the americanization of edward bok-第85部分

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out　the　commonwealth；　no　public　meetings　had　been　permitted　or　held。　Still；　despite　all　these　obstacles；　not　only　was　the　twenty　millions　subscribed　but　oversubscribed　to　the　extent　of　nearly　a　million　dollars；　and　in　face　of　the　fact　that　every　penny　of　this　large　total　had　to　be　collected　after　the　signing　of　the　armistice；　twenty　millions　of　dollars　was　paid　in　and　turned　over　to　the　war　agencies。

It　is　indeed　a　question　whether　any　single　war　act　on　the　part　of　the　people　of　Pennsylvania　redounds　so　highly　to　their　credit　as　this　marvellous　evidence　of　patriotic　generosity。　It　was　one　form　of　patriotism　to　subscribe　so　huge　a　sum　while　the　war　was　on　and　the　guns　were　firing；　it　was　quite　another　and　a　higher　patriotism　to　subscribe　and　pay　such　a　sum　after　the　war　was　over！

Bok's　position　as　State　chairman　of　the　United　War　Work　Campaign　made　it　necessary　for　him　to　follow　authoritatively　and　closely　the　work　of　each　of　the　eight　different　organizations　represented　in　the　fund。　Because　he　felt　he　had　to　know　what　the　Knights　of　Columbus；　the　Salvation　Army；　the　Y。　W。　C。　A。；　and　the　others　were　doing　with　the　money　he　had　been　instrumental　in　collecting；　and　for　which　he　felt；　as　chairman；　responsible　to　the　people　of　Pennsylvania；　he　learned　to　know　their　work　just　as　thoroughly　as　he　knew　what　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　was　doing。

He　had　now　seen　and　come　into　personal　knowledge　of　the　work　of　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　from　his　Philadelphia　point　of　vantage；　with　his　official　connection　with　it　at　New　York　headquarters；　he　had　seen　the　work　as　it　was　done　in　the　London　and　Paris　headquarters；　and　he　had　seen　the　actual　work　in　the　American　camps；　the　English　rest…camps；　back　of　the　French　lines；　in　the　trenches；　and　as　near　the　firing…line　as　he　had　been　permitted　to　go。

He　had；　in　short；　seen　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　function　from　every　angle；　but　he　had　also　seen　the　work　of　the　other　organizations　in　England　and　France；　back　of　the　lines　and　in　the　trenches。　He　found　them　all　faultynecessarily　so。　Each　had　endeavored　to　create　an　organization　within　an　incredibly　short　space　of　time　and　in　the　face　of　adverse　circumstances。　Bok　saw　at　once　that　the　charge　that　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　was　〃falling　down〃　in　its　work　was　as　false　as　that　the　Salvation　Army　was　doing　〃a　marvellous　work〃　and　that　the　K。　of　C。　was　〃efficient　where　others　were　incompetent；〃　and　that　the　Y。　W。　C。　A。　was　〃nowhere　to　be　seen。〃

The　Salvation　Army　was　unquestionably　doing　an　excellent　piece　of　work　within　a　most　limited　area；　it　could　not　be　on　a　wider　scale；　when　one　considered　the　limited　personnel　it　had　at　its　command。　The　work　of　the　K。　of　C。　was　not　a　particle　more　or　less　efficient　than　the　work　of　the　other　organizations。　What　it　did；　it　strove　to　do　well；　but　so　did　the　others。　The　Y。　W。　C。　A。　made　little　claim　about　its　work　in　France；　since　the　United　States　Government　would　not；　until　nearly　at　the　close　of　the　war；　allow　women　to　be　sent　over　in　the　uniforms　of　any　of　the　war…work　organizations。　But　no　one　can　gainsay　for　a　single　moment　the　efficient　service　rendered　by　the　Y。　W。　C。　A。　in　its　hostess…house　work　in　the　American　camps；　that　work　alone　would　have　entitled　it　to　the　support　of　the　American　people。　That　of　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　was　on　so　large　a　scale　that　naturally　its　inefficiency　was　often　in　proportion　to　its　magnitude。

Bok　was　in　France　when　the　storm　of　criticism　against　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　broke　out；　and；　as　State　chairman　for　Pennsylvania；　it　was　his　duty　to　meet　the　outcry　when　it　came　over　to　the　United　States。　That　the　work　of　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　was　faulty　no　one　can　deny。　Bok　saw　the　〃holes〃　long　before　they　were　called　to　the　attention　of　the　public；　but　he　also　saw　the　almost　impossible　task；　in　face　of　prevailing　difficulties；　of　caulking　them　up。　No　one　who　was　not　in　France　can　form　any　conception　of　the　practically　insurmountable　obstacles　against　which　all　the　war…work　organizations　worked；　and　the　larger　the　work　the　greater　were　the　obstacles；　naturally。　That　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　and　the　other　similar　agencies　made　mistakes　is　not　the　wonder　so　much　as　that　they　did　not　make　more。　The　real　marvel　is　that　they　did　so　much　efficient　work。　For　after　we　get　a　little　farther　away　from　the　details　and　see　the　work　of　these　agencies　in　its　broader　aspects；　when　we　forget　the　lapseswhich；　after　all；　though　irritating　and　regrettable；　were　not　majorthe　record　as　a　whole　will　stand　as　a　most　signal　piece　of　volunteer　service。

What　was　actually　accomplished　was　nothing　short　of　marvellous；　and　it　is　this　fact　that　must　be　borne　in　mind；　not　the　omissions；　but　the　commissions。　And　when　the　American　public　gets　that　point　of　viewas　it　will；　and；　for　that　matter；　is　already　beginning　to　dothe　work　of　the　American　Y。　M。　C。　A。　will　no　longer　suffer　for　its　omissions；　but　will　amaze　and　gladden　by　its　accomplishments。　As　an　American　officer　of　high　rank　said　to　Bok　at　Chaumont　headquarters：　〃The　mind　cannot　take　in　what　the　war　would　have　been　without　the　'Y。'〃　And　that；　in　time；　will　be　the　universal　American　opinion；　extended；　in　proportion　to　their　work；　to　all　the　war…work　agencies　and　the　men　and　women　who　endured；　suffered；　and　were　killed　in　their　service。



XXXV。　At　the　Battle…Fronts　in　the　Great　War

It　was　in　the　summer　of　1918　that　Edward　Bok　received　from　the　British　Government；　through　its　department　of　public　information；　of　which　Lord　Beaverbrook　was　the　minister；　an　invitation　to　join　a　party　of　thirteen　American　editors　to　visit　Great　Britain　and　France。　The　British　Government；　not　versed　in　publicity　methods；　was　anxious　that　selected　parties　of　American　publicists　should　see；　personally；　what　Great　Britain　had　done；　and　was　doing　in　the　war；　and　it　had　decided　to　ask　a　few　individuals　to　pay　personal　visits　to　its　munition　factories；　its　great　aerodromes；　its　Great　Fleet；　which　then　lay　in　the　Firth　of　Forth；　and　to　the　battle…fields。　It　was　understood　that　no　specific　obligation　rested　upon　any　member　of　the　party　to　write　of　what　he　saw：　he　was　asked　simply　to　observe　and　then；　with　discretion；　use　his　observations　for　his　own　guidance　and　information　in　future　writing。　In　fact；　each　member　was　explicitly　told　that　much　of　what　he　would　see　could　not　be　revealed　either　personally　or　in　print。

The　party　embarked　in　August　amid　all　the　attendant　secrecy　of　war　conditions。　The　steamer　was　known　only　by　a　number；　although　later　it　turned　out　to　be　the　White　Star　liner；　Adriatic。　Preceded　by　a　powerful　United　States　cruiser；　flanked　by　destroyers；　guided　overhead　by　observation　balloons；　the　Adriatic　was　found　to　be　the　first　ship　in　a　convoy　of　sixteen　other　ships　with　thirty　thousand　United　States　troops　on　board。

It　was　a　veritable　Armada　that　steamed　out　of　lower　New　York　harbor　on　that　early　August　morning；　headed　straight　into　the　rising　sun。　But　it　was　a　voyage　of　unpleasant　war　reminders；　with　life…savers　carried　every　moment　of　the　day；　with　every　light　out　at　night；　with　every　window　and　door　as　if　hermetically　sealed　so　that　the　stuffy　cabins　deprived　of　sleep　those　accustomed　to　fresh　air；　with　over　sixty　army　men　and　civilians　on　watch　at　night；　with　life…drills　each　day；　with　lessons　as　to　behavior　in　life…boats；