The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-07-15
UNCLE SANS SKY PILOTS.


Sky pilots are scarce in the United
States navy, and their position is some
what curious, as the paid official chap
lains of government that maintains
no State religion, and has neglected. to
put God into its constitution The
number of chaplains on the active list
is twenty-three, four with the relative
rank of captain, seven with that OF
commander, as many with that OF lieu
tenant, and five with that of lieuten-
ant, junior grade. The chaplain
longest in the service was appointed in
1868; the latest addition to the corps OF
chaplains received his commission last
year. The appointment OF chaplains
in the navy is in the hands OF the
president. The nominee may be OF
any sect, and those chaplains now In
the service are of many denominations
There was for time no Roman Catho-
lie in the list of chaplains, but some
body complained that Roman Catholic
she ep in the navy were thus unshep-
herded, and the president appointed a
priest of that Church to chaplaincy.
He is now esteemed in the navy as a
conscientious pastor.
1t must be owned that the articles OF
war take no special pains for the naval
chaplain and his duty. The official
provision is tina. the commanding Off
GER, weather and circumstances per-
hitting, shall cause religious services
to be performed on Sunday, and all on
board ship are earnestly exhorted to
attend. Only the apprentices, how
ever, are required to attend service.
To them the government stands in loco
pa RENTS, and takes upon itself, to
some extent, even the cure of their
souls. AS a matter of fact the naval
chaplain usually has small congrega-
ton. The services ordinarily follows
quarters. The ships bell is tolled
in true ecclesiastical fashion, and those
who have assembled for quarters may
or may not find it convenient to re-
main and hear service. Few ships
carry chaplains. AS rule only the
fagships are thus equipped. The
Charleston, the Philadelphia, the Balti-
more and the Chicago each has one,
and one is usually assigned to each
of the training ships, in view of possi-
BILE peril to the young Is there as
sembled. One is assigned to each naval
station, usually with quarters on re-
ceiving ship.
There is no officially prescribed form
for the service aboard ship, but SIM
pie ritual is usually adopted even by
those chaplains whose denominations
make no provision for such form. OF
course, Roman Catholic or an Epis-
copal chaplain follows as near as may
be the ritual of his own church. Prayer
books, hymnals, and the like aids to
worship are provided by the govern
ment. 1t is usually possible to obtain
from the band and the crew on board a
flagship a highly effective choir, and
this sometimes helps to draw others to
the service. The chaplain wears at
service whatever is the proper apparel.
At ordinary times he wears either a
simple uniform prescribed by the gov
eminent or the clerical garments usual
to clergymen of his denomination.
The chaplain has some semi-official
duties for which his profession is sup
posed to be peculiarly fitted. He cheers
up the homesick, writes letters for such
of the crew as cannot write, serves out
good counsel to the erring, and does
whatever else seems proper and need
full. Some naval chaplains are genu-
inely useful men. Their influence for
good is felt throughout the ship, and
they are held in affectionate and re-
spectful regard by all on board. The
post, however, is a difficult one.
The chaplain messes in the ward
room, and must take things there
as he finds them. The, ward room
of an American man-of-war is
usually a well ordered place, where nc
sensible man is likely to meet with
ought to offend his sensibilities, but
the inmates of the ward room have
their own sta ndards of conduct, and
they will not submit to other irksome
restraints than those imposed by naval
regulations The chaplain who cannot
so adapt himself to his surroundings
as to avoid creating an uncomfortable
sense of restraint among his shipmates
is likely to be unpopular. On the other
hand, the chaplain who seeks to in.
gratiate himself with the ward room
by altogether effacing his cloth is like.
ly to lose the respect of his shipmates.
He must be neither prig nor loose-like,
and while maintaining the dignity and
propriety of his profession he must
manage to be automatically blind and
deaf to some things that the parson
ashore could not pass over in silence.
The chaplain's rank, like that of the
staff, is purely relative, and he is not
addressed by military title. He re-
ceives what is termed longevity paw.
For the first five years of service his
pay is two thousand five hundred dol
lars at sea, two thousand dollars
ashore, and six hundred dollars ON
leave or on waiting orders. After five
years his pay is three hundred dollars
per year more.-N. Y. Sun.
Had Been Overlooked.
"Any mail for us?" asked a ed-headed