The Dominion TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1918. THE Y.M.C.A. AND THE FIGHTING MEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 142, 5 March 1918, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1918. THE Y.M.C.A. AND THE FIGHTING MEN

If there is ono thing'in connection with the present world war on which there is absolute unanimity of opinion it is in regard to tho magnificent ■ work of the Y.M.C.A. on behalf of our soldiers. _ From the time he enters camp right up to his reaching the fighting zone, tho young soldier finds the Y.M.C.A. holding out a helping hand, catering for his comfort and convenience, providing him with entertainment, strengthening, heartening and cheering him. It is a marvellous organisation developed to a remarkable stage of working efficiency, and it has rendered services of incalculable value to our sons and brothers who are fighting for us overseas wherever the fortune of war may have carried them. What it has done for our soldiers no one but the soldiers themselves, pcrhaps,_ can fully appreciate, and there is not a soldier at the front to-day who has not a good word to say .i or the Y.M.C.A., and hardly a soldier who has not in ono way or another benefited by its untiring activities and its practical and whole-hearted work on their behalf. At the present timo the New Zealand branch of this great world-wide organisation is setting out on a task which should have the sympathy and support of every loyal citizen who realises what we owe to the men who are risking their lives for us overseas. The Y.M.C.A. is seeking to raise the sum of £100,000 in this Dominion to provide trench comforts for our soldiers; the sum of £25,000 being the amount which it is hoped to raise in Wellington City and the surrounding district. This may seem to sonic people a large sum to expect, but when the merits of the cause for which it is needed arc, taken into account, when the comfort and cheer which it will bring to tho weary men in ' the fighting lines is borne in mind, there should be so willing and generous a response from all sections of the public that the total required should bo freely and fully subscribed.

Thore are few to-day who do not know something of the activities of tho Y.M.O.A. in the fighting zone. The letters home from soldiers at the front tell in grateful terms of the manner in whichthc Y.M.C.A. has pushed its way right up to the trenches, its depots there providing good cheer in the form of hot coffee and cocoa and more solid refresh-

menfc for the worn and mud-spatter-1 eel and nerve-wracked men returning from their term in the tiring line. As one soldier pathetically remarked on one bitter winter's day when he and his mates were receiving these free hot drinks: "This actually saves our lives—wo were pretty well 'all in.' " Thorc are, of course, other sides of_ the Y.M.C.A. work behind the fighting lines. Because the Y.M.C.A. makes it so easy to write home, remarked an American admirer of its work, thousands more of soldiers' letters h;p,*e gone home than would otherwise have gone. Is thero a father or a mother with a son at the front who does nci realise with a sense of gratitude what this means? livery such letter, it has been said, is on'o more clutch on a man's soul to preserve him from forgetfulness a,nd recklessness, no matter whether he be a homesick recruit or a seasoned trooper. Every Y.M.'C.A. centre is some reminder of home warmth in-the midst of the now, raw, chilly camp environment where old friends and old habits and the steadying influence of home are left behind, and_ many social influences of reare lacking. To lighten these hardships and to encourage, cheer, and help the men so that they may live clean and straight, these are amongst the first tasks 1 of the Y.M.C.A., and it is carrying through its great work on such a tremendous scale and with such amazing success that its organisation to-day is the admiration and the wonder of the whole world. Those who contribute to this fund, and all should contribute as their means may permit, can do so with the confident knowledge that every penny subscribed will bo spent to the best advantage of the object in view. That is one of the reasons for the enormous growth and development of the Y.M.C.A.'s war work. Generals _ and statesmen and private soldiers and civilian visitors to the fighting fronts, all have the same story to tell of the value and efficiency of the Y.M.C.A.'s work for our soldiers. It caters for the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of the men, under conditions and in circumstances when the help and encouragement given are most appreciated and are of the greatest value. The call now' made is one which should appeal to the sympathies of all. It is an opportunity for all to do something practical to lighten the lot and add to the comfort and cheer of the men who are facing hardship and suffering and death in our cause. The people of_ 'Wellington City and country districts wo are confident will give willingly and generously to further so worthy an end.