Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-09-22
WORK OF ARMY CHAPLAINS.
They Have Many and Different Ways
of Reaching the Heart of the
Soldier Boys.

|
ers of almost every other sort are using
every effort to secure commissions il
the new volunteer regiments no larg,
and loud clamor for the positions o
chaplain have been made public. Th,
regiments in the Philippines are no
| overburdened with these blackcoatet
officers as it is, and it is entirely prob
able that most of the ten additiona
regiments will leave without them
The chaplains are appointed by tht
president, but their assignments ar,
usually to posts rather than regiments
and they are n function of peace time.
DIR. S. S. Turner, who is one of the ex
amining surgeons at the Chicago re
crWting station, was talking few days
ago about the chaplains he had known
in, his long experience upon western
posts and Indian reservations. He in
clines to the theory that an army chap
lain can do more good by example than
active campaigning. He has seen some
of them try to Convert men on the
spot" as he says, and most of them fail
He is heartily in favor of them as an
institution, however, because of Their
excellent assistance and benefit to the
enlisted men. The surgeon and the
chaplain have opportunities to do good
outside the strict lines of their pro.
fessions, which most of them are quick
TO seize upon and many soldier in
trouble has found friend in them.
"The best chaplain ever Knew"
said DR.. Turner, "served at Fort Ran.
dali for nearly years. He was a Cath
olic priest. who had lived all his life at
community down in Ohio some place.
and was appointed from there. His
whole experience in life was drawn
from those two close neighborhoods-
the monastery and the army post. He
knew absolutely nothing about the
world outside, and was the most guile
less man ever saw. Yet he was one of
the best things we had around that
post. He was broad in his religious
views if he was narrow in his observa-
ton in life, and had no hesitancy in
reading the Episcopalian morning
prayers occasionally at his services or
of using the forms of the other churches
in burials or the few weddings he oill-
ciated at. He did his greatest good in
just living there in his quarters. He
was quiet, studous man, and his quar-
ters were visited many time by the
men who were in trouble, and needed Il
friends advice The officers cannot
always help the men out of scrapes, but
this man could. lie considered that
that was what he had been put there
for, and the example of that simple old
man, living there alone, doing good,
and with "A kind word for everybody,
saved more of the wild young fellows
from going to the devil than all the
preaching he could have done on week
days as well as Sundays.
THAT is what | think chaplain
ought to he like. Men who are in the
army don't usually cotton to preach.
ing. The rules and articles of war
keep them pretty well supplied
with precepts. and the chaplain finds
his greatest usefulness in other things.
| knew one chaplain who used to stop
the men on the parade or anywhere
else he might meet them and talk to
them about their souls. But they never
seemed TO like him lhuch, and he wasn't
popular about the post. have known
several of the other type. They were
Just as religious and good as this active
and they got along lots
better. The good ones don't preach
dogma. They talk about the correct
way of living, and watch out for
chances to befriend the men. The
oest way to soldiers soul is through
his heart. - Chicago Tribune.