Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-12
CHRISTIAN AND SOCIAL WORK
Movement in Behalf of Enlisted Men in q. S.
Army and Navy.
Plan of the International Committee
of Young Mems Christian As
sOciatiOn-The Details.

ABOUT 10 ne lnduSufdteQ LOT the DelleHt anu
advantage of enlisted men in the United
States army and navy. All of the best ideas
obtained from long experience in Christian
effort among British and French forces will
be made use of, and some American or
ganiZng ability will be added. The move
ment grows out of the late war, and has
behind it the international committee of
the Young Mems Christian Association. The
initial undertaking is to be a naval branch,
to cost at least 100000, and to be located
in Brooklyn near the New York navy yard.
Eventually it is hoped to provide institute
buildings at Boston, Newport, Norfolk, San
Francisco, and it may be Manila and Homo
lulu. Still farther along in the plan are
association buildings for the various army
posts, and where the national government
does not provide chaplains, to furnish posts
with association workers, who will act as
ohaplains The latter it is hoped to have
at army posts where are now fewest church
accommodations.
Methods in Other Countries.
The international committee secretary,
Mr.. William B. Millar, who had charge of
the army and navy work during the late
war, has just returned from England and
France, whittier he went to examine Chris
tan effort for British and French forces.
I'm the way of detail we Americans have
much to learn" he says in a letter, from
both England and France. l was particu
larly struck with the effective work main
tanned by the Roman Catholic Church for
enlisted men in the French servce-a work
which extends to China and the islands,
wherever the French flag flies. In Paris
alone there are six institutes. The Young
Mems Christian Association of Paris does
something, but not nearly SO much as the
Roman Catholic Church.
In England-and by England / mean
Scotland India wherever
the British army and navy extend-Chris-
tan work for the enlisted men takes three
forms. In the first place there are a great
number of homes-places where the sailor
off duty may stop and have most of the
comforts of a first-class family hotel, all
at a cost within his ability to pay. There
are two of these homes at Portsmouth,
three or four in Glasgow, two in Edinburgh,
five at Aldershot, one at Plymouth, one at
Windsor and ! do not know how many in
Liverpool and London. They are wonder
fully we'll equipped.
In the second place there is the Royal
Temperance Society, in which Lord Roberts
is warmly interested. This society has
institutes throughout India, consisting of
small houses at Indian army posts. And in
the third place there is the Young Mems
Christian Association. which does not main
tain buildings, but does keep up organiza-
tons within posts and on Warshlps, whlch
are centers of religious life. There may be
said to be in London a fourth movement,
consisting of a Royal Soldiers Institute,
where enlisted men are taught trades, so
that upon discharge they may have means
of earning a living.
An Alleged Fault.
But there seems to be one great fault
about these British agencies for Christian
effort, and that is the fact that each WORKS
on its own account. The consequence is, of
necessity duplication everywhere. There Is
also an infexibilty about it that would
10 al fn
as the army does And then there are
scores of these Institutes, all doing the
same work, and all appealing to the same
public No wonder the British public Is
Drawing to be relieved from these multiform
appeals How much better 1t would ne IL
there were some system-one reo[saiL,Ha
ton behind which all Christian churches
stood. ~,
we hope To be able to naugurate this
work for the United States army and navy
enlisted men. and to have all relglous
forces behind our committee. We shaI
adopt the best ideas of the British and
French work in detail, but shall add to II
control that will be national and even
Worldwide, so that Christian people will
be appealed to by one organization only
an organization that will be able, after
looking over the entire field, to use the
funds In it's hands where they may be most
required.
A Sailors Hotel.
Our initial task will be the erection of
-, - H.. Ill, 900. az 1a,st
Jun II, % - 80 ,,,rIic
Fioy'ooO' '-lN ~ IN =, = saiIore,
VIZ g, iIaI - :. nm ha y,oos, ~ rho
features of the Young Mems Christian AS
e-.,,,,,t "a . bar
~ -. LII ,.o,,n,t,ra tbosa on . shin
a,I,, Iapaar rrba restaurant will he omen
TO- s,-nryIod, and tba har will look Dre-
ciseIv Ike any har and he like any bar
save that nothing Intoxicating will be sold
thara There will he educafional classes
gihIe class rooms and an entertainment hall
CbristiaI1 effnrt viii he maintained nv Civ
inc eGnaI nrorninence to work for them
.,I9nes t,bys;raI social educational and cnir
ituai lines
~ ~ me. =, -. a., ..;.. ,;,a
ir,s Mich 49,. ~, - &c 49, ~ nroyida in
pes,l,r Na,-rrrt NarflIi- IA Co. Erarc;s
~, Vii ha "ipOiIa 70 tha nna IN prool,Iyn
H,t s 30 - ~ ~ i -, ~ ~
tatin,I - 10 49,
attya pend FOR tbis n<,,, ~ 80 - ~,
aryny and 49,, - ~ - ' - la
etandina if r., ~ Ia a. - ~
nayv from ahont - 400 .. on 600 80, Ia
thr army from, - onn 70 Ioo "nn i. -, SiirD
i $500 % I ''oTU " iooooo men, theIe