FOR THE MEN WHO ARE 
 REBUILDING EUROPE 
 
 Number Twenty-one 
 
Copyright, 1922, by 
 
 The International Committee of 
 
 Young Men's Christian Associations 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
 Key pp /Qoo 
 
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 FOREWORD 
 
 Our Army on the Rhine, the American Forces in Germany, 
 never large, has, during recent months, been so far reduced 
 that the little group of men stationed at Coblenz may be 
 regarded as a symbol of American life and American ideals 
 rather than an instrument of force. In so far as this group of 
 Americans has exerted an influence it has been a moral influ- 
 ence — indeed we may truly say it belongs to the spirit. Pre- 
 cisely for this reason it has been of the utmost importance 
 to maintain and enrich those finer instincts and impulses 
 which alone qualify these men to interpret what is best in 
 our American life to the distressed and embittered nations in 
 whose midst they have their temporary abode. 
 
 In selecting the material for this pamphlet it has been our 
 purpose to let the men and women who have known the sol- 
 diers best tell in their own intimate way the story of their life 
 with the men. 
 
 C. V. HIBBARD. 
 
 347 Mp.dison Ave., New York City. 
 October 9, 1922. 
 
THE ARMY ON THE RHINE 
 
 Sept., 1919— June, 1922 
 
 In August, 1919, the Association began to organize a perma- 
 nent service for the eight thousand United States troops then 
 taking their positions in the German occupied territory. In 
 October our troops originally intended for the Silesian plebiscite 
 area were also stationed on the Rhine, making a total of sixteen 
 thousand. Seventy-two women and fifty-four men were engaged 
 in the work at its height, practically all these secretaries having 
 been trained by service with the A E F. 
 
 Although in November, 1919, the welfare work for the United 
 States army was taken over by the War Department, the Asso- 
 ciation was requested to continue in Germany and at a few other 
 points until the army welfare service should be well established. 
 While the work at the other points was later taken over by the 
 army welfare board, that at Coblenz, at the request of the officers, 
 has been left in the hands of the Association. The cooperation 
 of the army was constant and complete. Whenever suitable 
 quarters could be found, buildings were requisitioned for the 
 Association. It was always notified ahead of the movements of 
 units, that the huts might be ready when the men reached new 
 quarters. The Association could always purchase commissary 
 supplies; its property was protected; its personnel moved on 
 army orders ; transportation on the railroad was free of charge ; 
 and gasoline and oil were furnished. 
 
 By order of the commanding officer the welfare work in the 
 area was carefully divided. The Salvation Army had three 
 points near Coblenz and the work at the disciplinary barracks. 
 The Red Cross had a hut at the hospital. The ALA continued 
 to administrate its great library. All other welfare work for the 
 soldiers was placed in the hands of the Association. The area 
 held by our troops was described by a radius of thirty kilometers 
 with Coblenz as a center and with one point, Kreuzberg, some 
 sixty kilometers from Coblenz. About eighteen huts, with roll- 
 ing canteen service to outlying detachments, were required to 
 serve the area, including a center in the army base at Antwerp, 
 a small hut at the docks, and, for a short time, a hut at Romagne 
 for the Graves Registration Service. 
 
 One aim of the Association and the desire of the officers was 
 to give these young soldiers as much as possible of American life 
 
and to this end it became necessary to carry on a large business 
 plant, providing equipment that could not be purchased in a foreign 
 country nor brought from America except at delay and great ex- 
 pense. It thus came about that the Association manufactured for 
 itself all manner of supplies, ranging from layer cakes to piston 
 pins, and became business manager of an ice-cream plant, two 
 bakeries, a machine shop, and carpentry, painting, and upholstery 
 establishments. The definite educational work for the soldiers 
 is now in the hands of the army, but the Association still found 
 opportunity for service of this nature, through the library, lec- 
 tures, entertainments, and the bulletin boards. 
 
 A Laboratory 
 
 In so complicated and swiftly changing a task as that with 
 the A F G, it is impossible to give more than an anecdote here 
 and there that may show the difficulties and discouragements of 
 the work, the satisfactions that the workers themselves found, 
 some notion of the possible results to the soldiers, and those 
 features in which it differed from both the w^ar and the former 
 peace service to our troops. 
 
 The funds to meet practically all the wishes of the army and 
 to supply to the workers all the necessary equipment are seldom 
 forthcoming as they were in this closing piece of work for our 
 army of the Great War. This in itself gave a freedom to the 
 staff and allowed them to devote themselves in a fashion not often 
 possible to what seemed to them the essentials. The situation of 
 the soldiers themselves was extraordinary. Most of them young 
 for army life, and utterly unwonted to its discipline, they were 
 surrounded by people technically enemies but toward whom they 
 had no personal animosity. Their pay was beyond the dreams 
 of the British and French troops to either side of them, while the 
 safeguards of the days of the AEF — the insurance, the home 
 allotment, the free remittance — were all removed, and the falling 
 rate of the mark raised their money to fantastic values. Although 
 drill was stiff, and the whole army was kept at top notch of con- 
 dition, and study in the post schools was for the less advanced 
 obligatory, yet there was much free time and no sense of respon- 
 sibility or danger to steady these thousands of lads. Such was 
 the condition confronting the Association, a condition fraught 
 with dangers and discouragements not evident to the visitor who 
 saw only the well set up soldiers, the smoothly running machinery, 
 the eager and busy men and women of the Association staff. 
 
 In some of its features this adventure in welfare work will 
 probably never be duplicated, but from an experiment carried out 
 
under such favorable conditions there must be lessons of practical 
 value for all those engaged in any sort of effort for the well being 
 of homeless men. 
 
 Two Letters 
 
 [The following letters of General Allen and Colonel Peek 
 are taken from many such commendations sent to the Coblenz 
 headquarters, and have been selected because they express the 
 aim in the minds of the Association staff throughout all the varied 
 activities of the organization.] 
 
 My Dear Mr. Sprenger : 
 
 I have had occasion several times to write letters to you and 
 to officials of the Young Men's Christian Association serving un- 
 der you expressing my satisfaction in the work performed by 
 that organization. 
 
 The Association on duty with the American Forces in Ger- 
 many is performing a great work. Only those who are intimately 
 connected with these forces can realize the great service this 
 organization is rendering. I have seen welfare organizations 
 working under all sorts of conditions in France during actual 
 operations; after the armistice, with the Third Army of Occupa- 
 tion in Germany; and with the present American Forces in 
 Germany. We all recognize that nothing is absolutely perfect. 
 Some things approach the degree of perfection closer than others. 
 It is natural that there were a great number of mistakes during 
 the World War and immediately thereafter. Mistakes were made 
 in all organizations, including the army, navy, and others. Those 
 in authority have seen a great number of these mistakes; they 
 have been corrected in the military service as well as in the welfare 
 service. Today the Association with the American Forces in 
 Germany is a smooth-running machine. Kinks have been ironed 
 out and as stated above it is performing a most efficient service. 
 
 It is impossible for the American soldier to find among the 
 entertainments and amusements offered him by the civilians of the 
 occupied area those entertainments and amusements which he is 
 used to in his native country. The language and ideas are entirely 
 different. In order to keep this soldier contented, raise his morale 
 and that of the entire command, and increase his efficiency, it is 
 necessary to place within his reach entertainments and amuse- 
 ments which he is used to in his own country. The Association 
 has accomplished this in an excellent manner. Within the numer- 
 ous huts throughout the American area everything has been 
 offered the soldier from grand opera to vaudeville. Excellent 
 
canteen service is furnished him and he is able to see and talk with 
 women from his own country. 
 
 It is my firm belief, and in expressing this I am also express- 
 ing the ideas of the commanding general, that the operation of 
 the Young Men's Christian Association with the American Forces 
 in Germany is the most efficient way of handling welfare organ- 
 izations in the American army. 
 Sincerely, 
 
 G. M. Peek, 
 
 A. C. of S., for Operations, A F G. 
 
 My Dear Mr. Sprenger : 
 
 As you are about to start for the United States for a confer- 
 ence of the Young Men's Christian Association, at which possibly 
 you may be expected to make an account of your stewardship on 
 the Rhine, I would like to have you express to this conference of 
 leaders my sincerest appreciation of what has been accomplished 
 under you for the welfare of our soldiers. 
 
 I should state that the organization of the Association here 
 is a wholesome result of evolution, and it works with all the units 
 of the American Forces in Germany in such complete accord and 
 harmony that nothing better is to be desired in this respect. I 
 am of the opinion that soldier welfare work has never before 
 reached the present high standard maintained here. 
 
 The effect of the operation of the Association activities in 
 the American zone has had and continues to have a highly bene- 
 ficial influence on the morale and discipline of this command, and 
 I should deeply regret to learn that any radical changes were 
 contemplated. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Henry T. Allen 
 
 Commanding General A F G. 
 
 PLAY FOR ALL 
 
 No sooner had the veterans of the Third Army unlimbered 
 their packs after the chase to Sedan and thence to their perma- 
 nent billets in Coblenz than they demanded more fighting — the 
 friendly but hotly contested combats of ring and "gym" and field. 
 
 By July, 1919, when the American Forces in Germany were 
 created, the organization of sport under the combined supervision 
 of the army and the Association had attained a scope and degree 
 of perfection which embraced the interest of every officer and 
 
enlisted man and found expression in practically every form of 
 active exercise. Major General Henry T. Allen, commanding 
 the A F G, was ever ready to lend his support and encouragement 
 to the principle that the morale of an army is effectively rein- 
 forced through healthful recreation. 
 
 A carefully planned organization was essential for play needs 
 of the more than 15,000 m.en in the Army of Occupation in its 
 early days. At the head of the athletic work of the A F G was 
 the chief of the war plans and training section. By his direction 
 the athletic activities functioned under the supervision of the 
 chief athletic officer. The Association's athletic department oper- 
 ated under this section, and its athletic director had charge of the 
 technical operation of athletics under the supervision of the chief 
 athletic officer, who coordinated the sports schedules to the mili- 
 tary training schedules and policies. 
 
 All equipment issued and all moneys spent by the athletic 
 department were authorized by both the chief athletic officer and 
 the Association's auditor, and every effort was made to conserve 
 the available funds. So far as possible, committees were formed 
 to decide on the merits of protests and to institute local rulings 
 in the matter of competitions. Athletic schedules were planned 
 to conform to the policy of providing athletic recreation for every 
 one connected with the A F G. This was done by two methods : 
 first by providing a large variety of standard and specialized 
 sports, so that every officer and enlisted man had an opportunity 
 to engage in his favorite pastime, and second by operating a mass 
 game schedule in connection with the regular military training 
 schedules. Detailed records of activities and participants indicate 
 that about ninety per cent of the entire enlisted force were reached 
 by this system. 
 
 But statistics cannot indicate the full place of athletic compe- 
 tition and mass games in the life of the individual soldier of the 
 A F G. Tlie opportunities they offered were not merely for the 
 practiced athlete but equally for the boy who had not yet learned 
 how to play or to compete. The development of league organi- 
 zations, progressively representing companies, battalions, and 
 regiments, brought officers and enlisted men together both as team 
 mates and as competitors — an interesting demonstration of democ- 
 racy and of the fact that discipline, which remained undisturbed, 
 embraces in its philosophy no small element of good sportsman- 
 ship. 
 
 The ''Best Yank" competitions, conceived and organized by 
 the athletic director of the Association, developed a surprising 
 number of all-round capable athletes from both rank and file. 
 
Brigade, regimental, and company athletic officers, reporting 
 to the chief athletic officer, were responsible for athletics in their 
 respective units and worked in cooperation with the athletic di- 
 rectors appointed by the Association. The matter of printing, 
 schedule making, the furnishing of equipment — which averaged 
 close to $6,000 every month — the supplying of officials, trans- 
 portation to games, trophies for all events, and the large force 
 of German laborers necessary to keep grounds in order are a 
 few of the hundred of items involved in the task of giving to the 
 soldier the chance to play. 
 
 In Coblenz athletics were concentrated at three centers — 
 Carnival Island, the "Y" Athletic Club, and the swimming pool. 
 The athletic grounds located at Carnival Island are as complete 
 as any on this side of the Atlantic, being laid out with the same 
 care and skill as that given to our university fields. The army 
 solved the labor problem incident to this project and the equipment 
 was supplied by the Association. The city of Coblenz was so 
 interested by the possibilities of this superb playground that it 
 gave twenty thousand marks towards the building. There are 
 two cinder tracks, one with a circumference of a sixth of a mile 
 and used for horse shows, the other being an oval four hundred 
 and forty meters with a straightaway two hundred meters in 
 length. The baseball diamond is of big-league perfection, and the 
 football fields — one for soccer and the other for rugby — are mod- 
 els of their kind. Around three of the fields are bleachers and 
 grandstands for the use of spectators, and a club house with baths 
 arranged for the convenience of the players. 
 
 To the doughboy with his enthusiasm for boxing, the *'Y" 
 Athletic Club will remain in a niche apart among his memories of 
 the Rhineland. Prior to May, 1919, this building, without archi- 
 tectural pretensions, but possessed of ample size for big events, 
 was known as Liberty Hut, and was used for general social and 
 welfare activities, such as lectures, moving pictures, and enter- 
 tainments. Boxing bouts were at first conducted in the Festhalle, 
 but owing to the unsuitability of this building for such shows, 
 Liberty Hut was turned over to the athletic department and was 
 gradually transformed until it eventually became the center in the 
 Coblenz area for indoor athletic activities. An indoor track was 
 installed so that the track enthusiasts might have their winter 
 training and competitions. Within its wooden walls were held 
 all the army indoor track meets and here were staged the cham- 
 pionship boxing and wrestling bouts of the American forces. 
 
 The indoor plunge at Coblenz was operated by the Associa- 
 tion from the beginning of the occupation period. Although of 
 
moderate size, it supplied the needs of thousands of men and 
 women in the area and contributed thrilling chapters in the 
 athletic history of the A F G, for here records were made and 
 meets were won and lost. 
 
 Though these were the three largest sport centers, there 
 were many additional fields maintained and completely equipped 
 by the Association. There were baseball diamonds, football fields, 
 and basketball courts at Mayen and Andernach, a summer swim- 
 ming pool in the Mosel River, a twelve hole golf course on Con- 
 stantine Hill. The forty-two tennis courts in the area were kept 
 in good playing condition. 
 
 Sons of the officers and men in the AFG were not over- 
 looked. A civilian Boy Scout leader was furnished and the 
 youngsters were provided with what was needed to give them 
 the outdoor fun and activity to which they were accustomed in 
 the States. 
 
 One of the most useful features of all this athletic activity 
 was the development of meets between the troops of the different 
 nations occupying German territory. With the hearty coopera- 
 tion of the army, the Association invited the athletes of the Allied 
 armies on the Rhine to enter into competition in all branches of 
 sport. French, English, and Belgian army commands quickly rec- 
 ognized the gain in friendly relationships to be had in this inter- 
 mingling on the athletic field. Inter-army contests became pop- 
 ular ; back and forth the athletes journeyed, ever fighting hard 
 to uphold the prowess of their respective nations, but constantly 
 maintaining the highest standards of clean play, good fellowship, 
 and warm hospitality. Racial differences of thought, manners, 
 and customs were better understood and adjusted; petty irrita- 
 tions gave way to loyal friendships which could have been formed 
 in no other way. 
 
 Many of these contests assumed huge proportions, notably 
 the Armies of Occupation Track and Field Championships held 
 at Carnival Island for three days in July, 1921. This meet was 
 by far the largest and most successful ever conducted by the Allied 
 forces in the occupied territory and, among Allied competitions, 
 ranked second only to the Inter-Allied Games of 1919 in Paris. 
 Besides the track and field events, the program included tennis, 
 swimming, boxing, soccer football, basketball, and a ten thousand 
 meter cross-country run. 
 
 The physical directors of the Association had been charged 
 by the army with complete authority in the conduct of the games 
 program. Quite beyond the burden of detail carried in the task 
 of providing the material side of such recreations to an army in a 
 
foreign land, was the responsibility of keeping these activities free 
 from all taint of commercialization, betting and poor sportsman- 
 ship. These obvious traits that creep in so easily and soon destroy 
 the morale which clean sport aims to cultivate, never secured the 
 slightest hold in the members of the A F G. As they fought to win, 
 so did they play to win — ^^by fair means only — accepting defeat with 
 good grace and a determination to come through winners next 
 time. It is of this record, which will long stand as a model for 
 promotion of sport in armies, that the physical directors are most 
 proud, and which the Association counts their great success. 
 
 THRIFT AT COBLENZ 
 
 The last place in which one would have looked for economy 
 reduced to a science was surely among the Americans connected 
 with the army in the area about Coblenz. Their money was 
 supplied in United States currency and spent in depreciated Ger- 
 man marks, a situation not calculated to make one count pfennigs, 
 but if anyone thinks that only Germans practiced thrift, he should 
 have spent a morning at the Association garage in the Fischel 
 Strasse. 
 
 When the war work secretary assigned to the motor trans- 
 port department looked over the cars that were to serve the A F G 
 he found eighty-four old war horses, of which six might by 
 courtesy be called in order. They were a battered lot, used up in 
 service for the A E F, needing about everything that cars can 
 need. Moreover, little to mend them with was to be found just 
 then outside of the United States. 
 
 Out of these wrecks he and his staff evolved some sixty 
 serviceable cars, triumphs of the art of making-over, and various 
 impertinent improvements on "Henry" made these Fords seem 
 the foster children of the Association shop. They were made 
 up of parts of many. Every bit of metal, bronze, brass, and steel 
 was saved, dealt with in the foundry and smithy and the welding 
 shop, and reappeared in the form of parts constantly needed for 
 repair or replacement. When a motor showed signs of debility, 
 it was sent to the rebuilding department and completely made 
 over. When a disabled car rolled into the "trouble room" it was 
 not just a disabled car, it was an individual, a friend, with a 
 record in the card index of all its adventures and achievements 
 and drivers as complete as though it were a patient at the base 
 hospital. 
 
 Across from the forge there came out from the shop wall 
 the long pipe of the air compressor, a contrivance the fame of 
 
 10 
 
which spread swiftly throughout the ranks of the army truck 
 drivers. It was an ingenious arrangement whereby an old Ford 
 motor, a cooling tank, and a few feet of pipe, when connected 
 with the ten horse power motor of the plant, did away with the 
 pumping of tires by hand. But the pride of the shop was the 
 busy saw-mill, such a mill as would have made lumberers laugh 
 aloud. When the Association tried to engage its supply of wood 
 it was found that the one portable saw-mill within reach was of a 
 price corresponding to its rarity. In two days the machinists 
 had set a rejuvenated Ford motor, waiting in the reserve room, to 
 turning a circular saw. Thereafter in odds and ends of time the 
 men would start it humming and the wood pile that meant warm 
 stoves and hearth fires in the huts was always high. In a year 
 this outfit earned 31,200 marks, a fair return on the investment 
 of two days* labor in installation, and the price of a circular saw. 
 Carpentry and paint shops, a warehouse, and an ice-cream 
 plant of the most approved pattern stood within this Association 
 inclosure, but these dealt largely with new goods and so were less 
 striking examples of what we like to call Yankee ingenuity than 
 the machine shops which were practically all constructed of made- 
 overs and whose sole business was making something new out of 
 discards. The veriest novice, as he saw the work of this inventive 
 secretary and his staff, caught something of the fascination of 
 machinery and of what someone has called the "romance of thrift." 
 
 BOOKS AND PICTURES 
 
 The Schools 
 
 Formal school work in the army is now under the officers 
 themselves. This, however, had not been organized for the A F G 
 in September, 1919, and so the educational department of the 
 Association opened three schools for the army. The first of these 
 was short-lived— a night school conducted until Christmas and 
 then reopened under the army until the organization of the general 
 and commercial school was completed in March, 1920. The edu- 
 cational director for the Association became for several months 
 the director of the general and commercial school, and formulated 
 the plan for instruction in this and the unit schools. The courses 
 of study laid out for these schools and the textbooks selected by 
 the Association staif, were still in use at the close of the school 
 in 1922. The school for American children was a unique under- 
 taking, begun at the special request of the officers, who could at 
 the time see no way of arranging for the proper education of their 
 children. When at the termination of two years it was decided 
 
 11 
 
that the maintenance of the school was more than should be car- 
 ried by the Association, a well-equipped school building with 
 texts for the children's use, pictures, American blackboards and 
 decorations, were loaned to the army school committee and so 
 was made possible the maintenance of the school for the last year. 
 Thousands of easy German pamphlets were distributed by the 
 educational department to recruits and replacements. Lectures 
 were given at the main library. Three minute write-ups on cur- 
 rent topics were prepared for use between the movie reels, and 
 pamphlets were printed and distributed for all the great festival 
 days of the year. 
 
 A Reformed Clubhouse 
 
 The army library was housed in what had been the club for 
 the officers of the proud 8th Army Corps. The doughboys made 
 themselves perfectly at home on the sofas and easy chairs and at 
 the beautiful oak tables bought specially for Prussian officers, and 
 they were amiably indifferent to the Prussian eagle and the Ho- 
 henzollern insignia looking down on them from wall and window. 
 
 The American Library Association continued till the close 
 of 1920 to maintain this library of 35,000 volumes which had 
 been collected in Coblenz for the A E F. When it was obliged 
 to relinquish this work it made a gift of the books to the army, 
 but the army being unable to take over the expense and labor of 
 maintenance, this was assumed by the Association. Branch li- 
 braries were opened in every hut, save at a few points where they 
 were maintained under army detail. Through the efforts of the 
 Association many current books were added and magazines were 
 provided for all the huts and after use in the huts were gathered 
 and sent to Antwerp for the transports. The central library at 
 Coblenz was open every afternoon and evening to all Americans 
 and Allies in the area, about two hundred soldiers and half as 
 many civilians using it daily. In the mornings it was open for 
 the soldier-teachers of the army schools. 
 
 Desk Happenings 
 
 Not long ago a soldier surprised the desk attendant at the 
 main library. **Say, don't you have any of Plato*s works?" A 
 search brought to lig'ht one lone volume. Later the librarian 
 explained, "Oh, he's one of our steady readers. He never reads 
 anything but psychology and philosophy or books of that nature. 
 He now wants to read Aristotle and we are trying to make an 
 exchange with the Paris library for him." 
 
 12 
 
The month when the men were returning to the States 
 brought requests for information on many and varied subjects. 
 Books on etiquette became popular. The men frankly said that 
 they had forgotten what they once knew about social customs and 
 that they wanted to "brush up on the subject" before going back. 
 One afternoon an officer came in looking for books on poisonous 
 plants. It seems that some of the army mules had been poisoned 
 supposedly from eating yew. He wanted to verify this supposi- 
 tion. A man who was taking advantage of the rate of exchange 
 to get a microscopic outfit came for a book on microscopy. This 
 was one of those few requests that could not be filled. The court 
 of last resort in this, as in all such instances, was the encyclope- 
 dias, and of course they did not circulate. 
 
 "Hello, Nick !" Two army sergeants had met in front of the 
 issue desk. From the number of "hash marks" on their sleeves 
 one saw that they were old timers. "You see," one explained, "his 
 last name is Carter and I can't help but finish it out." The other 
 said : "We've known each other for a good many years. I suc- 
 ceeded him in a post among the Moros away oflf in the Philippines 
 nineteen years ago." They say that hard-boiled army men do not 
 read our books, but both those men were among our most constant 
 readers. 
 
 In one of the post libraries the soldier in charge was en- 
 thusiastic in keeping all matters of detail in the best possible 
 shape. Quite unlearned, he paid the most careful attention to the 
 mechanics of his work and he possessed a lively sense of justice. 
 One day he arrived in Coblenz with a few of his most popular 
 books that were badly in need of first aid. Upon securing his 
 patched-up best circulators he timidly inquired if he couldn't get 
 some new books. "You see I've gone through that there library 
 and I've made an alphabetical list of everything in it. It's a 
 funny thing but there ain't more than two or three that commence 
 with E. I'd like to have a few more that begin with that letter. 
 That's a big library and a library like that ought to have more 
 books beginning with E, don't you think so?" 
 
 One secretary told the librarian that there was no use in 
 having books sent to her hut unless strict attention were given to 
 the matter of binding. "Any color so it's red," said the secretary, 
 "and the redder the better. It doesn't seem to make much differ- 
 ence what's inside." In making a distribution of new books, 
 therefore, the majority of the books sent to this hut were bound 
 in red, and all were gone within fifteen minutes after their 
 arrival. 
 
 13 
 
At the Base Hospital ' 
 
 Somehow I have always felt that bridges are among the live 
 things of the world. They carry you from the spot where you 
 are to the one where you long to be. It may be a drawbridge 
 from an outside world over a moat into a castle of long ago ; or 
 it may be a rope ladder from cliff to cHff for the adventurer ; or 
 it may be a Westminster Bridge with the Abbey at its foot; or 
 perhaps it is only a plank or log thrown over a brook that carries 
 one to meadows where the flowers are more vivid than on the 
 prosy highway. Now all of these may a book be. We at the 
 hospital feel that the mission of the library has not been so much 
 to minister to those who have wanted books and whose tastes 
 have been formed, for these would have managed to get books for 
 themselves, but to serve those who have never had even a speaking 
 acquaintance with books. So the daily progress of our little book 
 wagon through the wards was slow — just as slow as the working 
 of an unwilHng mind. Usually a boy was jollied into taking two 
 books. It was often more of a joke than a choice, but he was sure 
 to read a bit and then, of course, to come back for more. 
 
 There were many instances so funny that one wanted to 
 laugh, and so pathetic one found the heart puckered up as one 
 realized how starved and meagre a life some of these men lived. 
 There was the orderly whose entrance into the hut before he went 
 on duty each night was like a whirlwind. "Hope to tell you I 
 beat the world for noise ; I'm broke out with it. Say, I gotta get 
 that book back again. Yes, I had it last week, but you can't 
 expect a fellow to get the hull of a book the first time reading. 
 Don't you know I never read a book through till last month? I 
 guess you just better put me down at the head of that reserve 
 list. I'm some Httle reader, I am." When he first appeared he 
 had never drawn a book. His first was cartoons, Crosbie's 
 "Rookie of the 13th Squad"; his second, Brigg's "Oh, Skinny"; 
 his third, Bairnsfather's "Fragments from France" ; and then he 
 launched forth on adventure stories. 
 
 Another went oflF by himself and solemnly sat down with his 
 pencil to tick off the lines while he read his first — one of Zane 
 Grey's. I've often wondered if that author has any idea of the 
 extent of the door he has swung open for many to pass through 
 and beyond. That boy with the pencil never tired of being read 
 to and his favorite was "A Man Without a Country." He came 
 back to the hospital months after his accident and demanded the 
 story again. He had made a pretty long journey since his intro- 
 duction to "Wildfire." Zane Grey, indeed, is the one author who 
 
 14 
 
can hold a man just coming back to the world after an operation. 
 We always kept one of his stories in reserve to read aloud when- 
 ever the nurses asked for help with some patient who had wakened 
 to intense suffering. 
 
 Among our '"firsts" was a man who met his first "Outlook" 
 at the hospital and this sent him to the atlas, then to the histories, 
 and lastly to encyclopedias. The research ended in a long 
 study of the World Almanac and the remark to another patient, 
 **Now, if you really want to know what France is doing and why 
 she is doing what she is, 3^ou just better read the 'Outlook' and 
 you'll know a lot you don't know now." 
 
 We must not leave the impression that most of the A F G 
 was illiterate — far from it. But the ready readers were not our 
 problem. The tastes of our patrons were catholic : They ranged 
 from the "Argosy" to the "Atlantic" : from the "Dark Mirror" to 
 Emerson's essays and touched most of the points between. One 
 of our greatest pleasures was to serve the nurses. They were 
 great readers, particularly those on night duty, who averaged a 
 book a night, and some of them kept us busy trying to find stiff 
 enough reading for them. Through one of our friends we were 
 supplied with the newspaper funny sheets, and unless one has car- 
 ried these into a sick ward he can know nothing of what giving 
 really is. I blush now when I think of the petitions I signed back in 
 the States, petitions to have these funny papers made more fit, to 
 make them suitable to be put into children's hands. In all my hos- 
 pital experience I recall but two instances where men were too 
 sick to hold out their hands for them. One man, just emerging 
 from the ether sleep, saw the sheets in my hands as I talked to 
 another patient, motioned to me to come closer and whispered, 
 "I want a funny. Save a funny for me." He got his funny and 
 dozed off again, his treasure tightly clutched. 
 
 Discovering the Bulletin Board 
 
 ''Who's Who and Why?" This was the question in colored 
 letters that jumped at the visitor from the center of a bulletin 
 board in one of the soldier huts. The large board was filled by 
 perhaps a dozen familiar faces, such as Pope Pius XI and John 
 Burroughs, Petain and Hughes. For the week it was on view 
 there was more talk of public men than ever before in that hut. 
 
 Of course bulletin boards are nothing new. The librarians 
 of children's book rooms have long been enticing youngsters to- 
 ward the classics by means of picture boards. The makers of the 
 boards for the soldier huts in Germany pretend to nothing more 
 than the adaptation of an old idea, but the novelty of this adapta- 
 
 15 
 
tion makes a story worth the telling to Association secretaries and 
 to other social service workers. 
 
 Why should the billboard and the full page advertisement 
 be limited to such matters as pumps and breakfast food? The 
 presentation of a tire that persuades men to buy it is worth a 
 fortune to the manufacturer. Why not present ideas as well as 
 things? Churches, settlements, clubs, community centers, Boy 
 Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Young Men's and Young Women's 
 Christian Associations, all such organizations are working for 
 definite returns though returns not to be measured by money. 
 They strive for greater culture, nobler thought, more righteous 
 living. Time was when such matters were thought to be ade- 
 quately dealt with by preachers and teachers, but these now have 
 rivals who outdo them in constancy and attraction. The pictorial 
 daily and the movies work seven days a week and one must be 
 constant and clever to keep up with them. 
 
 The hut secretaries of the A F G chatting daily with the 
 soldiers, meeting constantly problems of morale, striving in all 
 they did to waken interest in worth-while matters, found plenty 
 of topics that lent themselves naturally to the billboard. It could 
 be used to turn attention to current affairs ; to teach the meaning 
 of the holidays; to meet existing interests and carry them into 
 fields worth exploring ; to humanize geography ; to pique curiosity 
 as to the places men might visit on leave ; to acquaint them with 
 artists, writers, musicians, statesmen — folk who have made the 
 world richer by having lived in it. 
 
 But to be worth while a board need not be highbrow. In fact 
 it must never be highbrow. There was a board of extraordinary 
 popularity in the A F G, "Girls of All Lands." The soldiers ad- 
 mired them all with due chivalry but they voted the American 
 girl the best of the lot. Then there was "Being a Boy." Funny 
 papers and magazine covers mostly went to its making, and the 
 grouchiest sergeant was bound to feel more cheerful after a study 
 of these delightful, troublesome, absurd youngsters doing all the 
 absurd things boys always do. **Say, fellows, it's dogs," called 
 the soldier who had stopped before the new board at the top of 
 the Festhalle staircase. Probably not a soldier of all the hundreds 
 that entered the great amusement building at Coblenz that week 
 failed to stop and smile before that collection. Every sort of dog 
 was there except unhappy ones, and the men studied it, and 
 laughed, and went away to tell one another stories of the pets that 
 had companioned their boyhood. 
 
 A request from an understanding officer led to a series of 
 boards on places of interest within short leave distance of Co- 
 
 16 
 
blenz — the Bavarian Alps in the region of Oberammergau for in- 
 stance, familiar from a lecture on the Passion Play that was 
 popular in all the huts. The Rothenberg board was headed by a 
 photograph that showed two American soldiers looking from a 
 height over its broken roofs. The Nuremburg board bore in 
 illuminated letters the following verses : 
 
 Here, when art was still religion, 
 
 With a simple reverent heart 
 Lived and labored Albrecht Durer 
 
 The evangelist of art. 
 
 Here Hans Sachs, the cobbler poet, 
 
 Laureat at the gentle craft, 
 Wisest of the Twelve Wise Masters 
 
 In huge folios, sang and laughed. 
 
 This verse, of course, led to no end of questions and to a 
 Durer board. 
 
 There were visitors from Poland in the area and shortly there 
 went the rounds of the huts a board made from the gay friezes 
 that are known to Polish nurseries. These showed the native 
 dress and customs and between the pictures ran the legend, "Peas- 
 ant Life in Poland, the homeland of Chopin, Paderewski, and 
 Mme. Curie." Here again were suggestions for the hut musicians, 
 for the chat in the cafeteria, for the next board. 
 
 The board had a great function on the holidays. Here came 
 the chance to discover among the men artists who could make 
 decorative borders or perhaps the whole design for Christmas or 
 Easter. Often the men brought in photographs and post cards, 
 treasure trove from their furloughs, some of these very beautiful, 
 and a board made by one of their own number was of immense 
 interest and pride to the unit. 
 
 Such a plan of silent teaching is not to be carried out with- 
 out broad knowledge and an understanding of the other fellow's 
 point of view in the first place. The possibilities are great but 
 such boards are nothing if they are not prepared with the same 
 care and intelligence which the real teacher gives to preparation 
 for his class and the speaker to preparation for his audience. 
 
 HUTS AS SOLDIERS SEE THEM 
 
 How will the men look back on the Weissenthurm hut we 
 wonder? Many of them we are sure had never seen such an ideal 
 place in their wandering days. Did they appreciate the cunning 
 
 17 
 
parchment shades, the Dresden plates, the brass candlesticks, the 
 wonderful shade of blue in the cloth of the upholstery, the dainty 
 design of the curtains, not to mention the prints all so carefully 
 chosen and placed ? Did it mean anything to them ? How much 
 is it interwoven with development in their lives? 
 
 It is a good thing that our iniiuence and the results of our 
 work do not depend entirely on material things. If they did our 
 work would fall far short. The other evening, a sergeant, who 
 with four others has recently been transferred to this organiza- 
 tion, said, "By golly! I don't know why we come to this 'Y' 
 every night. You haven't much of a place, but you've got 'beau- 
 coup' atmosphere all right. Just guess that's the reason, for we 
 are certainly surprised to find ourselves here all the time." 
 
 The enthusiasm of the men at the reopening of the huts after 
 maneuvers has been very gratifying. This has been perhaps the 
 more noticeable among those who had remained at the post than 
 among the men who had gone on maneuvers. It was notably the 
 case at Metternich. Here a number of men had shown an un- 
 friendly spirit on account of the exclusion of German "frauleins" 
 and the enforcement of the order against smoking during movies 
 and entertainments. This prejudice has now been overcome and 
 the men are all friendly towards the "Y." 
 
 These are the closing days at Mulheim and the attitude of 
 the men is an immense satisfaction. It makes one think of 
 A E F days. They use the hut all their free time. They read or 
 play cards, talk, play pool, or sometimes just sit and think, perhaps 
 doze, for many of them work hard and are tired. And no matter 
 where the *'Y" woman worker is sitting, at the reading table 
 maybe making out cards for delinquent readers, she finds pres- 
 ently four or five of the men sitting near her, to entertain or be 
 entertained. One man the other evening who had been half rest- 
 ing, half dreaming before the fire said : "This is like home. I 
 wish we could have more rainy evenings. I like to think of all 
 the pleasant winter evenings our other 'Y' girls and the soldiers 
 have had before this fire." 
 
 It was quite late. The men had gone home early for they 
 stood bed check at nine, so I was walking alone down camp to 
 'phone Coblenz. Half way down I met a soldier on the road, to 
 my amazement a man I had known in Ehrenbreitstein. He had 
 come all the way out to Wehr just to see me, he said, because it 
 
 18 
 
was "Mother's Day," and I had made the "Y" seem so like a 
 home to him, the only home he had known for a long time. I 
 finished my telephoning and we went back to the *'Y" and then I 
 found out why that fat, soft desk-soldier, for he does paper work 
 somewhere at Headquarters now, had walked all the way from 
 Brohl, all up-hill too, to find little Wehr. He asked in a tone that 
 tried to be casual if I had seen the Sunday paper. It had been a 
 busy day and I had not, and then he had to tell me. The pictures 
 of all the men in the A F G who wear the D. S. C. were printed 
 and he was among them, and he had w^anted to tell someone who 
 was "his family." He was like a little boy taking some dear prize 
 to his mother. He told me how he won the cross, then played 
 some of his beautiful music, and then I filled his pockets with 
 cookies and he set out on the long hike over the hills to Ander- 
 nach. 
 
 We have fitted up a little corner of the reading room with 
 bright pillow^s, plants, a table with sewing basket, and a bird which 
 sings, and it proves a favorite sitting room for the boys, one of 
 whom voiced a significant observation when he said, "I don't like 
 that corner — it makes me homesick." 
 
 There are a few soldiers who see the great thing we are 
 attempting to do and comment upon it; others look at the hut 
 only for its material advantages. One man, expressing in his own 
 way his appreciation, said, "I'm glad we've got a 'Y' here. It's 
 such a handy thing ! No matter what you want the 'Y's always 
 got it." They depend upon us for everything they need, great or 
 small, and take it for granted that they will always find it. One 
 soldier burst in upon me this morning with "Oh, Bobbie, have 
 you got any fishhooks ? Give me two !" I couldn't supply the 
 fishhooks but that his faith in Aladdin's lamp might not be shaken 
 I took him to a near-by store and purchased them for him. This 
 faith the soldiers have that we will never fail them, their splendid 
 attitude while in the hut, their almost jealous protection of their 
 "Y" girl make the work with them a continuous pleasure. 
 
 There is not a man in the company now who does not use 
 the "Y" to some extent and many are in every day. More men 
 have used the canteen this month than ever before. They are 
 always bringing us pets, our latest being a dignified duck called 
 "Pops." The men take "Pops" down to the river for a daily swim 
 and the German population is much interested in the spectacle 
 of American soldiers driving a large duck through the streets. 
 
 19 
 
The men are good about helping. They have even been known 
 to hem our aprons ! When the hut opened the Germans in the 
 village said it was useless as the men would never come, that 
 they would rather drink in the cafes. Now they say they cannot 
 understand why the soldiers stay in the "Y." **Why, they seem 
 to think it's their home!" 
 
 "Yes," said an engineer looking up from his book, *T've been 
 here since we marched in from France, and anybody who said 
 anything against this *Y' would kick about his own home. It has 
 always been open and comfortable and a fellow has always been 
 welcome." This remark ignited a lad with 16th Engineer in- 
 signia who sat opposite. This is the company which has just 
 come down from Kreuzberg and each man is certain that their 
 secretary is the very finest woman who ever wore the blue and 
 grey uniform, and that her hut was the most homelike of any 
 in the A F G. At the slightest opportunity they explode, and 
 "tell the world." "Lady," said this boy sympathetically, "I hate 
 to say anything against your hut, but our little *Y' had it all over 
 this big place." 
 
 In the big recreation room a fire blazes on the hearth. In 
 easy chairs or stretched out on the cushioned benches a dozen 
 soldiers are poring over the newly arrived magazines. A table 
 of pinochle players and another of bridge are bidding and over- 
 bidding each other with much amusing by-play. A man from the 
 doorway calls out "Doug Fairbanks reel tonight" and then a 
 contented silence settles over the room. Resolved not to break 
 the quiet, a blessed relief to these men from noisy barracks, I sit 
 sewing in the corner. The rain beats against the windows, the fire 
 crackles, the canaries sing a bit, the black kitten frisks about 
 teasing some of her special friends, but there is no other sound 
 until suddenly the cuckoo clock strikes five and we are startled 
 to realize that a whole hour has gone by in silence. 
 
 Such is a typical afternoon at Infantry. Not so long ago 
 there were fifteen hundred men in the compound and the hut 
 resembled nothing so much as a humming beehive. The rooms 
 were full and a line of soldiers waited before the canteen counter. 
 The "Y" women on duty were busy from morning till night, but 
 amid all the infinite detail of cooking and housekeeping and busi- 
 ness they created a friendly atmosphere and the men felt the hut 
 was their home. Now there are less than three hundred men in 
 the compound, and they are to leave for the States next month. 
 As is always the case before a "Y" closes, the soldiers suddenly 
 
 20 
 
realize how much it has meant to them, and they hover about 
 saying "Gee, we sure have enjoyed this place," and "Say, aren't 
 we going to have a *Y' in the States ?" 
 
 SOLDIERS AS SECRETARIES SEE THEM 
 
 On the whole, their spirit is splendid and we feel improves 
 with every passing month. However, they have not attained 
 perfection by any means. One annoying feature of our movies 
 has always been the impatience and irritability of the audience 
 when the film breaks or is blurred. Recently we had a film with 
 several feet indistinguishable just at the climax of the picture. 
 The boys took their usual attitude that it was the operator's or 
 our fault, and the shouting and whistling in the room became so 
 great that we stopped the picture and sent the boys downstairs. 
 They took their punishment like majors, even applauding our 
 action, and since then when the film has broken or been otherwise 
 imperfect there has not been a murmur in the room. 
 
 Just now we have, perforce, a very select family, for only 
 men with first or second class conduct cards can use the hut. So 
 many of the third class conduct card men used the hut as an 
 excuse to slip off down town that about ten days ago we were 
 put oflF limits for one evening for everybody and permanently 
 for pink passes. Sad as it is that we cannot minister to all alike 
 — white cards and pink — the sheep and the goats — it is really 
 rather a pleasant experience for once to have just the steadier 
 citizens around. One really has time to know the quiet and good 
 men, who in a larger group are so often lost to view because the 
 noisier and often more worthless element make so many more 
 demands. In this connection I have recently come to the con- 
 clusion that there must be something superior about a mule. 
 Otherwise how can you account for the peculiar charm possessed 
 by many mule-skinners? In part it may be that they are all 
 country-bred men. Anyway, it is the quiet-eyed, slow-moving, 
 chequer-playing mule drivers whose conduct cards now let them 
 come to the hut. 
 
 Prize-fighters was the subject under consideration. Becky, 
 sitting in the midst of many soldiers, volunteered the information 
 that she had never known any at home. Instantly two spoke up. 
 That was their profession in civilian life. We found we had 
 many. The nice boy who had such pleasing manners and always 
 treated about five fellows, was "Delaware Jack." The soldier 
 
 21 
 
who patiently practiced with one hand day after day on our piano 
 was **Mike, the pugiHst." The rough youngster with six gold 
 teeth, all in front was *'The Kid," and there were others. 
 
 One of our staunchest "Y" friends astounded us one day by 
 saying, "Leavenworth is not such a bad place. I did thirty-six 
 months there, and three years in Alcatraz. Learned my trade of 
 painting there. How'd I get there? Oh, booze and A. W. O. L. 
 and trouble with an officer. I started in to work when I was 
 ten, on my own." 
 
 One had been a "moonshiner" and he just didn't get caught 
 and that was all. Another had a narrow escape in selling drugs. 
 Many are young boys with army ages and home ages, probably 
 about seventeen in reality. Life called to them and the army 
 slogan, "Enlist for Germany," seemed the answer. 
 
 "I want a good book on history," said a soldier who dropped 
 in at the hospital library one afternoon. "You like good books, 
 don't you?" asked the librarian when she had found something 
 for him. He explained his views on reading. "Now you know 
 that my brother is much smarter than I am and a much better 
 business man, but somehow he doesn't get half the fun out of 
 each day that I do. He came over here last year and took me on 
 a trip over Europe at his expense. But a cathedral or a castle 
 to him was only an old, run-down building that needed repair, 
 and even sight-seeing was a bore. Then I began to know what 
 books had given to me. That's one of the reasons why I stay in 
 the army. I have time and books to read, and then I can see 
 some of the places that are associated with big events and won- 
 derful people. History's pretty wonderful, isn't it?" 
 
 What is the "Y" doing for the boys? Or is it doing any- 
 thing? There is an average of six hundred men in the hut daily, 
 out of a possible thousand. At the beginning of the month they 
 are buying, eating, eating, buying; toward the end of the month 
 they are "mooching" a bit off each other if possible, but mostly 
 "sitting." They don't miss a trick either. Every word and action 
 of the "Y" girls is noticed by watchful eyes — eyes used to judging 
 by different standards of a different world, perhaps a reforma- 
 tory world, or a prison one, or a homeless one, or just a plain, evil 
 one. How carefully every flippant, joking word must be weighed. 
 
 How much good can we do them? My conclusion is much 
 good. In this short time I have seen two boys who were rough 
 beyond description quiet down, aim for higher ideals, strive for 
 gentlemanly conduct, because that ideal was stressed. "You've 
 
 22 
 
''^n^ 
 
 I 
 
 ? 
 
 The Soldiers' Library, Once a Prussian Officers' Club 
 
 The Favorite Cafe of the 6th Field Artillery 
 
The Hospital Library 
 
 Christmas at Fort Constantine 
 
The "Y" Athletic Field on Carnival Island 
 
 The Festhalle, Used by 3,000 Men a Day 
 
A "Y" Window in Fort Ehrknbreitstein 
 
 The Army Church at Andernach 
 
set nie to thinking," one boy who was planning an escapade an- 
 nounced. "I've got a mother back home and I guess I don't want 
 to worry her." 
 
 "Say, don't be blue," one lad urged. "Be like Becky. I just 
 heard her say to a guy who said he had something to tell, 'Oh, 
 I know it's something nice !' " Do you think they miss anything ? 
 Decidedly not. 
 
 Tonight a boy said, "I've got a white pass, but I don't want 
 to go to Coblenz." Others have said the same thing. Where 
 would they go if the "Y" wasn't warm and inviting and whole- 
 some? "Wouldn't nearly so many boys come here if you-all 
 weren't so nice and jolly," a boy delighted us by saying. It's our 
 job, you see, and we do want to make good on it. 
 
 PAY DAY 
 
 [Every hut secretary in Germany lived through a season of 
 depression after each pay day. The experience in Germany 
 proves, if proof were needed, that something more than athletics 
 and healthful entertainment and interesting occupation and artis- 
 tic club rooms are needed to keep men steady. In one hut where 
 the men were holding a contest of original cartoons the one greeted 
 by the men as sardonically true to their life was that entitled "Pay 
 Day," representing the gate of the compound, a long line of 
 "frauleins" filling the rest of the picture. The following para- 
 graphs taken from different reports perhaps show the day at its 
 worst, for often it meant nothing more apparent to the visitor 
 than the absence from the hut of a great part of the men and 
 their return somewhat shamed faced a week later.] 
 
 Pay day always brings its problems just as it does in every 
 American factory or mill-town, because many men have neither 
 learned to save their money nor spend it wisely. The rapid fall 
 in the value of the mark has increased the problem since a private 
 soldier exchanging his dollars gets more marks than a German 
 bank president. Generally speaking, the conduct of the men is 
 fine in spite of the fact that they occasionally drink more than 
 they should. If a drunken man comes into a hut, as sometimes 
 happens, the soldiers present are alert and tactful in taking care 
 of him and in protecting the "Y" girls from any disagreeable 
 incidents. While it is always disheartening to see a soldier drunk 
 who is really a splendid man at heart with fine possibilities, it is 
 also encouraging to know that usually the man who has been 
 drunk comes the next day and apologizes for his slip. The Asso- 
 ciation is meeting keener and keener competition from German 
 
 23 
 
cinema and vaudeville houses and other amusement features 
 where films and acts that are rather questionable are used to draw 
 the soldiers. The admission to these attractions amounts in 
 marks to hardly more than the cost of a postage stamp. At the 
 German cafes soldiers are given credit both for meals and liquor. 
 Yet the huts continue to be as popular as ever without lowering in 
 the least the standard of the movies or vaudeville and without ex- 
 tending credit to soldiers at any time. 
 
 We noticed a more than usual scarcity of boys after last 
 pay day. Ordinarily they come to the canteen to eat whether they 
 remain in the hut or not, but what with the exchange so much in 
 their favor and pay day following right on the heels of the fall 
 maneuvers and the review for General Pershing, they all prom- 
 ised themselves a celebration. It was not until the second week 
 in the month that we began doing the business we ordinarily do 
 the first week. We got through pay day with only one distress- 
 ing incident although that one was quite the worst we have ever 
 had. Three boys much intoxicated came to the canteen and one 
 of them was rude to the "Y" girl serving him. He was told to 
 put down his tray and leave the canteen, whereupon a fourth lad 
 who was intoxicated but who had been behaving very well, chal- 
 lenged the other drunk to a fight because he had been rude. The 
 secretary turned her attention to preventing the fight and had 
 just about succeeded when still another drunk came in. He also 
 felt it his duty to take up the cudgels in her behalf and challenged 
 the oflfender. By that time a fight was inevitable as there were 
 five hopelessly intoxicated men involved and the secretary, at best, 
 could disengage only one at a time. Some boys who had been 
 having a quiet game of pool decided it was time to interfere. 
 They pushed them all outside and told them to go to it. Of 
 course one of them got a bloody nose immediately, in fact he was 
 quite knocked out, which had the effect of sobering them all. We 
 don't encourage drunks in our huts at all and we feel that we 
 have surprisingly little disorder in proportion to the number of 
 men we serve but we never know what a pay day may bring forth. 
 
 The last pay day was rather a bad one from the standpoint 
 of the number of drunks seen in the hut, and many men whom we 
 had never before seen in that condition, in fact the very men who 
 seemed to most enjoy the privileges of the "Y" "stepped out." 
 The only way we can account for this fact is that they wanted to 
 have what they call "one last real time" before going on the long 
 maneuvers and no one seemed to care how soon his money was 
 
 24 
 
spent. It was discouraging to us and more so because there 
 seems to be no idea on the part of most of those men that there is 
 anything wrong in it. We feel that this battle against drinking is 
 the very biggest problem we have to deal with and almost impos- 
 sible at times to cope with. Many men have expressed their 
 desire to return to America just to get away from this temptation 
 over here, which constantly surrounds them. 
 
 SUNDAYS 
 
 As for services, you just never can tell. Tonight, it was 
 unusually hot in the hut. H. was not to be there and I was rather 
 dubious as to the service — especially the singing — for I sing too 
 little to lead, and H. sings so well. Usually as seven-thirty, church 
 time, draws nigh the crowd gets slimmer and slimmer, but some- 
 how tonight, they kept on playing cards, etc. How I wished the 
 speaker would arrive. But it was not until quarter of eight that 
 the "Y" car with speaker and soloist, drew up. And the movies 
 were to be at quarter past eight. Well, the speaker arrived — and 
 most of the men left ! However, some did not go far — just to the 
 door-step. I went out to caution them not to be noisy and added, 
 "But I wish you'd come in." Suddenly they burst out "Let's all 
 go in !" And they all filed in, twenty-eight, some of our regulars, 
 — though our regulars are rather irregular — and some who had 
 never been to a service before. Even though it was hot and time 
 for the movies they listened with no restlessness. The soloist, 
 Herr Huth, was much appreciated. I wondered if the speaker's 
 very quiet way of talking was not perhaps one reason of his ef- 
 fectiveness. As to singing! Thank goodness they needed no 
 leader ! They just sang. But perhaps next Sunday we will have 
 only five men for the service. You can never tell. 
 
 On Sunday we began our religious services. The attendance 
 is small but we have never met with such attention and such har- 
 mony. Each man enters into the responsive reading and prayers 
 — one man requesting on the first day that we be sure to have 
 the Lord's Prayer as he knew that. They have wanted to sing 
 every verse of the hymns. We have had more and more discus- 
 sions on books, world events, music, just as a family group at 
 home would discuss these things. Opinions and ideas very worth 
 while are brought out and certainly show that our men can think 
 and do. We have many pleasant gatherings around the piano — in 
 fact practically every night, and we do not sing rag-time and jazz 
 either. 
 
 25 
 
Our Sunday services are marked with a spirit of reverence, 
 and where formerly one secretary policed the canteen while ser- 
 vices were in progress in the adjoining room, now that necessity 
 is done away with. Those that attend come because they desire to 
 and really enjoy it. The secretaries have found a ready response 
 which is most helpful, particularly when the *'Y" girl herself has 
 to conduct the service, the most trying ordeal in her varied ex- 
 periences as a secretary. 
 
 We took the first steps towards organizing a Bible discussion 
 group last week. We decided to keep it very informal at first. 
 The speaker was introduced to the boys in the recreation room 
 and no attempt was made to stop their activities. The boys play- 
 ing cards and reading magazines nearly all laid them down of 
 their own accord and two groups who continued to play listened 
 to every word and even took part in the discussion. From sixty 
 to seventy-five men listened attentively for thirty-five minutes 
 and responded most intelligently to the splendid man-to-man dis- 
 cussion on what is essential to success in life, with emphasis laid 
 on the Christian standpoint, and when asked if they would like 
 to have the leader come back the following week they all shouted, 
 "Sure !" We feel that we approached the thing in the only pos- 
 sible way. If we had asked the men to go off in a room by them- 
 selves and made it formal probably not more than a dozen men 
 would have responded. Not only would they be afraid of the 
 thing themselves but they would have been afraid of that dreadful 
 mob spirit among these men which subjects a fellow to unmerciful 
 kidding in the squad rooms if he is seen doing anything unusual, 
 particularly if it is a step in the right direction. 
 
 Last Sunday evening Chaplain Lloyd spoke. The churchly 
 way in which he conducted the whole service impressed us deeply. 
 He did not stoop nor attempt to make it informal nor cater in 
 any way to the men. It would have done credit to a cathedral. 
 This attitude seemed to create a rather unusual spirit of reverence 
 and yet did not at all lift the service over the men's heads. On 
 the contrary, many went up to the chaplain at the close of the 
 service and have since spoken to us of how much they appreciated 
 it all. In the past at times, the thought of a religious service and 
 all it involves in a hut has almost terri(^^'d us and we found it 
 necessary to make it as informal as possible at first. But now 
 every man knows that this hour is given over to worship once a 
 week and what is expected of him as a participant in the service. 
 There has been no camouflage but we now feel that the time has 
 
 26 
 
come when these services should have the best that we can give 
 them in every respect and we mean to lend every aid to give the 
 service this spirit of dignity and hoHness. 
 
 The old gardener of the village is coming today to begin 
 setting out plants and preparing flower beds, and we expect to 
 have a few blooms by Easter. Also we expect the Easter rabbit 
 to visit us, and the chaplain is planning an excellent Easter sermon. 
 By the way, the chaplain is certainly a convincing speaker, and it 
 is a pity the army at this particular post isn't required to respond 
 to church call. There probably would be quite an increase in 
 manliness among the soldiers, and an increase in their self-respect. 
 
 The Sundays are very sweet, quiet, steadily busy days : the 
 men begin coming in at nine for breakfast, some staying for the 
 religious services. In the afternoon they come again and by night 
 it is crowded in spite of the fact that so many men go to Andernach 
 on pass. It is the only day one really gets a chance to talk to the 
 men, their hours in the "Y" are so short on week-days, and yours, 
 consequently, so full, that you don't get time. 
 
 For the past few days I had been talking to the men about a 
 wonderful rock formation I had just discovered only about fifteen 
 minutes' walk from Wehr — great masses of rock, evidently left 
 by some great upheaval in past geological ages. I went to the 
 monks' library at Maria Laach as soon as I discovered the rocks, 
 for literature on them so that I could make them more interesting, 
 but, alas, I was not allowed inside and had to talk to the Brother 
 through a tiny barred window. But he is going to mail me the 
 information about the rocks. On Sunday after lunch I was going 
 to "conduct a hike" to the rocks, but as most of the men who were 
 interested had gone to Andernach over Saturday and Sunday, my 
 crowd was two boys, the elder, a clean, straight, silent sort of 
 fellow about twenty-three, the other the merest boy, just sixteen, 
 with the sweet, clear eyes of a little lad. I had been attracted to 
 them by the way in which the elder was always looking out for 
 the younger. It was at a casino game that I first noticed him and 
 I had said : "You remind me of a boy at home," and he, in a would- 
 be-very-blase manner said: "Aw, onit yer kiddin'," whereupon I 
 said: "You look so much like my own little twelve year old 
 nephew that I'm going to call you Bobbie," and instead of resent- 
 ing the twelve year old part, he was at heart still such a little 
 boy that he just beamed at having found me and loves my calling 
 him Bobbie. So he and the big, grave fellow, who is so wonder- 
 fully taking the place of his family, and I, went to the rocks. We 
 
 27 
 
came to a most lovely part, where the dense spruce opened into 
 a perfect idyll of a little valley. I started to quote some bit of 
 frivolous nonsense when both of those boys began reciting the 
 twenty-third Psalm and we all recited it together. But how it 
 "beat me standing" — those lads thinking of that wonderful psalm, 
 while I had thought of mere nonsense. The help does not always 
 come from our side of the counter ! 
 
 But to return to Christmas Eve, after the show everybody 
 came back to the hut, which remained open until half past eleven. 
 The canteen was closed, but we served coffee to all comers. The 
 front rooms were full of men waiting for the midnight service, 
 and there was impromptu music followed by the singing of 
 Christmas carols. How they love to sing! Poor little Miss S. 
 had played carols and hymns and old songs in every spare moment 
 for three days, and until she could scarcely bend her arms. She 
 said she hated to stop, the men said it "seemed so like home." 
 Chaplain Smith's midnight service was held in the old Gothic army 
 church, with tall trees massed against the stone walls, and the 
 chancel and pulpit hung with American flags. There were a 
 quartette, our orchestra, and a beautiful violin solo by one of the 
 sergeants. The church was crowded to the doors and the congre- 
 gational singing of the carols was impressive. Many of us will 
 always remember the salute of the trumpeters to the colors and 
 the recessional, when, with the Chaplain, and bearing the Stars 
 and Stripes and the church banner, the trumpeters passed down the 
 aisle, followed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars with their col- 
 ors. Not since the war have the church and the flag been so 
 associated in our hearts. 
 
 ODD JOBS 
 
 Honeymoon Special 
 
 In our wildest thoughts of the unexpected in a casual camp 
 we never imagined all that might happen. The month of May 
 has brought the very last in surprises. We have had one hun- 
 dred and seventy-five wives of enlisted men and eighty babies in 
 quarantine before being sent to the United States. They are an 
 all-European product, English, Belgian, Polish, Russian, Italian, 
 French, and German, a great percentage being the latter. 
 
 The barracks in the compound where the hut is located was 
 reserved for the women and babies. The hut became a hostess 
 house for their use all day. Here husbands and friends could 
 meet them from two to four-thirty daily. During these hours 
 
 28 
 
Germans came in daily to visit. Each afternoon there was some 
 sort of entertainment. The 6th Field Artillery band played sev- 
 eral days, Headquarters band one day, and the Association staged 
 boxing matches and put on vaudeville shows. Each evening there 
 were moving pictures. 
 
 The stage was transformed into an infirmary where physical 
 examinations were made. An army nurse and a doctor were on 
 duty at all times and made the hut their headquarters. For this 
 reason it was necessary to keep open day and night. The rest 
 room was put to all sorts of service. Indeed it was almost the 
 center of the depot used constantly by the numerous officials 
 because of the telephone. One day it was the scene of a unique 
 wedding. A soldier who had married a Polish woman two years 
 ago in Poland had lost his marriage papers, so the ceremony had 
 to be repeated before they could return to the States. 
 
 Instead of giving out lunches at the compound when the 
 Honeymoon Special left for Antwerp the last task was to place 
 a bag of lunch on each bed in the hospital train for the wives 
 and children and in the compartments for the men, and then it 
 must be confessed the secretaries went back thankfully to their 
 usual work with full-grown American soldiers. 
 
 Field Work 
 
 The shooting season is on. For nearly a month the machine 
 gunners of the Second Brigade have been camped beside a little 
 creek in the barley fields of Plaidt. With three streets of squad- 
 tents, three big army kitchens, officers' row, infirmary, and ever- 
 present guardhouse, the camp is a city unto itself. Off to the 
 right are the six hundred and one thousand meter targets ranged 
 along the hillside ; and to the left, in the town of Plaidt, is the hut. 
 
 Its service was never more needed nor more appreciated than 
 during these first days. Practically no work could be done on the 
 range because of bad weather. The camp was wet and muddy, cold 
 and disagreeable. To know that in the "Y" hut there were two 
 roaring fires, plenty of magazines and games, a good supply of just 
 the food the soldiers liked, and a willing friend to look after their 
 comfort, meant everything to the men just then. They came to 
 the hut as soon as it was opened and stayed until it closed at ten. 
 During those first few days of bad weather they got the habit of 
 spending their spare time there so that later, when they were kept 
 on the range all afternoon, they came as soon as they were free 
 and played games or wrote letters until time for the movies. 
 
 There were movies every night except once when a soldier 
 show from the station hospital came out to us. The film which 
 
 29 
 
the men most enjoyed was the one of these soldiers themselves in 
 camp, showing their everyday life, in the mess line, on the range 
 firing the machine guns, marching by companies, and at the hut. 
 This picture, advertised a day in advance, was a great drawing- 
 card. Every officer and man — except the necessary guards — was 
 at the hut that night to see himself in the movies. 
 
 The Rifle Range 
 
 Little Wehr of the rifle ranges was no beautifully planned 
 hut, but ministered to all just by using materials at hand. The 
 material in this case was the inevitable hall attached to the largest 
 "wirtschaft" in every German village. How many times have we 
 thanked our stars that these stolid folk are gregarious when it 
 comes to taking their beer. In almost every village you can find 
 a hall often out of all proportion to the size of the village. That in 
 Wehr is up a flight of steps in the rear of the parent *'wirtschaft." 
 It is bright and airy and has many windows, half of which open 
 out on the beautiful gardens of the priest's house opposite, and 
 this in a way offsets the populous stables almost directly under- 
 neath. The walls are marvelous — sky-blue with large medallions 
 in which are painted the castles on the Rhine and the Mosel. ''All 
 hand made 'n everything," the men say. "Ain't they wonderful? 
 I'll say they are !" They serve a double purpose. They certainly 
 decorate, all set in sky-blue with a border underneath of fat pink 
 roses in a chocolate background, and they lead to many discussions 
 of the castles themselves, the old robber barons, and far-ofT days. 
 
 Work at a range is different from straight canteening, for 
 the men are more or less on a field basis and we served in the 
 mornings in a tent down on the range. Every morning at ten 
 up came a big army wagon and two mule-skinners, to load us and 
 our wares and drive to the field. The men had early breakfast 
 and even before we could unload a good-natured line would form 
 and then how they would eat ! It wasn't "What kind of pie have 
 you today?" and "When were those cinnamon rolls baked?" It 
 was "I want some pie and as many cinnamon rolls as you can 
 spare. I sure am hunorv." It was more like picnicking than work, 
 and we reduced the packing and unpacking to a system. Often 
 after we closed we would drive across to the Sprudels, the bub- 
 bling mineral springs which always fascinate me. The big, slow- 
 going mules, the high seat in the huge wagon, the little field road 
 winding across the meadow filled with flowers, the dear clean 
 little wind, always blowing, made one feel one's very soul had 
 been up with the larks, which are always singing at little Wehr. 
 
 30 
 
When you are in the field, movies are your one and best form 
 of entertainment. We have them every night and every night the 
 hall is crowded and we are glad, for as the meadow is full of 
 flowers so the village is full of "wirtschafts." I have never seen 
 such a lot of letter writing. The tables are always full and the 
 men write even during movies — some man will be close up to the 
 crack under the curtain, using the light, and I let him be, letters 
 mean so much back home. When you live, move, and have your 
 being, only I think I shall paraphrase that and say "when you live, 
 be, and have your movies," all in the same room, you learn in- 
 formality. You try to let the men writing write as long as possible, 
 the men reading read as long as possible, to get them all fed, and 
 the movies on and off again, and the men back to camp in time, and 
 you find it keeps you busy. 
 
 The "Pittsburgh" and the "Sands" 
 
 Early in July, the "Pittsburgh" and the "Sands" came into 
 Antwerp with about one thousand men. From the day of their 
 arrival there was a record attendance at the hut. B. put extra 
 effort into her already famous meals and it was not long before 
 the gobs were flocking to the canteen for real home cooking. 
 Where they put all the food no one knows, for an ordinary order 
 was "Steak, four eggs, potatoes, rolls, vegetables, salad, straw- 
 berry shortcake, and ice cream. Yes, two scoops, please !" From 
 five o'clock to ten thirty or later the hungry sailors came, and 
 after everything else was gone we heard, "Well then, give me 
 six eggs !" While the dinner rush was on in the canteen, the floor 
 of the hut was covered with dancers. The latter part of the visit 
 white uniforms appeared and a more picturesque cool-looking 
 crowd was nowhere to be found. 
 
 Was their two weeks' visit strenuous? We'll say it was! 
 But we felt more than repaid for our efforts when several of the 
 boys told us that they had never been treated so well in any port 
 and they hoped they would find a "Y" at their next stop. The 
 following is part of a letter received from one of the Pittsburghers : 
 
 "I want to thank you most sincerely for the very fine times 
 you and the others connected with the *Y' at Antwerp afforded 
 us during our short visit there. You certainly did make us all 
 feel at home, and how well I should like to have remained longer. 
 After all, the work of the Association is quite wonderful, isn't it? 
 I sometimes hear some of our boys depreciate the good it is sup- 
 posed to do but I am very certain if a hut was to be found in each 
 port we make we would have a better, cleaner, and more efficient 
 crew in every respect. I am just sure of this." 
 
 31 
 
In the midst of the many disappointments and discourage- 
 ments there occasionally comes something to put new heart into 
 the work and to make us feel that perhaps, after all, our efforts 
 are not fruitless. Our soldiers are markedly selfish and it often 
 seems to us that as time goes on they become more so. During 
 the two weeks that the sailors were with us, however, our hearts 
 were cheered by the unselfish attitude of our boys. They were 
 always most willing to help and direct the visitors, and in the 
 canteen were ready to stand aside and wait patiently until the 
 others had been served. At the dances, of course, there was only 
 a handful of girls, but they willingly played the part of host, and 
 the khaki uniforms among the dancers were few and far between. 
 It is little incidents like these that cheer us and make us feel that, 
 little as we may see it, our work is bringing results. 
 
 The Interallied Meet 
 
 For three days in July, 1921, the most successful interallied 
 track and field meet in the history of the Rhineland was held in 
 Coblenz. Athletes representing the British, French, and Belgian 
 armies competed with the men of the A F G. The meet, which 
 was promoted by the Association, under the supervision of Cap- 
 tain L. S. Gerow, welfare officer, A F G, was in all its details 
 most successfully conducted. The Americans won by a score of 
 two hundred and nine points, against one hundred and six points 
 won by the French army, fifty-nine by the British, and thirty-eight 
 by the Belgian. The Allied athletes were billeted in the Falcken- 
 stein casual depot. The Association kept its hut at that point 
 open for the use of the men, serving ice cream and lemonade free 
 in the afternoon when the athletes returned from the track, and in 
 the evening giving them moving-picture programs. 
 
 There were in the compound British, Belgians, French, Al- 
 gerians, Moroccans, and Americans. The friendly spirit among the 
 representatives of the various armies was most wonderful. Even 
 the pure negroes in the uniform of French Colonials kept their 
 places beautifully and took in good part quite a bit of chaffing. 
 An Arab from the Colonials even played weird music, full of 
 dissonances, on a three-stringed instrument without being thrown 
 out by the Americans who failed to enjoy it. 
 
 An amazing thing was the way in which the French, Bel- 
 gians, and Colonials caught immediately the Association idea of 
 the position of the American women. One expected the British to 
 understand, but not these other Europeans. One of the Belgians 
 explained that we were the "sisters of the men." They were all 
 respectful, courteous and grateful. 
 
 32 
 
As soon as the men came back from the athletic field, they 
 rushed headlong into the hut. Since the weather was warm we 
 had liberal supplies of lemonade and ice cream on hand. They 
 all said "We like your ice cream." The Red Cross gave us cigar- 
 ettes in quantities and it is easy to realize how much that meant 
 to men from countries where tobacco is high. 
 
 Yesterday a French adjutant-in-chief came in. In the course 
 of his conversation he said the French soldiers had received beau- 
 tiful treatment and were quite content; that the hut was a fine 
 place ; the soldiers would not go to town and drink ; they pre- 
 ferred staying in the *'Y." 
 
 This morning I happened to be in the station when the English 
 and Belgians were entraining. They were all expressing their 
 happiness and gratitude for the hospitality they had received. 
 Then one young soldier, speaking for all the Belgians, said, **We 
 thank very much the 'Y'," and added much more in his not quite 
 perfect English. They were all repeating "Merci, merci!" and 
 "Come to Belgium with us." 
 
 But the most graceful thanks of all were given us by the 
 British. Their sergeant-major spoke for the crowd. He said 
 that he wanted to thank us for what the "Y" had done for them 
 all ; that each and every man wanted his gratitude expressed ; that 
 their treatment had been beyond compare. Every man stood at 
 attention during this speech. When he had finished we told them 
 how happy we had been to have them with us, and how thoroughly 
 we had enjoyed extending hospitality to them. Then one soldier 
 said "Let's give three cheers for the Y M C A," and they stood 
 there in the station and gave three of the most rousing cheers 
 that old place or any other had ever heard. 
 
 The comment of the American contestants was less direct but 
 equally appreciative. "It's so near the end of the month, I'm 
 awful gl?d you're puttin' out !" 
 
 PARTIES 
 
 We ushered the month in by giving a May-day tea which was 
 quite a festive affair, although it could not be accompanied by a 
 maypole or dance or other observances of the day. A picnic 
 would have been appropriate but was out of the question because 
 of the size of our family. We did take our tables and chairs out 
 in the yard under the trees. Touches of company manners always 
 appear when tea is served with just a bit of formality. 
 
 A Mother's Day tea was the second social occasion of the 
 month. This was very simple. White and pink carnations were 
 
 33 
 
used for the decorations but we could not get enough to give to 
 each guest. The Mother's Day programs and post cards were 
 distributed throughout the day, and judging by the overflow of 
 the mail box, I should say every soldier sent his card and program 
 home. The evening service was based on the day. Special 
 music was furnished and a talk was given by the secretary. 
 
 Tuesday, we had an old-fashioned party. First came en- 
 thusiastic singing. They all "let out" on the songs. Before they 
 were tired of singing, games started and without pause or hesita- 
 tion or waiting for participants, the hilarity continued until ten 
 o'clock. Those who couldn't get into the games were eager spec- 
 tators. We counted the party a great success, and the secretary 
 from headquarters a skillful and clever leader. 
 
 The second "Battle of the States," which took place the last 
 social evening in July, was a great success. Practically every man 
 in the hut came forward when the discussion was ready to begin 
 and for nearly one and a half hours it was hot and exciting. The 
 shy ones who would not volunteer a word when their state was 
 called for, found their tongues and gathered ready but till then 
 dormant wits to combat the claims of rival states. Various small 
 groups, whose voices could not be heard in the crowd, fought it 
 out among themselves, and bets were made that night in settlement 
 of certain disputes, which were to be paid the following pay day. 
 The soldier will gamble on and over anything. They are always 
 ready to argue and if an interesting and constructive subject is 
 offered they will readily enter in, provided it is discussed in an 
 informal way. The mere idea of a formal debate would terrify 
 most of them. 
 
 Our picture contest lasted a week. We called for contribu- 
 tions of original drawings for the bulletin board and met a ready 
 response in the form of some sixty sketches. The first thing the 
 men did on entering the hut was to aim for the board to see if any 
 new pictures had been added. The subjects were varied and were 
 always clean, ranging from cartoons on incidents in the hut, which 
 were very apt, original, and funny, to German castles and life in 
 general in the Rhineland. Two of the most original and amusing 
 were cartoons of two of the "Y" girls giving a speech in the 
 theatre regarding "spitting tobacco juice" on the floor and "bawl- 
 ing out" the men around the pool table for writing their score in 
 chalk on the table. Not a point was missed in these two sketches 
 from life and we fancy our end was gained better through these 
 pictures by the men than by our speeches. Through this contest 
 
 34 
 
we discovered five men with real talent and feel that through this 
 they may be started on something worth while. We have a corner 
 in a back room where they may sketch undisturbed and we en- 
 courage them in every way to make something of this talent. 
 
 We celebrated the Fourth of July in true American style. 
 Starting at nine o'clock in the morning, we had continuous pro- 
 grams at Coblenz, Andernach, and Mayen, so that any soldier or 
 American civilian wishing to take part had only to go to one of 
 these centers to be royally entertained, with everything that goes 
 to make up a real Fourth of July back in the States, beginning 
 with old-fashioned games and athletic sports, such as three-legged 
 races, bag races, obstacle races, pie eating contests, climbing the 
 pole, chasing the pig. These were followed by baseball. Boxing 
 was held in the late afternoon. Vaudeville and moving-picture 
 shows filled the evening till ten o'clock when came the climax of 
 the whole celebration, a fireworks display, which far exceeded 
 that of last year. 
 
 Our Hallowe'en party was a big success. We had decorated 
 the whole hut with witches, cats, and goblins. The men helped 
 us and they had the best time cutting out things and putting them 
 on the wall and they had many original ideas. We had not adver- 
 tised our party as we had encouraged our men to go to the big one 
 at the Festhalle, thinking it would be a change for them. We 
 planned, however, to get some favors, caps, squeakers, and other 
 things to make some fun for the stay-at-homes. The two secreta- 
 ries dressed up as gypsies and surprised the men completely. They 
 passed around caps and other favors and soon had everyone in- 
 terested. The boys had a glorious time diving for apples or rather 
 pushing in those who were really trying to get them. We started 
 with a dish-pan of water but ended with a tub and even that 
 wasn't deep enough to satisfy the ever-zealous "soldat." We 
 played many of the old games such as fruit-basket; spin the 
 plate; beast, bird or fish; and we were surprised at the number 
 of men who stayed at home. The hut was crowded and they 
 surely enjoyed themselves. After all, they are just youngsters. 
 
 We shall probably never think again of November without 
 thinking of Armistice Day, and in the army and the **Y" huts 
 this is especially true. Our hut, like all the others, was open all 
 day. At twelve o'clock one of the buglers blew the call "Atten- 
 tion" and at the expiration of two minutes, he blew "Taps." 
 During the two minutes all of the soldiers in the hut and the **Y" 
 
 35 
 
personnel stood at attention and I think it is safe to say that 
 without exception they were all really praying. The day was not 
 an ordinary holiday but one that seemed to bring home to the 
 men the events that led up to the armistice and the significance of 
 the day. Their minds seemed to dwell on it and they were un- 
 usually quiet, and if they talked at all, it was about that. 
 
 How the busy December days have been spent in the Ant- 
 werp hut may perhaps best be told by the following translation 
 of an article that appeared the day after Christmas in **Le Matin," 
 an Antwerp newspaper : 
 
 'Tt was through a very kind thought that the American 
 Base held a wonderful party yesterday afternoon in honor of 
 the orphans and abandoned children. 
 
 **The secretaries had devoted their time to making this 
 ray of Christmas sunshine for the unhappy little ones. The 
 master-sergeant, chairman of the committee, had collected a 
 large sum among the American officers, civilians at the Base, 
 and the Graves Registration Service. 
 
 ''About five hundred orphans met at the Base at two 
 o'clock and were served a sumptuous meal. There was a 
 movie — what a wonderful movie — Charlie, king of laughter, 
 brought joy to the souls of all the children. Tw^o negro per- 
 formers — Oh ! what wonderful negroes — entertained with 
 jazz music, dances, and funny songs. Finally Father Christ- 
 mas arrived, dressed in his legendary costume and distribut- 
 ing toys, no less than four hundred, warm gloves, and muf- 
 flers, and giving to each child a stocking filled with bonbons. 
 Oh ! wonderful Father Christmas ! 
 
 *'At six o'clock the children went away laughing and 
 shouting with their pure young voices, 'Long live America.' 
 "Thank you, dear friends and allies, for the charming 
 festivity and touching thought, in short for all that you have 
 done for the poor victims of a war which you have so sub- 
 stantially helped to bring to its close." 
 This party was given by the men themselves in every sense 
 of the word. They furnished their share of the money, in many 
 cases pledging the amount to be paid on the coming pay day ; they 
 shopped for the presents in Coblenz, where money goes farther 
 than it does in Antwerp ; they cut, sewed, and filled the stockings ; 
 they decorated the hut and trimmed the tree; they helped serve 
 the supper and furnished the music ; they played with the children 
 and showed them how to make the automobiles and toy tanks run 
 and for days afterward we heard: 
 
 36 
 
"Did you see that little fellow's face when Butler (Santa 
 Claus) came out of the fire-place?" 
 
 "Well, we've given those kids something to think about for a 
 long time." 
 
 "I guess when those boys grow up to be soldiers they'll know 
 who their friends are." 
 
 To the question: "What did you think of our Christmas 
 party?" we always heard the same answer, expressed in different 
 ways: "It was great — and didn't those kids have a good time." 
 All of which goes to prove that "It is more blessed to give than 
 to receive." 
 
 The great big day of the year has just come and gone. We 
 believe we had the finest Christmas we have ever had in the A F G. 
 It was dignified and beautiful ; the huts were extremely lovely. 
 Last year many of the trees were denuded on Christmas night, 
 much to the distress of the "Y" girls, but this year, so far as I 
 know, no trimming on any of the trees has been disturbed and 
 they are standing today intact. We believe that this is wholly due 
 to the fact that in all instances the men helped with the decorat- 
 ing so that they had a particular pride in maintaining their handi- 
 work. They had also seen how much time and effort goes into 
 the preparation for these festive days. 
 
 In several of the compounds the commanding officers asked 
 that the celebration which the soldiers were giving to the poor 
 children of the region, be held in the hut. At Artillery Barracks 
 the commanding officer asked the secretary if she had any objec- 
 tion to having in the hut the celebration that the 6th Field Ar- 
 tillery had planned for the poor children. They had expected to 
 have it in the compound, but it being cold and wet, the hut was 
 the only place. It was a joyous occasion and the commanding 
 officer and his staff were all present while the boys handed out the 
 gifts to the kiddies. The boys had wrapped up the gifts most 
 carefully in red paper and red ribbons and it was all done with a 
 fine sense of comradeship. 
 
 At Infantry Barracks there was a most fascinating canteen 
 which caused a great deal of amusement and delight among the 
 men. The back of the canteen shelves was arranged as a little fir 
 forest all covered with snow. The lower shelf had great banks of 
 snow on the ground and in a little depression nestled a toy house 
 with little balconies above and below. A wide path from which the 
 snow had been shoveled into high mounds on either side led up 
 to the little porch. A gingerbread Santa Claus leaned against 
 the snow-clad roof ready to make his descent down the chimney, 
 
 Z7 
 
from which came little white curls of cotton smoke. Little 
 St. Nicholases were whisking about on to the left of the house 
 and all sorts of amusing toy animals completed the scene. 
 
 At Constantine the effect when the lights were turned on in 
 the writing-room was like fairyland. On all the lamp shades, of 
 which there are about twenty-five in this one large room, were 
 sprays of the fir interspersed with silver and crystal trimmings, and 
 with the Christmas tree glistening in its many colors, one could not 
 wish for a more beautiful sight. They had so many windows ; 
 and such lovely curtains hanging against the soft gray and buff 
 walls, that the whole room lent itself marvelously to the Christmas 
 scheme. 
 
 In some way or other the story of our day here is not trans- 
 latable, but of this I am convinced — that never have we had such 
 a spirit as at this time. Just why, we know not. All we do know 
 is that it is so. Only those who have worked in the huts on these 
 days know how long and hard and strenuous the work is, but there 
 was not a girl on Christmas night but felt in some way or other 
 that it was all good. There was practically no drinking. The 
 cafes closed on Christmas Eve at nine o'clock. The men had con- 
 tributed thousands and thousands of marks for the poor children 
 of Coblenz. They had been responsible for the distribution of 
 food, clothing, and toys, and the glow that came from doing for 
 others was reflected in the huts. 
 
 On Christmas Eve the Carol Club with their trumpeters went 
 through the city in the electric-lighted bus all decorated with 
 Christmas greens. They sang for General Allen, the members of 
 his staff, the station hospital, the Salvation Army, the hostess 
 house, the library, at Mr. Sprenger's and Mr. Eastman's. The 
 hostess house of the Young Women's Christian Association 
 started the day beautifully for for us, the workers. A Christmas 
 breakfast was given to all the guests of the house. Fifty-one of 
 us sat down at one time and we had the harpist who is on the 
 Association circuit, and the quartette that had sung the carols for 
 us Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful hour and sent everybody 
 off joyously for the day's work. 
 
 THE LEAST HUT OF ALL 
 
 What memories the little *'Y" in the valley brings to those 
 who were cognizant of its presence! Tucked away in the Ahr 
 valley, close to the rushing stream, looked down upon by the 
 gaunt ruin of Castle Altenahr, was the "least hut of all." So 
 small it was, indeed, there was grave counseling at headquarters, 
 
 38 
 
when the request came from the officers for help for their hun- 
 dred boys shut off in this hill-walled solitude. For one hundred 
 soldiers one could not carry on a fourfold program complete. 
 There certainly could not be physical and educational directors 
 and religious and social secretaries, but after all, that was hardly a 
 good reason for not doing what one might to help even a hundred 
 men who without help were certainly not coming back to the 
 United States fit to serve the country. The best that could be 
 done was to open an American home, and the Association at 
 Kreuzberg was that absolutely and nothing but that. This was no 
 costly experiment. Whether it was worth while or not one may 
 judge for one's self by the story woven from the reports of the 
 secretary. 
 
 The opening of a bottle of ink was the introduction of the 
 Kreuzberg hut to the men of Company A, 16th Railway Engineers 
 Battalion. Before the floor v/as cleaned on Sunday morning three 
 soldiers appeared, saying they had not written home for months. 
 There were many letters written that day. Our first week was 
 bitter cold, the German workmen were polcy as usual, so that it 
 was not a very inviting or warm place. The motion-picture hall 
 was not ready, the books were delayed. About all we could do 
 was to arrange a comer where the men could write and play 
 checkers and when the workmen advanced to our corner move 
 ourselves somewhere else. We found a friendly spirit among 
 these men and a very helpful one. They continually found little 
 and big things to do about the hut and did them without waiting 
 to be asked. They made repairs on the poor work of the German 
 carpenter. They made footstools and pokers, put the stove in 
 order, painted signs, and, insisting that we must have a flag float- 
 ing from the "Y," they went into the hills for a flagpole which 
 they painted and set in an iron socket. They took great interest in 
 watching new things appear in the hut and noticed each article. 
 
 The owner of our house was inclined to make things un- 
 pleasant at first, especially after we made him take his goat from 
 our cellar. We had to get the town major before he would give 
 us the keys. One day he became a bit too insolent and the soldiers 
 promptly put him out and told him to stay out. We found him 
 more reasonable ever after. But he stole a march on us and before 
 we knew what was going on had painted a large white space on 
 the side of the building. On this he assured us that no matter 
 what was said to him he would have "Hotel Brodt" in large black 
 letters the next morning. But by the next morning a large red 
 triangle had miraculously appeared upon this convenient white 
 
 39 
 
ground. No one knew how it got there but someone did know a 
 soldier whose fatigue clothes were much the worse for red paint. 
 
 Our problems, and we had more in Peaceful Valley than 
 appeared on the surface, were just the usual ones a bit aggravated 
 by local conditions. The barracks were three-quarters of a mile 
 from the **Y" — a real drawback. The movie hall was in another 
 building and over a wine shop, which was unfortunate. The men 
 had been here long enough without a hut to establish credit at 
 almost all the German places about. When the first group of men 
 came here it was months before they ever drank water. The 
 water is condemned and rather than bother to purify it they began 
 the day with beer. Many of them were on too friendly footing 
 with "frauleins," the "frauleins' " families making every efifort to 
 have them feel at home. In spite of all these things it was in- 
 finitely worth while to try to make a home for these men. From 
 the stories they have told us we know there was a big oppor- 
 tunity for constructive growth, however slow. 
 
 These men were less apt to spend an entire afternoon and 
 evening in the hut than in many "Y's." They came in, read and 
 wrote and visited, went outdoors, strolled on the bridge, and came 
 back again for an hour or so. They were unusually non-destruc- 
 tive and we have never seen men so angelic about ash trays. They 
 adopted immediately a most protecting and helpful spirit toward 
 "the white woman of the valley." On returning from a shopping 
 trip on the first day she found that the town major had brought in 
 two women to help him and had furnished her bedroom and sitting 
 room and hung curtains. Before the canteen was running one of 
 the men, hearing her say she had no marks and deciding she was 
 "broke," came quietly with a roll of money. "Now, you take this 
 and go and get yourself a square meal. I always have a few marks. 
 
 Any time you need any just you say, 'Private , come across.' " 
 
 Her little German maid was scared into extraordinary activity by 
 the threats of the men that something would happen to her if her 
 mistress were not well fed, while one man, with an anxious imagi- 
 nation, endowed the secretary with a troublesome husband and 
 offered to "do him up" if it would give her the least satisfaction. 
 Through a misunderstanding the secretary did not go to a com- 
 pany dinner on one national holiday. Presently a procession came 
 down the road headed by the mess sergeant, who presented a 
 heavy basket. In it was a whole roasted chicken, a tiny American 
 flag stuck in its breast and surrounded by lettuce and green onions, 
 with cherries and chocolate for dessert. 
 
 Out in this hamlet we could have no music at the movies, so 
 we used the time between the reels to read short articles. At first 
 
 40 
 
we read items from newspapers. Then we took selections from 
 well-known writers — Kipling, Service, Bret Harte. The men as a 
 rule made no direct comment but often borrowed the articles. They 
 frequently asked what was going to be read, however, and best of 
 all soon began to contribute articles which they thought would be 
 of interest. We found that many would listen with interest to ar- 
 ticles which they would not read themselves, indeed would not 
 know existed. One man said he could not understand where we 
 found our readings. *T look and look and never find anything like 
 that." The showing of Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in The 
 Kid meant much to the men away out here. They awaited it so 
 eagerly, one man deferring his furlou^ that he might see it. 
 Long before it was time to begin, the hall across the bridge, the 
 hut itself, the living room and the canteen, were packed to the 
 doors and the overflow had to sit on the bridge. Everyone who 
 could attend was there, a minimum guard on duty being arranged 
 by the officers. 
 
 On Mother's Day we had fifty carnations and these were 
 soon gone. The news spread and we were kept busy putting them 
 in buttonholes. Said one man, "Please, I thank you for putting 
 it on me yourself, for you American girls are the nearest thing 
 v/e have to mothers." I believe there was hardly a man who did 
 not write home on the cards sent out and enclose a Mother's Day 
 program. We made a special bulletin board for the festival and 
 there were men about it all day long. To several men who wore 
 white carnations we offered our mother and they seemed only too 
 glad to sit down and write to her. We had the hut filled with 
 flowers and one man came in and said he knew it was against the 
 rules to bring in Germans but could he please bring a young lady 
 in just for a moment so that she could see the flowers. One 
 could see that he loved flowers and when he brought the girl in 
 he pointed out each blossom caressingly and then with an air of 
 pride and possession he pointed out everything else. 
 
 If one should take the best that a man does by which to 
 judge him, one should surely take the best day of the year by 
 which to judge this work and this, of course, was Christmas Day. 
 The men entered early into the holiday spirit. They helped to 
 decorate the hut as well as their own messhall. Every available 
 space and some unavailable they filled with greens, holly, and 
 mistletoe. They brought in a small tree and decorated it. For 
 this we had real old-fashioned candles and each night the men lit 
 that tree. Bright-colored stockings were made and labeled, one 
 for each man, and filled with nuts and candy and a nonsense toy. 
 After the hut closed on Christmas Eve the officers themselves 
 
 41 
 
came and hung the ninety stockings, ready to surprise the men 
 Christmas morning. The company had had its Christmas dinner 
 on Saturday, the day before Chistmas, and at two o'clock in the 
 messhall the men had their Christmas tree for the two hundred 
 children of the village. The tree bore a gift for every child. 
 Afterward we had a movie for them, the men helping through 
 this exciting occasion. The room could hardly have held another 
 child. Most of them had never seen a movie and their amazement 
 and delight were touching. At our Christmas service even the 
 guard-house guests were allowed to come down. The men chose 
 many hymns as well as wanting to sing all the carols, and besides 
 the Christmas story we read "The Other Wise Man." Then all 
 of Sunday afternoon we kept open house, just a nice family party, 
 winding up in the evening with a movie. It was a real Christmas, 
 filled with the true Christmas spirit. 
 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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