Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-27
DANIELS FOR Y. N. c. A.
ON BIG BATTLESHIPS
Calls Attention to the Fact That
There Has Been No Increase
Of ChapIains in 40 Years
MORE UPLIFT is NEEDED.
Win Ask for Strengthening Of The
Religious Arm Of The Service
Ailoat and Ashore.

tion secretary for every first line bat
tleship in the navy and q large in
crease in the number of naval chap
lains are favored by Secretary OF the
Navy Josephus Daniels, who, IN ex-
pressing his views on the subject q
few days ago, called attention TO the
fact that there are no more spiritual
advisers for the 90. 200 men in the
navy of today than there We're Tor
the $4,000 men of the American
Navy of forty years ago.
"When the United States Navy
was authorized in the days of Wash
ington," said Secretary Daniels,
Congress never authorized a ship
without providing q chaplain for that
ship. when commissioned, and II is
nv purpose to earnestly recommend
to Congress to make provision for a
chaplain or some competent religious
leader on every ship and at every
naval station Of the United States
Navy.
81 was surprised and saddened
when found out that in che Marine
corps of 10. 900 men corps made up
of young men upod when the country
confidently relies, there is not a
single chaplain. | shall ask Congress
not to permit this neglect of the
highest welfare of the marines to
longer continue, and to provide
sufficient chaplains and assistants to
conduct religious services every Sud
day wherever sailors and marines are
ar N
There is need to go back 20 old
principles, but not to cid application
of principles. When the navy was
established Congress, having arranged
for the ships and their officers, then
set to work at establishing code
of Rules for the Regulation OF
the Navy of the United Colonies.
These were very thorough, and would
sc EN- to provide for every possible
contingency. Among other provi-
sions, il was directed that the
commanders of the ships of the
thirteen United Colonies are to take
care that divine service be perform
ed twice a day on board and SER
mon preached on Sunday, unless bad
weather or extraordinary accidents
prevent
"Another article in the regulations
reaos: If any man shall be heard
to swear, curse or blaspheme the
name of God, the commander is
strictly enjoined to punish them for
every offense by causing them 70 wear
wooden collar OF some other shame
full badge of distinction for so long
time as he shall judge proper. If
he be a commissioned officer, he shall
forfeit one shilling for each offense
and warrant or inferior officer six
pence. Those rules would be called
drastic in our day, but is il not bet
ter to be too rigid than to lapse into
present-day methods of too great
laxity7
GAS an editor and publisher of a
newspaper, / made it my business
always to refuse an advertisement if
had reason to believe that the adj
vertiser would not live up to the
guarantee contained in that adver-
tisem find that the Navy De-
parment in its advertisements seek
/ ing to induce enlistmsnts under Re-
ligious Services has this statement:
Each commanding officer is required
by law to hold divine service each
Sunday morning on board his ship
whenever the weather anc other cir
cumstanc-s will permit, and every
officer and saman is urged to attend
the worship of Almighty God. This
is an inducement he Id out to men to
enter the service. How do we keep
tnat promise7 Religious services
are held only on those ships which
have chaplains, and as there ere only
twenty-four chaplains, part Of whom
are on shore duty, and more than one
hundred important ships, it is clear
that the promise is not kept.
81 do not expect Congress to au-
thorize the appointment Of enough
chaplains to assign one to every
ship. F" continued Secretary Daniels,
but | do believe the number will be
substantially Increased, and. / shall
urge that besides the additional chap
lains who will be authorized Con-
gress will appropriate a sufficient
sum to enable the Secretary to en-
gage enough capable young religious
leaders, so that upon every ship there
will be either a chaplain or welfare
secretary. The welfare secretary
will be to ship what a secretary is
to Young Mems Christian Assoeia-
ton. He will lead in religious, edu-
cational and athletic work among
young men. They will be. selected
from Catholic and Protestant socie-
ties and from the Young Mems Chris
tian Association. There will be a
decided advantage in having specially
trained young men to lead the sailors
in uplift work and in athletics.
"The ministrations Of the chaplain
will be separate, and the welfare
secretaries will be able to supple
ment their work, and ia athletics and
in Bible study these young leaders
will be able to reach and help the
young men onsshipboard in some lines
10 which a chaplain might not so
we'll enter. Young men engaged in
religious work have a comrade ship
and an intuition in dealing with
other young men peculiar to youth.
1t is for that reason / am earnestly
DESTROYS of securing for every ship a
young secretary whose life is devoted