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w i jIhB * II * iffi Bi X*" w V Cl V \b* \ * \ *. /JFT sty * OSH at BY REV. DR. ELMER T CLARK. Lord Kitchener once remarked that the two indispensable agencies in the war were the Red Cross and the Red Triangle. This is a literal fact; without these two agencies the war would be a thousandfold more hellish than it actually is. In fact, it could scarcely be fought, at all, for without the alleviations afforded by these two institutions it is doubtful if the morale, the courage and the stouthearted ness so necessary to its prosecution could be at all maintained. There is a sense in which the Y. M. C. A. may be regarded even more im portant than the Red Cross. Perhaps the latter makes a steofiger appeal because of its merciful ministrations to the suffering, but the former supplies the social and spiritual needs of those who must still bear the brunt of battle; and without the satisfaction of those social desires the soldiers could not be kept in any desirable condition to bear it. It is, therefore, no disparagement of any agency that works among the armies in the field to declare that the Young Men’s Christian Associa tion stands well at the head of the Iftst of causes to which the nations owe their support. Wherever a soldier goes he is accom panied by the Young Men’s Christian As sociation; whether it is in France, Fland ers, Italy or England; whether he is in the trenches, on his furlough, or at the training camp; whether he is wounded, a prisoner of war or on active service; in whatever condition, or in whatever place, he is constantly in touch with the Y. M. C. A., and from this instiution he receives his refreshment, his entertainment, his religious inspiration, and his comfort. It is claimed that there are 4,000 centers of the Y. M. C. A. daily operating in connec tion wjth the armies of the British Em pire alone, and these centers employ the services of a veritable army of secretaries, clerks and workers, together with a vol unteer force of more than 30,000 women. These facts give us an insight into the magnitude of the work being carried on by this social and religious agency. London Dotted With Huts. In cities like London the work of the Y. M. C. A. is most important. In London —and this city differs from the others in Europe only in the matter of the number of centers required to iheet the situation —there are about forty Y. M. C. A. cen ters of varying sizes. Among them is Giro's, one of the best known clubs of the city, which is now a center of the Y. M. C. A., and is frequented principally by the officers of the British army.. It boasts an American soda fountain, it has levied on the best musical and theatrical talent of London for its daily concerts. Near this, on the Strand, is located the new hut for the American army, and across the street from this there is a smaller information and writing hut. The city of London is dotted everywhere with such places, so that a soldier in search of*refreshment or pleasure is always within easy walking distance of a Y. M. C. A. center, where he is sure to find friends and a welcome. Let us picture the daily routine of one of these huts and give a general view of z its character; thus we can understand what goes on in all of them. It is a large, low building, lightly but strongly built in an attractive mission style. It covers almost an entire square of ground, and its environment is as tasty as may be pos sible in the situation. It has a lounge and writing room large enough to ac commodate 200 soldiers, a dining room, a music room and auditorium, and a dormi tory, each large enough to care for 200 men. In addition to these large rooms there are naturally a great number of of fices, kitchens, and other rooms neces sary for the prosecution of the work. Saves Soldiers From Streets. Here meals are served at prices not ex ceeding Is. 6d., and beds are provided for an approximate fee of (id. Writing materials, entertainments and genera) ac commodations are all provided free to the men of his majesty's forces. Girls or secretaries from this hut meet all the trains at the station near by and assist, the men in securing their quarters and making their plans; all of these officials wear the uniform of the army with the red triangle on the sleeve. These huts, being- thus located, are daily saving thou sands of men from falling into the hands of the harpies of the streets and the va rious evil influences that wait for them in the cities, and they have been the sal vation of a great multitude, especially among the Colonials, who come to London as strangers. There is enough diversion provided at each hut in the way of thea tricals and musicales to satisfy the needs of the average soldier. At midnight a fleet of automobiles goes out from the hut. These machines are manned exclusively by young women, and they scour the city, forcing their way into the slums and all sections in search of soldiers who have become drunk or fallen into evil ways. When such are found they are taken in the machine to the huts and given lodging for the night, and in the morning they are assisted in finding their proper headquarters. To carry on the activities of this hut the services of approximately one hun dred girls and several male secretaries are required. The girls are the clerks, cash iers. matrons, waitresses, cooks, chamber maids and the like, and practically all of them give their services without remuner ation. And they are usually the highest type of young womanhood. It is nothing unusual to see a noble carriage, bearing a crest upon the door, with liveried foot man and driver, bring a mother and her • daughters to the hut, and these women from the aristocracy leave their carriage and-enter the hut to don the white cap • and apron of the waitress and to devote the day in the service of the private sol diers. Follow Into Trenches. The work of the Y. M. C. A. in the training camps is of a Similar nature. The huts and secretaries are here also, and they provide for the social and religi ous life of the troops in the same manner. The writing and reading rooms are al ways open to the men, and all of the rec reational activities are carried on in con nection with these centers. And the men avail themselves of the privilege offered with practical unanimity. Into the very trenches the Y. M. C. A. pushes its way in the service of the men. On all the fronts one will find the hut or the tent and the secretaries of the red triangle. They maintain their writing Page 6 LONDON HAS FORTY Y. M. C. A. BUILDINGS Young Women Scour Great Metropolis in Y. M. C. A. Au tomobiles Picking Up Wayward Men at Night. TRENCH AND CAMP rooms, their refreshment rooms, their en tertainments, and their religious services unafraid in the very midst of the vortex of the war. It is here that work of a most vital character is done in maintain ing the morale of the troops, for it is here that the demand for a recreational and social life is the greatest. The secreta ries will be quite likely to rise at 2 o’clock in the morning to serve coffee or choco- Young Women Assist Men. late to the troops as they file into the front line trenches, and to be on hand to greet and provide comforts for the con tingent that files out. In France and Italy the Y. M. C. A. carries on a rather large activity also. The work of the Y. M. C. A. in the army Is always under Christian auspices. But its principal, work is social. It is the leading religious agency in the army, far outstripping in its extent the chaplains, the Salvation Army, and the "Church Army’’ of the Anglicans all combined. But it is the exclusive social agency. "It does a work in this regard that no other even attempts with any degree of success. And this meeting of the social needs of the soldiers is a service the value of which cannot be overestimated.. NEWSPAPERMAN WRITES HIS PAPER Includes Letter from Soldier Telling of Experiences in Camp. C. Fred Ritter, of the 109th Machine Gun Battalion, is a Pennsylvania news paper man. Mr. Ritter was a reporter on the Allentown Democrat and letters from his facile pen are sent to the Democrat frequently. A recent letter to his paper is of more than ordinary interest and Mr. Ritter believes it will be of interest to readers of Trench and Camp. Here it is: (By C. Fred Ritter.) Camp Hancock, Ga.— Jujt how the soldiers appreciate the work being ac complished by' the war service branch of the Y. M. C. A. is brought out best in letters to home folks. Very sel dom are these brought to the public’s eye, but today there was a Pennsyl vania mother in camp visiting her son and I had the pleasure of meeting this lady—the proud mother of three sons in Uncle Sam’s army that will crush Germans despots and autocrats who seem to think they are guided by Thor. One subject led to another and then the work of the army Y. M. C. A. was brought up. The lady then proudly ex hibited a letter from her son, and said that she was following his wish in his home town, Butler, Pa. I am sure the boys from Allentown appreciate the work of the Y. M. C. A. as much as I do and consequently I asked her to copy the letter to send to Allentown. The letter follows: 109th Machine Gun Battalion. Camp Hancock, Ga. Nov. 21, 1917. Dear Mother — Several days ago I saw an item in the paper about a Y. M. C. A. fund for army service purposes. To be of assistance in raising this fund 1 wish you would do anything within your power. In short the Army Y. M. C. A. is a rendezvous for the soldier. Whether in the tent, or a shack it accomplishes the same purpose i. e. a place to read, write or spend a few hours in recreation or fun. No matter how comfortable a fellow's tent is, he occasionally wishes to spend a few hours in a different atmosphere and a Y. M. C. A. is the ideal place. In the following paragraphs are a few of the big items on their list of free serv ice to the soldier. Time is too limited to tell of all the little things accomplished such as personal work by the secretaries assistants and co-workers. As a postoffice the Army Y. M. C. A. has gre,at popularity—stamps, money or ders, etc. are sold, checks and money orders cashed. Stationery is"”furnished in abundance and does not cost the soldier a cent. It is the one place he can al ways depend upon. He has complete con fidence that he can get what he wants when he wants it. Home town papers are kept up to date and there is a library consisting of his torical, religious and fiction works, not mentioning the many magazines. By means of an index of every man all fraternity brothers are brought together. That is a mighty good thing. When it comes to entertainments, we couldn’t do without the Y. M. C. A. Regarding edu cational work, I must commend their tireless workers who try to teach us French. Oh. yes, we go to school and church in the Y. M.. C. A. During church services as a rule so many are there that some must stand outside. So, you see, you must pat the soldier on the back for going to church, even, when they do not have-the home folks to urge them. How ever, please remember that there must be an attraction to bring so many men into a church. Regarding athletics. I’ll tell you about this‘battalion consisting of three com panies of which I’m inspector instructor. The Y. M. C. A. furnished us equipment for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volley ball and indoor baseball. Also box ing gloves. Because there are three of us in the army I knew you would be interested to know’ of the work of such an organization and know it will cause you no end of com fort to know of the work being done. Your loving son, HENRY. ’ejideo aod qil-w- 'pjooo.i tauuaq sqi set, ‘Buozuv 'lioosaj,! ‘uSißduißO V ’3 K A fqi o} 008'2$ ‘qzL'Z jo uopuindod b tpiM “bg 'ojoqsauXrAl DI AR Y OF A FRENCH SOLDIER By Sergeant Sol Savory, of the 155th French Infantry Sergeant ~Agent de liaison” Charles Sol Savory, of the 155th French Infantry, who wrote the very interesting articles en titled, “Diary of a French Soldier,” ap pearing in the February issue of Every body’s Magazine, and w’ho contributed many other articles on the European war to American publications, is now in Au gusta. Previous to the outbreak of the war. Sergeant Sol was a banker, with his of fice in Brussels. At the declaration of war betw’een Austria and Servia, he was in the city of Belgrade and was com pelled to pass through Austria and Ger many to return to his home in Paris. On July 26th he left Belgrade and by August 3d, arrived in Paris, having trav eled through Hungary, Austria, Bavaria, Rhine Promies, Belgium, across to Eng land to bid good bye to his family, and back to Paris, where, at 2 p. m. of the same day of his arrival, he was trans ported in cattle trucks to Chalons sur Marne, headquarters of his regiment. It took four days to be equipped and by the 11th of August his division received its baptism of fire at Mars la Tour. Ser geant Sol claims his division, belonging to the Sixth Army Corps, commanded by General Maunoury, was one of the most active in this war. From the 11th of August until the middle of December that division participated in most of the im portant battles fought along the line from the German frontier to Arras, which shows how frequently they were called upon to tackle the Huns. A month after the battle of the Marne, Sergeant Sol’s division moved to Beu vraignes, and his section was especially assigned for reconnoitering and snipping. The following is an episode of sniping which should be of great interest to the men in training: My lieutenant left me and told me to choose four men I could rely upon. Each one. of us made a hole in the roof by taking one or two tiles away. We took some overlays, pillows, and arranged a comfortable shelter. We were, each one of us, laying down flat on our stomachs, each one in front of one of the holes. I observed witli eye glasses of great pow which Lieutenant Broccart had left in our section when he got wounded. The afternoon was a most pleasant one. It was just like in rifle-range in the White City. As soon as we saw something move in the German trenches we fired, and our first shots were a little too low or a lit tle too high. After a while our shorts were correct and we did not miss our aim. A very curious thing, however, we had noticed, was that the two cows in the meadow were regularly going to and fro from the German trenches to a small building just behind the eight apple trees. Inear the German trenches. We soon found out that the cows were attached to two long ropes. One rope was held by some one in the trenches, and the other rope by some one in the small building or somewhere near it, we could not very well see, because of the apple trees. We also found out that fresh troops were tak ing their places in the German trenches. Every time that one of the cows was pulled to the trenches three Germans were sheltering behind in order to leave the trenches unnoticed. Os course, we at once sentenced the poor cows to death. A few shots and one was down. Not dead, however, as we noticed the ropes pulling the animal to make it stand on its feet again. In fact, it stood up, but a few more shots and the first cow was dead. The other one fell down forever on our first shot. Now began business. How many have been wounded, I didn’t know; but I can say that very few have passed our rifle range without being hurt. A great many have been killed. This was a gruesome amusement, but how could I have feelings of pity for the enemy? We have been playing at this game until dusk, until we could not see anything more. From time to time two of us left the loft and warmed our feet by walking in the yard of the farm. We entered the abandoned house of the farmer and saw hie clojhes on a chair. We at once imagined to make a dummy dressed up to hang it in the apple-tree so as to make the Germans believe it was an observer in the tree. We found a long rope and we awoke Leconte in the trenches. He came up with us, and from a hole in the wall just near the apple-tree he was holding one end of the rope. At the other end we attached the dummy and threw the rope over a branch of the tree in such away that when Leconte pulled the rope it gave the exact impression as if the dummy climbed U” the tree. After this we found a stove, made some coffee (which we always carry with us), and we had a few warm cups, each of us. We had tobacco, military tobacco, which is very coarse and nearly impossible to smoke, but we managed it all right, and felt quite refreshed. The well was in the yard, and I even had a douche. Rather cold at that time of night. The moon had disappeared and a mist was hanging over the landscape. We could hardly see anything, but little by little it seemed to me that something was moving along the German trenches. I spoke to my chums about it, and they also observed something without being able to Say what it was. All at once we saw a dark object moving along the trenches as if running, and a very few minutes later we were positive about our observation. The Germans had come out of the trench es to warm their feet. One of my men ran to our trenches and gave to all the sections the result of my observation. All of our men in the trenches kept their rifles ready to shoot all at.the same time on my command from the. top of the house. This I did, so that the. Germans may not be able to guess' how many we.were. My signal was-my own shot.-The men in the trendies count ed one, and all together fired at. the en emy's trenches. The.noise of one hun dred an fifty rifles fired all at the same moment is. tremendous. We fired three times in succession. The panic in the German trenches I cannot describe. At that moment we had our game with a dummy. Leconte pulled the rope and up went our dummy. We pulled a little ‘more to make the branches move. We then heard a few hundreds of bullets through the apple tree. But I noticed that the Germans passed their heads suf ficiently high out of the trenches to be fired at. In consequence, instead of look ing at our poor dummy being shot, we returned to our observation holes. Our dummy was still in the tree, but the firing had nearly stopped. I then had Nov. 21, 1917. the idea that Leconte should make the dummy to drop down. We waited for a short time before pulling him up again. The Germans thought that they had kill-; ed the man in the tree, and when they saw the dummy go up again they took it to be a fresh man, climbing up the tree. They at once got up in their trenches and fired as before. We were ready with our rifles and we succeeded several times in hitting hard at our aim. We could not see, of course, if our shots killed or wounded, but by that time I am sure that not many of my cartridges were wasted. At last we were found out. The Ger mans, however, thought that we were in the side of the buildings, and alii of the time they aimed at us we could also fire at them. About ten o’clock, p. m., another regi- Fneirt came to relieve us. We all regret ed to leave this spot. We would have liked to do some more good business in the morning. HOW BRITISHTOMMY VIEWS THE WAR Thinks General Haig Best Gen eral Ever Led An Army. Germans Clever. Washington, D. C.—We have all heard a good deal about what visiting French and British experts and officers think of the war. However, what the British and French enlisted man—the private or non com—has to say about it is another mat ter. As a rule they are not interviewed in this country. Here, however, is an uncensored and informal bit of war gossip from a British corporal now in this country as an in structor at an American camp. I met Corporal Smith —which isn’t his name—on a Georgetown car in Washing ton fixe days after he landed here. He was already at work with 200 of his fellow English non-coms, instructing American sergeants and corporals of -future liquid flame companies at Fort Meyer. Smith was a new type.; His woolen khaki colored uniform was nothing un usual, but the British army shoe—a re plica of the old-time "brogan” of the American farmer boy of a generation back—was distinctive, and led to the opening of a street car conversation en tirely uncensored. There was nothing of the “Tommy” in the corporal, and as for accent or dialect less difference between us than between a Texan and a down Easter. If he had stepped out of a midwestern high school a few years back, and then worked as a bank clerk for a few years, the result would have been about the same sort of young fellow. English Not Mentioned. "Os course you hear more about the Colonials in the dispatches,” he said, “be cause the conseroship forbids mentioning the English county regiments, This may have started in sheer stupidity, but has probably been kept up because of a fool ish feai; of taking the people in confidence. Many of these regiments get cut up so badly and so often, they don’t feel like mentioning them. “Anyhow, the casualty lists show that whether the English do anythihg else or not they manage to die at the rate of 77 per cent of the total killed. “We are over here for instruction pur poses. We are still under British order's and can be recalled at any time and are still drawing British pay—2s cents a day” —a grin. “The French officers and men sent over here are entirely at the dis posal of your government and draw your pay. ’’The American army? Well, I would like to break away into it, or buv a way into it if I had the tin. You ‘say some of the men kick at the feed. They ought to be put to extra fatigue duty until they learn some sense. You would have a hard time buying as good meals as we get at Fort Meyer at the swellest hotels in London. Nothing like it in the British army. Plenty of everything, where we are skimped. Coal, all you want. Over there, a bucket now and then and you’ve got to make it last. “Finest material for an army I ever saw in that camp. Yes, the show will last Plenty long for them to get into it, and when they do they’ll have no superi ors. We are about all in for men; couldn’t raise another 100,000 without stretching the age limit to 15. The French, of course, are worse off, but are in to the finish. Women Doing Work. “The main thing that strikes a man over here is the men he sees everywhere at work. In England you simply don’t see them except in uniform; the women are doing the work. “We are taking men for service now of the Class C-3, which practically means any fellow who can stand on two legs and could have held an office job in peace times. Os course these go far back of the lines to work. Our total in France? Well, the Germans know its over 3,000,000. "The last German prisoners 1 saw were a mixed lot. Some divisions still yield fine men, well kept; others gave up noth ing buy boys, mostly runts. Certainly they have lost millions, but they were good breeders in peace times, and in the first part of the war we lost more than they did because we had to match guns and barrage fire with bare bodies and rifles. “Now it’s the -other way and we send over fourteen shells to their one, but thev are still desperate and still clever; they make ’em no cleverer. “They had the start, but we and the French have used all our brains and have put sortie good tricks over on them, too. But they are not out yet. If Russia had stayed, it would be winding up now, but nobody can call the end at this time. Haig Great General. “General Haig is the best general that ever led an army, and all the men think so.” All of which we have heard more or less from the scribes and the experts, but I know that Corporal Smith knows what he is talking about and means what he says. A Propos of the Recent Campaign for Money. “Blessed are the money raisers, for they shall stand beside the Martyrs."—Moody.