Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-08-10
WORK OF ARMY CHAPLAINS.
of Reaching the Heart of the
Soldier Boys.

While military men and office-seek-
ers of almost every other sort are using
every effort TO secure commissions in
the new volunteer regiments, no large
and loud clamor for the positions of
chaplain have been made public. The
regiments in the Philippines are not
overburdened with these blackcoated
officers as it is, and It is entirely prob
able that most of the ten additional
regiments will leave without them.
The chaplains are appointed by the
president, but their assignments are
usually TO posts rather than regiments,
and they are function of peace time.
DIR. S. S. Turner, who is one of the ex-
smining surgeons at the Chicago re-
cruiting 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 10 convert men on the
spot" as be says, and most of them fail.
lie is heartily in favor of them as an
institution, however, because of their
excellent assistance and benefit "a 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 a soldier in
trouble has found a friend In them.
"The best chaplain ever knew"
said DR.. Turner, served at Fort Ran
dali for nearly 20 years. He was Cath
olic priest, who had lived all his life at
D 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. lie was broad in his religious
views Il he was narrow in his observa-
ton in life, and had no besitancy in
reading the Episcopalian morning
prayers occasionally at his services or
Of usingth forms of the other churches
in burials or the few weddings he off.
ciated at. He did his greatest good in
just living there in his quarters. lie
was a quiet, studious man, and his quar-
ters were visited many a time by the
men who were in trouble, and needed a
friends advice. The officers cannot
always help the men out of scrapes, but
this man could. He 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 l think a chaplain
ought to be 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
Lis greatest usefulness in other things.
1 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 much, and he wasn't
popular about the post. l have known
several of the other type. They were
just as religious and good as this active
campaigu"r, 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
best way TO a soldiers soul is through
his heart."-Chicago Tribune.