Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1918 — NEED FOR WAR WELFARE WORK [ARTICLE]

NEED FOR WAR WELFARE WORK

The Knights of Columbus start a drive intndiana on May 5 for a war camp fund of $250,000, the state’s quota of a national fund of $16,000,000 which is now being raised to maintain and expand the ’ organization’s welfare activities until July 1, 1919. The Knights of Columbus, the Y. M. C. A., and several other organizations are diligently working to give the American soldiers and sailors in training camp and at fighting front homelike comforts’ and recreation which the U. S. government is unable to provide for our fighting forces. Letters front the soldiers to the folks back home, as well as

observation's of all who have looked into the war welfare service, make it evident that the service is not going ifar in cheering the spirits' of the boys in khaki, but tha't there is no likelihood of the service being overdone. There are too many thousand young men in the camps and trenches for the welfare organizations to reach the limit in their activities. The Knights of Columbus is entirely non-sectarian in giving aid, comfort and pleasure to the soldiers. The Rev. W. T. Manning, rector of Trinity Episcopal church. New York, and chaplain of a regiment of engineers at Camp Upton, gives unprejudiced observation of the Knights of Columbus service. “I have had at Camp Upton," Dr. Manning says, ‘‘opportunity to see what this work of the Knights of Columbus is accomplishing, and I say that it . deserves the support of every intelligent and patriotic American. it is sometimes suggested, and with the best intentions, that the Knights of Columbus, Y. M. C. A., Jewish Welfare Board, and others, ought to be combined into one organization. This would be the greatest possible mistake. One might say that the army might be 'Strengthened toy combining the infantry, artillery and engineers. We need them all and each one has its own work to do. To combine them would be a loss of -power and it would not work. Under present Circumstances these welfare agencies work in the friendliest spirit of cooperation. No agencies are doing more to win the war than the Knights of Columbus, the Y. M. C. X. tfnd the others 'and they are all needed."