Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-01-31
AstonIshlng|y Small Number Of
SkQ Pilots in The Service.
sEAMEN's FRIEND SOCIETY ACT|UE
Strona Effort Will Be Made to Pre-
Vail Upon Administration to Give
Tars Opportunity to Have Benefit
Of Religious Services.

NEW YORK, Jam. %o.-On behalf o.
some hundred thousand parents ana
relatives OF the Yankc" boys n tnrl"
Sans sea scrvic" a movement 10 pro
cure an adeqnat" stan Of chaplains
for Tho. navy was started in this rlN
today To tn" H"w administration
and congress this demand from thirty
thousand homes all over the country
will be presented at Washington by
the American SeImeA's Friend
Societv, which has been pressing act
ion to place the American navy on an
equal footing with that Of every other
nation in this respect for several
wears. Scores of other national re-
ljyious. civic and philan hrrpic or
gunizatiOn.; can he counted upon L"
ioin them i'm vigorous EFFORTS To 'hiS
end, officers of tn" society declared
today.
With Senator Knox. who introduce
ed a bill for more navy chaplalhS laS'
wear at the head of the Taft rahih'l
and a new secretary OF the navy Just
installed the leaders in this move
mcnt believe that NOR" than IN"
usual attention vii! be paid IN IN"
new year to this matter OF proFluihe
American 'ars with Religious serve"
in life as well as n death. No r"or
ganization in the navy is TO-DAY IN
more pressing need of attention. me!
declared for the records show ,ha'
rot one single chaplain has been add
cd to the naval service in the last
sixty.seyrn wears. while tn" number
.N enlisted men has grown hN the
hundred each year Only twrnty-four
chaplains are a. present allotted 10
the thirty-thre" thousand tars OF our
navy. ninety,fonr percent. OF Whom
are taken from American homes IN
every section Of the land. il has been
shown.
Backed Nv the hcmo folks and
ncishbors OF all the American tars'
who must now often lack decent
Christian burial, as we'll as the ordl-
nary chance for religious service. me
American Stamen's Friend Socle'N
will appnar at Washington in the NEAR
future to urge immediate remedy OF
these conditions. 1t will b" pointed
out 10 the authorities that. while
Great Britain and almost all IN" l"r
rien powers provide one chaplain u"
every shin at sea. only two such OF
fcers are allotted to the entire AIn"r-
can fleet now cruising about the
world That the United States navy
il sadly inferior to- the sea services
of every other nation in this par
ticular will be shown by many s'r'h-
ing facts and fSnr"s.
The call from American homes
throughout the country fer the chance
Ct religions service for their To-
has never been needed at Washing
! ton. said G. Mcpherson Hunter. sec
re,ary of the American Seamcn'H
Friend Society at its headquarters. a.
Wal! Street, today. Though fr"Sl
dent Roosevelt. WHO is on" OF "nr
vice preSid, MS. interested himS"!t IN
the matter. all measures to this ehh
have been quietly neglected ana k'ii'
"a for the last fifty years or NOR.
This wear however. "" feel thar com
grrss and the new adm'nl>tr anon
authorities can no longer fail TO heed
such 4 widespread demand from 'h'
uCcp,r Ct the nation. "" hav" push
ed This cause steadily since lSi" ana
W. do not intend to stop ~ our
nav, is placed on par i'll TINS re-
! >pect with Ih"s" Of III" "tn'F "a