The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-28

Ollie Chaplain in the person of Rev. A.
P. Landry, U. S. A.
In the u. S. Navy there are, at
present, 64,78O men with about the
same proportion Catholic as in the
Army. But while the Army has 16
Catholic Chaplains, only six of that
faith are allowed in the Navy
Increase of Navy ChapIalns.
There is, however, movement on
foot in Washington at the present mo-
ment, looking to an increase of Navy
Chaplains. On Jan. 26th the COM
mittee on Naval Affairs of the House
of Representatives granted hearing
to the leaders of the various Chris
tan Churches relative to an increase
of the Chaplains of the U. S. Navy.
The Rev. Lewis J. O'Hern, G. S. p,
represented the Catholic Church;
Chaplain Bayard, U. S. NJ, the Navy;
Rev. Chas. S. MacFarland, the FEEDER
ated Council of the (Protestant)
Churches of America; and Bishop
Lawrence, the Episcopal Church.
The House Naval Committee is COM
posed of 81 members, of whom are
Catholics, as follows: Hons. Albert
EstOpinal of Louisiana, Daniel ].
Riordan of New York, and Robert E.
Lee OF Pennsylvania. It's chairman
is Hon. Lemuel P. Padgett of Ten
nessee. In a session which occupied
the whole morning, the representatives
of the various churches, argued be-
fore this body for an increase of Navy
Chaplains. At the same time, they
strongly objected to the plan proposed
by Hon. Josephus Daniels, Secretary
of the Navy, to substitute welfare
Secretaries" in the place of Chaplains.
Father O'Hern. first read a letter
from Cardinal Gibbons in which the
welfare Secretary" idea was strong
ly condemned, and then taking the
Secretary's own words as a text, that
more religious leaders are needed"
he went on to show that religious
work can be done best by men who
have been divinely commissioned to
preach the gospel to every creature.
"The Chaplains we have recommended
and selected" said Father O'Hern,
'Fhave been picked men-physically,
Intellectually, and spiritually strong
chosen from the whole country.
They have been and shall be in the
future, our elite"
While Secretary Daniels, in his an
nual report, calls these new spirit
ual leaders, welfare Secretaries" it
is evident to all who have eyes to see
that he means Y. M. G. A. Secretaries.
1t is to be hoped that his recon-
mendation to Congress will fail, for
if it is adopted it will mean practi-
cally the turning over of the U. S.
Navy to the control of the Y. M. G. A.
Significant Incidents.
The preference given the Y. M. G.
A. over Catholicism in the Army is
shown by the two following incidents
of recent occurrence Father Brophy,
regular U. S. Army Chaplain at Fort
Mckinley, Philippine Islands, has
tried repeatedly during the past two
years to obtain permission to build
Catholic Chapel on the grounds of
the Fort, but his request has been
again and again disapproved though
there is a flourishing Y. M. G. A.
establishment built right on the self
same reservation.
Again, the War Department, few
days ago, refused His Eminence,
Cardinal Farley, permission to con-
struct Chapel, at his own expense,
on the military reservation at Gov
errors Island, New York, Judge Ad-
vocate General Crowder holding that
"the law authorizing the construction
of Y NJ G. A. buildings on govern
ment property does not grant author
ity for the erection of UNCONVENTIONAL
places of worship"
Now we know that the Y. M. G. A.
represents militant Professionalism,
for it has more than once designated
itself officially as such. Why then
the preference given it over Catholic
ism9 Echo answers "Why?"