the americanization of edward bok-第74章

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fore　the　Committee；　of　whom　two　hundred　and　fifty…eight　were　passed　and　sent　overseas。

The　Committee's　work　was　exceptionally　successful；　it　soon　proved　of　so　excellent　a　quality　as　to　elicit　a　cabled　request　from　Paris　headquarters　to　send　more　men　of　the　Philadelphia　type。　The　secret　of　this　lay　in　the　sterling　personnel　of　the　Committee　itself；　and　its　interpretation　of　the　standards　required；　and　so　well　did　it　work　that　when　Bok　left　for　the　front　to　be　absent　from　Philadelphia　for　ten　weeks；　his　Committee；　with　Thomas　W。　Hulme；　of　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad；　acting　as　Chairman；　did　some　of　its　best　work。

The　after…results；　according　to　the　report　of　the　New　York　headquarters；　showed　that　no　Y。　M。　C。　A。　recruiting　committee　had　equalled　the　work　of　the　Philadelphia　committee　in　that　its　men；　in　point　of　service；　had　proved　one　hundred　per　cent　secretaries。　With　two　exceptions；　the　entire　two　hundred　and　fifty…eight　men　passed；　brought　back　one　hundred　per　cent　records；　some　of　them　having　been　placed　in　the　most　important　posts　abroad　and　having　given　the　most　difficult　service。　The　work　of　the　other　Philadelphia　committees；　particularly　that　of　the　Women's　Committee；　was　equally　good。

To　do　away　with　the　multiplicity　of　〃drives；〃　rapidly　becoming　a　drain　upon　the　efforts　of　the　men　engaged　in　them；　a　War　Chest　Committee　was　now　formed　in　Philadelphia　and　vicinity　to　collect　money　for　all　the　war…work　agencies。　Bok　was　made　a　member　of　the　Executive　Committee；　and　chairman　of　the　Publicity　Committee。　In　May；　1918；　a　campaign　for　twenty　millions　of　dollars　was　started；　the　amount　was　subscribed；　and　although　much　of　it　had　to　be　collected　after　the　armistice；　since　the　subscriptions　were　in　twelve　monthly　payments；　a　total　of　fifteen　and　a　half　million　dollars　was　paid　in　and　turned　over　to　the　different　agencies。

Bok；　who　had　been　appointed　one　of　the　Boy　Scout　commissioners　in　his　home　district　of　Merion；　saw　the　possibilities　of　the　Boy　Scouts　in　the　Liberty　Loan　and　other　campaigns。　Working　in　co…operation　with　the　other　commissioners；　and　the　scoutmaster　of　the　Merion　Troop；　Bok　supported　the　boys　in　their　work　in　each　campaign　as　it　came　along。　Although　there　were　in　the　troop　only　nine　boys；　in　ages　ranging　from　twelve　to　fourteen　yearsBok's　younger　son　was　one　of　themso　effectively　did　these　youngsters　work　under　the　inspiration　of　the　scoutmaster；　Thomas　Dun　Belfield；　that　they　soon　attracted　general　attention　and　acquired　distinction　as　one　of　the　most　efficient　troops　in　the　vicinity　of　Philadelphia。　They　won　nearly　all　the　prizes　offered　in　their　vicinity；　and　elicited　the　special　approval　of　the　Secretary　of　the　Treasury。

Although　only　〃gleaners〃　in　most　of　the　campaignsthat　is；　working　only　in　the　last　three　days　after　the　regular　committees　had　scoured　the　neighborhoodthese　Merion　Boy　Scouts　sold　over　one　million　four　hundred　thousand　dollars　in　Liberty　Bonds；　and　raised　enough　money　in　the　Y。　M。　C。　A。　campaign　to　erect　one　of　the　largest　huts　in　France　for　the　army　boys；　and　a　Y。　M。　C。　A。　gymnasium　at　the　League　Island　Navy　Yard　accommodating　two　thousand　sailor…boys。

In　the　summer　of　1918；　the　eight　leading　war…work　agencies；　excepting　the　Red　Cross；　were　merged；　for　the　purpose　of　one　drive　for　funds；　into　the　United　War　Work　Campaign；　and　Bok　was　made　chairman　for　Pennsylvania。　In　November　a　country…wide　campaign　was　launched；　the　quota　for　Pennsylvania　being　twenty　millions　of　dollarsthe　largest　amount　ever　asked　of　the　commonwealth。　Bok　organized　a　committee　of　the　representative　men　of　Pennsylvania；　and　proceeded　to　set　up　the　machinery　to　secure　the　huge　sum。　He　had　no　sooner　done　this；　however；　than　he　had　to　sail　for　France；　returning　only　a　month　before　the　beginning　of　the　campaign。

But　the　efficient　committee　had　done　its　work；　upon　his　return　Bok　found　the　organization　complete。　On　the　first　day　of　the　campaign；　the　false　rumor　that　an　armistice　had　been　signed　made　the　raising　of　the　large　amount　seem　almost　hopeless；　furthermore；　owing　to　the　influenza　raging　throughout　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　efficien