20,962 Physical Spectators , , 17,234 Religious Meetings (78) . . .. . , 18,055 Bible Class (20) . .... 357 Scriptures Given . 940 Interviews .... 690 Christian Decisions 285 Entertainments (41) 17,719 Movies (38) 24,265 Letters Written 142,356 Money Orders Sold $40,857.84 Physical Training in the 28th Division CAPTAIN HUGH DOANE The training of a division is directed with the ultimate purpose of reaching the maximum of fighting efficiency. To ac complish this, a basis of physical sound ness must be reached. Setting up exer cises and recreational sport have proven themselves as the best and most logical method of getting results. The physical training of this division has been based on the manual “Field Physical Training for Soldiers." The first step was taken by Captain Wood, U. S. A., who inaugurated an officers’ class of 125 men in setting up drills. Later on the class was cut to one of ficer front practically every battalion in the division and these officers went every morning for instruction in physical work, boxing, bayonet fighting and wrestling. The instruction here received is trans mitted by the battalion inspector instruc tors, as they are called, to their battal ions. In this way the work of the di vision along these lines is made uniform. The officers of the class are held respon sible for the instruction of their battal ions and their work is supervised and augmented by the Division Physical Di- “If You Like the “Y” Tell the Home Folks Why” The little rhyme carries a world of meaning; and while the Army Y. M. C. A. asks nothing in return for the service it is rendering for the soldier boy in the. American camps and on the Firing Line except the burdens of war lighter, it does hope—and has a right to hope—that every soldier boy w’ill be guided by the suggestions and write immediately— today, this very moment if you can—and tell the home folks what the Y. M. C. A. means to you. Will you do it? Has the Army Y. M. C. A. been helpful to you in camp? Have its writing room and reading room and entertainments appeal ed to you or brought a moment’s convenience, or happiness or relief from the routine of Army Life? Has its educational work reached you? Has its recreational program, its athletics, its outdoor and indoor games interested you? Has its secretarial service been of benefit to you? Have you found the free stationery, the sale of stamps, the sale of money orders, and the scores of little services of this kind of any help or convenience to you? Has the Army Y. M. C. A. room visited by you in this camp contributed in any way to dispelling the army blues so common to most of us when away from home? Has the standard of Christian ideals set by the Army Y. M. C. A. been helpful to you in any way. In all frankness — “It You Like the “Y” Tell the Home Folks Why” Will you do it right now? The “Y” is trying to serve you now. It will serve you when you get on the firing line in France. It will serve you in the Hospitals and even in the enemy prisons. Will you do this much for the “Y"? May the editor of Trench and Camp ask every man in this camp to write a letter home during the coming week, if it is only a line or two and tell Dad or Mother or Brother or Sister if the Army Y. M. C. A. means anything to the soldiers. If it does we want them to know it, too. Let’s make this very week the “WRITE A LETTER HOME ABOUT THE Y WEEK.” Special stationery will be furnished for this purpose. Ask for it! SONGS OF THE SAMMIES. American Field Headquarters.— “I’ve been working on the railroad aw’ll the livelong da-ay. I’ve been working on tho railro-ad Just to pass the .time aw-a-ay,” Any sweet singer of pool-room melpdies canfinish the words for you. But there is only one crowd that can sing it so con. vincingly that you know right off the bat they have been working on the railroad. They are the railroad engineers, coming mainly from Pittsburgh, New York, Chi cago and San Francisco; They’re , scat tered all through the place from seacoast all through the American supply bases right up to the camps of the expedition. In a few short months they have filled the corps with a spirit that will live through the war wherever engineers may be found —which is ’most everywhere. That spirit is expressed in the engineers’ little ditty which concluded: "Oh, we build all the barracks and we lay all the ties And we dig all the ditches for the other kind of guys.” rector, by means of battalion setting up drills. At the start the officers were coached in giving commands with the idea of se curing uniformity agid the exercises were varied so as to benefit all parts of the body. Lieutenant Umberger of the 109th Ma chine Gun Battalion, is supervising the bayonet instruction. The course that he has outlined was based on the methods employed at Fort Sill. From the elemen tary thrusts and parries the men have been taken through a final assault course and are now engaging daily in actual combat with wooden rifles, piastons and masks. The physical training has been con ducted with the idea of whipping the men into the best physical shape, bearing in mind at all times the importance of ac quiring and maintaining the correct mil itary posture and to the end that the ex ercises will fit officers ami men alike for the shock action that takes place in real warfare. The men have taken to the work with great interest and the enthusiasm dis played promises well for the fighting ef ficiency of the division. PROSPERITY. It’s easy to haul on the level, A skid-road that's smooth as a floor; You may have to work like the devil And pull till your shoulder is sore; An’ even a hill may not best you, A little upgrade now and then— But there is a road that will test you, The test of both horses and men. An’ that is the downgrade, my brother the place where you don’t have to pull- Tho easy road, somewhere or other, Is one that of trouble is full. "'he road up the hill you can master, The long haul that’s level may beat, But when things are pushin’ you faster— That's when you must keep on your feet. Hard luck seldom conquers a fellah, A fellah the regular kind; But when you will quit, if you're vellah Is when things are shovin’ behind. Right then is the danger of ditchin’, Is when you are wantin’ to run— So brace yourself back in the britchin’ An’ keep in the middle, my son! —Douglas Malloch, in the American Lum berman. nov. 7, 191/. Adjutant Wilson Explains Position Y. M. C. A. aiuTK. of C. Do Not Limit Activities to Par ticular Constituency. Dear Professor Bentley: The Secretary .of War desires me to ac knowledge receipt of your letter of Oc tober 9, 1917, relative to a rumor current that Masonic organizations are not per mitted in the army, while Knights of Co-'' lumbus are, and in response thereto to in form you that ever since the plans for the cantonments and training camps were first made the War Department has been flooded with resquests from # all sorts of organizations to erect special buildings inside the military reservations. Various religious denominations, a large number of lodges and fraternities and many ath letic and recreational clubs have petition ed us, each seeking to minister exclusive ly to its own membership inside the camps. If we let down the bars for one, we would have to take the same action in regard to all. The Young Men's Chris tian Association and the Knights of Co lumbus have for many years, both in this country and abroad, been represented in army camps, serving the soldiers along recreational and social lines without re gard to any question of membership. In other words, they do not limit their activi ties to a particular constituency. One organization represents the Protestant denominations, which will constitute roughly, 60 per cent, of our new armv, the other represents the Catholic denomi nation, which will constitute perhaps 30 per cent. Neither organization, however, as 1 have pointed out, will conduct its work on any exclusive basis. The build ings of both as well as their activities are for the benefit of all the troops in the camps. We felt, therefore, that the wisest plan would be to admit only these two organi zations for work inside the camps, and the action taken by the War Department was taken after full consideration of the problem by the Commission on Training t amp Activities, which has been appoint ed to advise with the War Department on matters of this kind. 1 am sure you will see that no discrimi nation against any fraternal order is in tended. it would be physically impossible from the standpoint of space to allow the many different organizations I have men t>oned to erect buildings inside the camps. On the other hand, if you will permit the suggestion. I think these orders are con- Witll a. splendid: opportunity in nefd? t? the creational and social needs of their membership in the com. munities in the neighborhood of which our ’military camps are located. These com a,!’e already organized along rec iml’Vb" 1 Un s s ’ a , nd 1 confidently believe f„L these orders have a large part to play in the program. 1 J J. B. WILSON, w ., ch . ; Adjutant General, u ashington, D. c. It seems to me I’d like to go Where helis don’t ring, nor whistles blow. Nor clocks don’t strike nor gongs don’t sound, And I’d have stillness all around. Not real still stillness, hut just the trees’ Low whisperings or the hum of bees. Or brooks’ faint babbling over stones In strangely, softly tangled tones. Or maybe a cricket or katydid, Or the songs of birds in the hedges hid, Or just some sueh sweet sounds as these, To fill a tired heart with ease. Sometimes it seems to me I must Just quit the city’s din and dust And get out where the sky is blue, ' And say, now how does it seem to you? THE SHADOW OF THE FALG. Mary Putnam Heart, of the Vigilantees The breath of joy was in the air, A May-time beauty everywhere, Yet dark beneath my feet ft lay As ’twere a blot upon the day. A shadow, wavering to and fro, 1 looked to understand—and, Jo! The shadow of the flag. The sweet winds from the orchard came, They caught each scarlet stripe aflame The white stars gleamed upon their blue— A glorious banner ’twas to view. But as it filled and floated free The sun played hid-and-seek, to see The shadow of the flag. Emerging from the storm-cloud's wrack A phantom army struggles back. To English and Canadian home Exhausted, broken, maimed they come. A mighty sacrificial host— Survivors of war’s holocaust. The shadow’ of the flag. And millions ’neath the torn ground lie Unfolding great Death’s mystery. Their youth was fair—they gave it all, Upspringing at the trumpet call. Was needito give it? Answer ye who sent to immortality These shadows of the flag. O, God, Omnipotent, bend down, Compel a world in chaos thrown. Man’s power is naught—Thy power is still The same that spoke from Sanai’s hill, Speak now. with stern authority, That our dim eyes may never see Such shadows of tur fia"