, 1864-11-23
TEE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION


We give up the entire third page Of this
mornings TRIBUNE to the usc OF the Chris
tim Commission. Tho mission Of this or
ganization Is to minister to the wants Of the
souls and bodies Of our soldiers and sailors.
Religions books and tracts are distributed as
well us food and medicine. The Presidents
Thanksgiving proclamation causes every
Christian and thoughtful heart to turn In
stinctively towards the brare soldiers with
bis offering. The nature and organization
Of the Christian Commission is thus stated
"The United States Christian Commission
fully satisfies the demands Of the Church as
the agency for conveying both bodily relief
sailors. y" 1 '' . '-'4>&
l. It possesses the full confidence Of the
Government, md every allowable privilege
OF access and transportation to our armies
and uayfee.
2. It's Delegates, with wagons, steam tugs,
tcnts, cooking wagon, stores, books, the
Scriptures, and religious papers, are estab-
nshed IN each OF our armies; and it5 work is
IN successful progress, from Fortress Monroe
to Fort Vancouver.
8. In our Western field and post hospitals,
the diet kitchens, under the carc Of the ladies'
inralids unable TO live on the ordinary fare
cooked by the soldier nurses, and are being
extended to our Eastern armies, By the re.
quest Of many surgeons.
4. Our furnished exchanged prisoners from
Richmond and Savannah arc tendcrly received
and nnrsed. They counsel and pray with the
sick and dying, advise their friends by tcle-
graph OF letter, and carefully transmit their
relics to the monrners st home.
S. In the trenches before Richmond, with
the ambulance and wagon trains Of wounded
IN The valley Of the Shenandoah, and even on
the battlefield, the delegates are now cheer
ing the weary sufferers, giyin. them cordials,
warm tea, chicken soup, and biscuit; and
thus, as our surgeons testify, saving thousands
Of lives Of our braye soldiers, and often those
Of our wounded enemies. The cooking wagon
hns furnished hot cof1rc to the battle-worn
men Of fnThole division, under. d shower of
bullets.
G. In the existing deficiency Of chaplains, q
large proportion Of the regiments in the field,
and almost al our field hospitals, are depend
ant on the commission for the ordinances Of
religion. The Chaplains look to it for chapel
tents, Testanents, hymn books, tracts, and
brarics for gunboats and hospitals are now in
preparation OF the standard religious news.
papers, over LOO, coo are distributed monthly;
and of Testaments, 1.000, 600 hare been dis
trlbuted psalms and hymn books, ,O00, 900;
besides millions Of pages Of tracts and sheets
Of paper, envelops and postage stamps.
The donations Of the Christian Commission
60 directly to The men themselves, the dele
gates generally giving them with their own
bands, thus not only asccrtaining that the
cordials 60 down the right throat5, but pre-
pairing favorable reception for the words Of
comfort and counsel By which they always
accompany them.
The number Of dc1egntes who have yo1un-
teered their gratuitous services for these min
istrattons is over 5000. This number will be
greatly increased during the coming winter.
4 majority Of them are ministers Of the Cos
pei many Of them surgeons, physicians and
1awyers, whose professional services would
have brought them thousands Of dollars, and
merchants, leaving important business to
ward Most Of the work of the Commission
is performed gratuitous1y by the railroad and
Telegraph companies, 20 TINT ninety five cents
Of every dollar expended by the Christian
Commission goes into the soldiers hands.