New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-15
CHAPLAINS IN THE NAVY.
SOME CRITICISMS ABOUT THEM.
WHAT SOME PEOPLE THINK OF THEM AND

there any vacancies in the corps Of chapains OF
the Army, and requesting to be instructed how to Oh
tain appointment. Careful inquiries have been
made by the correspondent Of The Tribune from the
War Department with the following results There IS
vacancy In the gradg Of chaplain. There is bill
pending for the appointment OF "Acting Chsplans.'
| but II has not yet become a law. The present law
| provides that the President may. by and with the
advice and consent Of the senate, appoint chaplain
for each regiment of cOlored troops, and thirty post
| chapains. Chaplans shall have the rank of captain
| OF infantry without command and shall be on the
| same footing with other officers OF tho Army as to
tenure Of Office, retirement and pensions. NO person
shall be appointed regncntal post chaplain until
he shall furnish proof that he regularly ordained
minister Of religious denomination in good stand
| ing at the time Of his appointment, together with
! recommendation for such appointment from some AT
thozcd ecclesiastical body or from not less than five
accredited ministers Of said denomination
Chapiains required only for frontier posts, or
station, remote or Isolated from church facilities The
pay for the first five years i $500 year, with an
increase Of 10 per cent Of the current yearly pay for
each term of five years Of service. Applications may
| be fled at any time. and they will be placed on file
for the examination and consideration Of tho President.
! whenever an appointment X to be made but It must
! be borne In mind that there are ONLY thirty four
chapians in service vacancies cannot be expected 70
often. and that there are constantly very large
| number of applications on hlc.
y
proposing Improvement in the orcanization Of the
| corps Of chaplain, Of the Army There being much
doubt that the innovation would BE- to the general
benefit Of The service and that II not certain that
a competent examining board could BE- obtained, the
bill va, permitted to die a natural death in the com
mittec. II shoud become a Law 1t would be neces-
sary for c0umaudtts 81 military posts to take course
in some theological seminary TO tit them for the duty
OF examining candidates for the corps Tho proposed
amendment - the present law did not require the
board TO find that the candidate was PHYSICALLY
| sound or that he should be a regularly ordained min
l,cr. but the board Of military officers would have
been required To- determine whether IN" applicant for
| chaplaincy Wa, well suited and qualified In every
| respect ft the dutc-.' In other words. an inquiry
would have to be made into the question Of orthodoxy
and a, orthodoxy is always nv doxy' opinions Is 10
candidates fitness would be varying according to the
composition Of the court. II the examination SHOULD
be limited 10 a Chaplain, knowledge OF the do trinc'
Of hi, particular church. thi, would involve an &C
ouairtancc with controversial theology. which, very
p.olahiy many Of the Wc,' Point cadets did not rrf
up before leaving the Military Academy, and have
prl.,iy not been thrown into that citcc sine" where
,,o, would he ant 10 ct ans practical information pn
| ,no ,ulert There would have been one possible
o.r,,. from this dilemma. and only one; ara mat 10
| app,ut a board whose members should he on d" the
.lmc RELIGIONS denomination OF Of other dcnohli''""'
fascinating as nearly a. possible to INC d'hoh'h'"n
| -, r. ,lcr.,,n,au to be- examined iut hero would
10
mp n~,,ticc woui tie War Department determine the
,,.. t,n ~ a..milatonl Perhaps the BOARD on Army
t,rtc- might adopt the use Of some standard WORK ON
| ,,. difference, between the scots. or perhaps II
v,,d III. well /, nd PIT ~Nohcm'- Ecclesiastical HI
! tory~ a- a tcXt.bo, AT the Military academy.
CIsplain, Of ali service, have been bit some petty
hard rnorl,, Int the following from The Naval and
yu,,r, hrgas.o Of London. surpa,,"s anything that
hos over h,cn CHARGED to chnpains Of either tho Army
-. Navy If the Tinted states. This IS the extract:
| W. have no objection, to Naval cnapain, indi-
yidual,. We object to them in their official coptctT.
We have tossed many of them 10: wiSAcy and soda;
we u,vo been rocked by them At hoo we have heard
hr u,tcr very clonsAtcd d. etc, especially ETC.,
/ hu, We have never been asked by any OF them
q. r. orr soul. We were once lpQustvc on the sub
ect ourselves, but failed get answer except nm
| offer 10 ~nuttcr for spit.' Thlriy-one thousand
uine hundred pounds for salaries Of the chaplans
Mercy there arc ~ 1000 reason, for getting rid OF
.ntc ucckticd gentlemen from Her Mulc,ty's ships.
| v.hcro they cat the bread Of dIcnc5s and lay mp
| trcasurc-but not FOR Heaven.
So many severe things have been said against chap
,ins Al one time another that it j. likely they
hive reached that degree Of intelligence and sens!bty
thai they Will feel nt all disturbed at ANYTHING Of
the nature above. especially when IL cmanatc, from
,uch a source. And yet there seems to be sort OF
nreiudlcc on the part Of many officers of the pwtlsl
Navy especially among the commanders against the
chaplain corps The chaplain, Of the British Navy are
| clcrgymcn Of the Church of England, but they are
without n bishop 10 whom they may appeal for help
and guidance Then the first Article OF War. - APP
proved by the Admiralty. make, the captain In com
nand Of a ship. II not ecclesiastical superior at
len I an official director of the chaplain. In that II
authorizes that All captains other officers in com.
| mand Of Her Maie,tys ship, Otwnr shall take care
| that prayers and preaching by the capalnS N holy
orders Of the respective ship, be performed diligently.
and that the Lord Day be observed according to law
But what i, the law governing church services on
| sunday There is no legal warrant for compelling
attendance nj services. But when the bell tolls the
| master AT arms and ships corporal scour the lower
decks and drive all hands except Roman Catholics and
officers into church, II any man lodges them he iS'
reported on following day for kullung from church
and +, punished. Iut the Admiralty instruction, say
that Divine service shall be performed unless cir
cnm,anccs prevent" and that the capein "and such
officers and not on duty are to be permitted
to attend A. these instruction, are well understood
throughout the service. man ought 10 be surprised
that the chaplan- complain of the "thcoEslateucv oil
the Naval system Here is bona 1de extract from
the Sunday routine bulletin OF OF the British nag
ships and IL is declared to be identical with the routine
OF othcs ships which the " Lords Day Is observed
| according TO law:
| 5 80 Turn the hands up lash up and stow ham
80 Hands fan in sprinkle and scrub UPPER deck.
| 6:I3 breakfast
| 7:l5 Hand, to wash.
s:I5 Quarters; clean guns.
| : 40 Return rags.
40 Hands 10 clean.
q STOW bags
9 :pJ Clean mp decks.
| . 80 Divisions.
! Divisions, 1t seems. lasts about an hour, during
| which the inspected and generally fddled
obout and found faut with by their officers. after
which church Is arranged for and the bell toled and
all hands Except the Roman Catholics and oficers)
are forced to attend The poor parson therefore has to
breach TO who naturally, after all they have been
| fIuopgh ale In anything but devotional frame of
| mind In fact. divine service is mechanically viewed
as the fag end OF Sunday divisions 20 be got over By
seven bells II possible Such being the state OF things,
| n Is not surprising that spiritually minded par
| sons do not banker after naval chaplaincy" but
untu British Navy officers learn TO treat their chap