The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-16
CHRISTIAN COMMISSION
What Dwight I. Moody's
Evangelists Have Done
for the Army and Navy.
WORK IN CHICKAnAUGA CAMP
Rev. r. A. Torrey's Explana-
tory Address Objects and
Methods : Among the
Churches.
WORK IN CHICKAMAUGA CAMP

Churches.
The work of the Christian Commission
is one from which the soldiers may re-
eeive some benefit every day, whether
| sick or we'll. There is one thing that
makes it so popular with them. The
Commission now reaches nearly every
camp in the country with its work, and
will soon reach every ship in the navy.
1t has distributed 25,008 hymn books, 49,
GOO good books of a kind calculated to in
terest and benefit young men. and thou
sands of pocket Testaments to the sol
diers and sailors. There are people who
think that these books will simply be
torn up to light pipes with. Those who
have this idea do not understand what
kind Of men go to make up our army and
navy. Those who are in the best posi-
| ton to know, say that the books are
thoughtfally read and carefully preserved.
1t is not easy for a man to live a strict
" temperate life in the army. 1t is ex-
ceedingly warm and dusty in the South
ern camps and the men get very thirsty.
At Chiekamauga a man sometimes has
| to stand in line for half a hour waiting
/ 1DI Ills tHdilNc at TX pump ~ ~
the reginental canteen or saloon with
| plenty OF ice cold beer for a nickel a
glass. 1t is served by a soldier detailed
by the Colonel. and has the sanction of
| the Government. The men thus get the
Impression that their officers believe 1t
will do them good, or at least no harm;
and so many a man learns to drink it
who never drank before. The Commission
| realizes this difficulty and now provides
| ice water in its tents. The Colonel of the
Eighth Massachusetts challenged the
| Commission to supply his regiment with
| distilled ice water, promising if they
| would do so TO abolish the %canteen. The
| challenge was accepted and the canteen
| closed IN. It cost about one dollar per
day to keep one ice water barrel running.
An important part of the labor Of the
| Christian Commission worker is the Wis
| itation of the sick and wounded men in
| the hospitals. There are about 500 such
at Camp Thomas. 1t is not easy to be
sick far away from home and friends in
an army camp.
Fifty thousand sheets of paper and en-
| velopes are furnished to the Commission
tents at Chieamauga every week. 1t is
| only a little thing, but it shows that the
men Hike to avail themselves of the privil-
eyes the tents afford.
Colonel Caffee, of the Second Missouri
| Volunteers. says that nothing has so
much contributed to the comfort, con-
tentrnent and well being Of the men at
| Camp Thomas as the tents of the Chris
| tian Commission. A Christian Commits
sion tent and two Secretaries have gone
.Z-. - ~ IDl1ff;Nnirnc Han
| thousand good books were sent along al
so. General Merritt said: II heartily APP
prove of the object OF this expeditions"
and ordered his officers to do all they
| could to make the work easy.
The question is sometimes asked: How
do the soldiers regard the gospel meet
| ings?, Dr.. a. c. Dixon, who preached
several weeks to the regulars now before
| Santiago, before they left TAMPA. says:
ssThe meetings were so orderly as if they
were in church. never preached to such
responsive and appreciative audiences"
D. L. Moody says that he believes sew
eral thousand soldiers nave already been
converted. He is Chairman of the Evan
gelistic Department of the Commission,
and is appealing for funds to help carry
on the work. His address is East North
field, Mass.
Rev. r. A. Torrey of Chicago, delivered
| at Chiekamauga Park, on July 5, an adj
dress on the work of the commission.
The following outline give some idea of
the speakers lecture;-
an discussing this subject I shall do
SO under these four heads. The Oppor-
tunity. Need. Methods and Results.
THE o-pportunfty-1. AS regards num-
bers. There are $4,000 young men in
camp in chicamauga alone, and in the
other camps about the country as many
more. They are not the offscourings of
our people, but the most magnificent body
Of men. both physically and intellectually,
that 1 ever saw.
80. AS regards receptivity. The men
have little to do and little amusement
Many are sick. They expect to be called
into active service in a few days. These
things unite to make the men thoughtful
and tender.
.3. These men are from every State and
territory in the Union. Some of them
have been known at home as skeptics and
infdels. Surely these facts, taken to-
gether, present to the church a wonderful
opportunity
"The Need-, They are in peril from
| the .c2flteenS or reg1menHal SroS SHOPS.
The temptation to drink beer is terrible.
80. They are in peril from impurity. The
climate, the dirt, absence of pure womenfs
society and the presence Of bad female So
csety. all favor it.
"3. They are strongly tempted to be dis
loyal to Christ if they are Christians. 1t
seems to me that this opportunity, cou-
pied with this need. constitutes one of the
leudest calls that ever ann to the Church
of Christ in this country.
"The Methods. Tents are being erect
ed in each brigade. They are fitted with
good seats. reading matter, writing paper
and envelopes. and in some cases. ice wa
ter. They are perfectly free to all the
men. They are in charge of 7. NJ. c. A.
secretaries. and are a great power for
good. There are 81 Cor rnore) of them in
Camp Thomas, and numbers more in the
other camps.
20. Preaching. In the tents if You can
get your audience In, but mostly in the
open air, because the tents will not hold
the hundreds ami thousands who attend.
We are preaching with great plainness
against sir. The chaplains are also
adopting this method Of work. I want to