Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-23


chaplains. stationed at forts all over the
| country. Seven Of them are Baptists. nine
| are Episcopalians, eleven are Methodists.
! two are Presbyterians. one is a Congrega-
| tionalst. one is a Lutheran, one is a Chris
| tan and two are Catholic priests. The
| question Of denomination cuts no figure in
| this branch of the service. Appointments
| are always made by favor and without any
regard whatever for the religious demands
| OF soldiers and officers. Four of the chap
lains referred to are regimental chaplains.
attached to the four colored regiments. two
Of infantry and two of cavalry. Three Of
these men are negroes.
Pay In the Army.
The pay Of a newly commissioned army
chaplain Is $3.50 a year. to which 10 per
cent is added for each five years of service.
He has always the relative rank Of a cap
| tain Of infantry. After retirement he re-
ceives three-fourths of the pay Of that
rank No age limit restricts appointments.
"A clergyman may enter the service at the
| age Of sixty-three years and eleven months.
retiring few days later with the rank and
pay of a captain. 1t will be seen that a
chaplain Is actually much better off than a
line officer, inasmuch as he does not have
to go through long years of service for slow
promotion. Like a captain, he Is entitled to
commodiouS quarters at government eX-
penSe, comprising nVe rooms.
A chaplain in the army Is not obliged to
fight under any circumstances. He has no
arms. His uniform is a plain black frock
coat, buttoned to the neck with nine black
buttons. 1t Is prescribed that the buttons
shall be in front; to button the garment up
behind would not be consistent with the
regulations. This, with a black hat. serves
for both undress and full dress. The chap
lain has charge of religious matters in gem
eral at the post where he is stationed He
enters in book all marriages. baptisms
and funerals at which he officiates. This
book Is part of the records OF the post
and Is regularly inspected In addition, he
superntends the instruction Of enlisted
men and children at the post. He Is a
school teacher we'll as a clergyman.
1t Is quite as likely as not that the re-
ligious views of the army people at the
post will not coincide with those OF the
chaplain in matters Of detail governed by
sectarian prejudice. His assignment to
duty has no reference to that onsidera ton.
At post where Presbyterian sentiment
prevails Catholic priest may be on duty
However. nobody who does not wish to do
SO Is obliged to attend divine service Even
the common soldiers and sailors of the
United States cannot be subjected to COM
pulsion in this regard. Before the war pious
commanding officers at certain forts COM
PEELED all non -church-going soldiers to spend
an hour or more every Sunday in listening
ticles of war. This was in effect. pun sh-
ment. and it has been done away with.
Similarly. Admiral Godon used to force
sailors who did not attend divine service
to toe plank for a while.
Also Act as SchOOlmaster.
| An act Of Congress passed in 1893 created
| the office Of post chaplain and schoolmas-
| ter" The appointee was neither enlisted
nor commissioned. The pay attached to
| the position was raised from time to time
until It reached 800 month, to which
rations were added. In 1867 Congress made
| the chaplains commissioned officers and
gave them relative ranks as captains. They
are obliged to pass only a physical exam
ination. but 1t is required that they shall
be regularly ordained clergymen in good
standing in their denominations. Young
w. II. Springer. the Congressman's son,
was ordained as a Methodist minister two
months ago. He is twenty-five years old
For some time past he has been clerk of
his fathers committee on banking and cur
rency in the House, at 50 day.
better in the Navy.
An appointment as chaplain in the United
States navy is even more desirable than in
the army. 1t is likewise a life position.
equally sinecure. and much better paid
The naval clergyman during his first five
years Of service gets $500 per annum
while at sea, 5000 on shore duty and ST. 600
on leave After five years he receives 81 500
| at sea. s.. 800 ashore and 81, 800 on leave
There Is no further advance of salary. On
being retired, he draws for the rest of his
life 70 per cent Of his sea pay of 81, 800
year. 1t will eksily be seen that these
places are among the most desirable in the
gift of the government. There are twenty
chaplains in the navy now. According to
law, the four oldest in the service have
relative rank as captains, the next seven
rank as commanders, the next seven as
lieutenant-commanders or lieutenants. while
the rest have no rank.
The duties Of chaplain at sea are by no
means arduous He must perform divine
service on the ship at such times as the
captain may prescribe; also he may be de-
tailed to duty ON board of vessel which
has no regular chaplain, or at naval hos
pital or shore station. He is permitted to
conduct services according to the methods
recognized as proper by his church. At the
same time, he must afford all facilities to
other clergymen who may be allowed by
the captain to visit the ship for the pur-
pose of preaching or giving religious in
structlon. II Hebrew rabbi comes aboard
with that OBJECT In view, he must be well
coined.
The chaplain may form Sunday school
classes on board ship, with the captain s
approval. He must not push his religious
instruction where 1t is not wanted but he
Nay proselytize privately as much as he
likes. He Is required to visit the sick fire.
qIently. Under the direction of the COM
handing officer, he supervises the teaching
OF boys and such of the sailor-men as de-
sire to learn reading, writing, arithmetic
and geography. He must report to the cap
TAIN at the end OF each week what has
been taught and the progress made by each
pupil. On shore stations he has often moth
ing to do. Rev Mr.. Henry b. Hibben, late
ly deceased. was on duty for long time al
the Washington navy yard. Having moth
ing else to occupy himself with he was in
structed by the commandant to write a
history of the yard The volume, which
contains much interesting matter, will soon
be published by Congress.
May Have to Fight.
Every man on board of a modern war
ship is supposed to be a fighter The naval
chaplain might be called upon by the com
manding officer to pass ammunition or even
to help in hauling gun. However. his
duty would ordinarily be to aid the wound
ed. While performing divine service he
wears the vestments of his church At
| ether times he Is clad in a uniform Of black
| with shoulder straps having crosses as a
| part of their design. There are two Catho-
| lie priests in the navy. The sailors are
| largely Catholics, many Of them beng Irish.
| French and Italians. But no attention
| whatever is paid to such matters In the ap-
pointment of chaplains or in their assign
| ment Of duty. 1t Is required that a candi-
| date for one Of these positions shall be not
| under twenty-one years of age or over
thirty-fve The examination is physical
| only.
| A chaplain on board ship takes his meals
| with the ward room mess. He may saw
grace before meals If the officer who hap
| pens to be caterer does not object. 1t is