The Washington herald., 1911-05-14
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD


y Christian Service for Soldiers.
Attendance at the Young Mems Chris
tan Association tents pitched at the
camp at San Antonio reaches 100000 a
month There are six secretaries, be-
sides some volunteers. all of them sent
from the North and trained in the work.
Arthur Lewis Smith, Washington army
and navy secretary, is with the Fifteenth
Cavalry al San Antonio.
AT the head of the associations army
and navy branch in the field is Mr..
George Avery Reeder. veteran and a
leader in this peculiar line. For the men
for the Ninth Cavalry, stationed at San
Antonio. there is a colored secretary
and tent is provided for colored enlist
ed men.
Medical men of San Antonio have given
addresses in the tents, some of them illus
trated- Lectures ON art subjects have
also been given by the secretaries and
also by the local pastors of San Antonio
Week nights letter writing is INDUCED in
by men, no fewer than fifteen hundred
letters going out from the tents on single
days.
1t appearing certain that troops must
remain for some time at Ell Paso, a new
secretary has just been sent there. He is
among soldiers. He Is provided with a
tent and will have the cooperation of the
local association at El PaSo. There are
at San Diego three tents, and they are at
tended by quite as large numbers as those
at San Antonio and FL Paso. They are
manned by secretaries from California,
while the tents in Texas are manned by
secretaries from New York and the East
Just now there are no men on the battle
ships. but it is due to a transfer and the
supplying of men in exceptional numbers
for work in tents on land. 1t is planned
TO send one man with the squadron that
goes soon to England, there to represent
this country al the Kings coronation.
This association secretaryship on board
battle ships is new, but IL is much liked
by the men. Secretary Reeder. now at
San Antonio. was the father of the plan.
The association admits that the expense
of all of this work is so heavy that at
times il fears the necessity TO contract.
Cooperation on the part of Texas and
Southern California churches and asso-
ctation in so far as furnishing reading
matter and some volunteer workers has
been general and hearty. Officers of the
army have helped. But the money to
maintain it all is going, II is said, from
the large cities in the East, chiefly from
New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, with
some help from Pittsburg. Asked its ex-
act expense one OF tne dSSO-
citation secretaries replied that he dare
not figure II up. Wait till We are
through said he. Enlisted men appre-
ciate what We do tremendously, they
say, but sometimes We are at our wits
end to know where to get funds to keep
It up
This army and navy work by Young
Mems Christian Associations was started
at the suggestion and by the personal
work of Mr.. William B. Millar, now with
the Layman's Missionary Movement, at
the breaking out OF the Spanish war. Mr.
Millar early had the help of the late
Dwight L Moody. Within ten years,
growing in part out Of the experiences
Of the Spanish war, marked progress has
been made in providing buildings at Fort
Monroe. Newport, New York. and other
navy yards, in sending secretaries upon
battle ships with cruises, and in other
lines, partly social partly religious.
Hearty approval of the work has been
given by Presidents Mckinley. Roosevelt,
and Taft and by scores Of army officers.