The St. Johns Herald

Y.M.C.A. CENTERS GODSEND
FOR SOLDIER BOYS
The most humanizing or
organized activities of war time
is the work of the Young
Men's Christian Associations,
in the training camps at home
overseas and in the prison
camps. Wherever our boys
are sent they will find the
sign of the Red Triangle, the
Army representative of this
wonderful organization on
hand to welcome them with
its tonic atmosphere of good
cheer, sociability and clean
living.

For splendid constructive
work this organization is car-
rying on is almost beyond de-
scription. Any one of the
150,000 of our boys now on
the firing line in France and
the millions at home in the
training camps, would tell you
the same thing this Arizona
boy wrote to his folks at
home.

"I feel as if you ought to
know something of the work
of this life-saver, the Y.M.C.A.
Since the "Y" shack was
opened the dance-hall on
Houston Street are deserted.
You will recall when I first
landed here I wrote that we
had the best crap-shooters and
card sharks in the Army.
Well, that is a thing of the
past here. The old cry of
"Come Baby Joe" and "Stay
with me Phoebe" is no more.
The "Y" has the gang. Two
of them have become checker
fiends, one won the domino
championship and the other
two are playing on the basket
ball team and studying
French.

"If you have loved ones at
home, it is impossible to resist
the open ink bottles and the
pens and paper which are
supplied free. It makes you
ashamed to think that the "Y"
is more interested in your
home folks than you are.
You know that I was a "slack-
er" when it comes to religion.
That was partly due to the
way it was handed to me.
But the "Y" hands out in re-
ligion in doses that a man can
take. It tightens up the halt-
er that gets loose when a man
gets away from home.

"Who pays?"

"I don't know, but whoever
it is God bless them.
They
are the fathers of millions of
boys."