Of the three bars of the triangle, it is this which stands at the top, which unites the other two and which is the dominating factor of the whole.  And yet nowhere is religion forced down the throats of the men.  Rather it is the aim to make it the unconscious atmosphere of the whole hut.  It is a striking fact, to which every soldier will testify, that while the language of the barrack room and beer canteen is often reeking with the profane and the obscene, the whole tone of the Association hut is entirely different.  As one soldier says:  “You don’t realize the enormous difference of atmosphere between this and any other place where soldiers congregate.  A man simply does not talk bad language and filth here; he learns to control himself.”  Thus the threefold work of the Association stands for the whole man and for the whole manhood of the nation.

In many ways the Y M C A hut seeks to meet the soldier’s every need.

1.  It is his club, where he meets his comrades and in the freedom and friendship of the place forgets the irksome drill, the endless restraints, and the stern discipline of military life.

2.  As we have already seen, it is his home, the place where he writes his letters and keeps in touch with his family and distant friends.  Nearly twenty million pieces of stationery are sent out free for the soldiers each month from the London central office, and the sign of the red triangle on the letter head brings weekly joy and cheer to the broken circle in the distant home.  It is here that the lad is helped to “keep the home fires burning” in his heart and to hold true to those high ideals.  One little girl when visiting the Crystal Palace, upon seeing the sign of the red triangle, said:  “My daddy always makes that mark on his letters when he writes to us at home.”

3.  It is his church, for out on the desert, or in the jungle, or at the front, there is usually no other church building for religious services.  The following is taken from a typical Sunday program in one of the huts:  “6:30 a. m., Roman Catholic Mass; 7:30 Nonconformist service; 9:00 Anglican service; 2-3 p. m., Bible class; 6:4:5-8 United Song Service.”  Thus each denomination is allowed to have its own service in its own way on Sunday morning, while the evening meeting is interdenominational and open to all.

In one place where the young Hebrews were being sadly neglected and were falling away from their former moral standards, the secretary arranged with the Jewish rabbi to have a weekly service in the Y M C A tent for his men.  It has been held ever since.  The Jews of the neighboring city were so grateful that they started a campaign to raise a fund of $10,000 for Y M C A huts.  The Rev. Michael Adler, the head Jewish rabbi with the forces in France, has time and again expressed his cordial appreciation of the help rendered to the men of his faith.  The doors of the Association will always remain open for men of all creeds.  As wide as the needs of men, as broad as democracy, as unified as humanity, and as tolerant as its Lord and Master, the movement will ever aim to be.