The Washington herald., 1915-06-06
The Church to the Rescue
OF War Stricken Nations

fully prepared beforehand, SO that no
branch Of the army in the field should
be forgotten. There were present at the
different services the Flying Corps, gath
cred in one of their immense hangers:
the Household Cavalry, massed on horse
back In the field: parks Of the Army
Service Corps. drawn up beside their
lorries; groups Of patients. doctors. and
nurses in the hospitals and casualty
clearing stations; convalescents in their
camps: officers and men of the English
regiments attached to the Indian df!i-
sions. and many infantry brigades With
their artillery. in halls. open fields, or
the market places of the picturesque old
Flemish towns To each division and
brigade the bishop had a special meg
sage, and in each case ii seemed to be
the right word to the right men, The
somber color of the mud-bespattered
khaki uniforms of the ranks was relieved
by the red, and gold of the generals and
their STATS. who were always present in
great numbers. So the bishop passed
along the entire British front, often we'll
within the range Of the German guns
and through places devastated by shell
fire. SO that those who were responsible
for his safety had many anxious mo-
ments."
Few things will live III his memory 50
vividly. the bishop says in an article
printed in the London Times. ''es the
sight, from the wagon or extempo-ized
platform which was always arranged for
me, of these thousands Of upturned faces
singing When I Survey the Wondrous
Cross with a depth and earnestness
about which there could be no mistake"
The guns booming hard by. and the
British aeroplanes "circling like guard
ian angels over the service to guard the
attra ctive target OF 1000 men and officers
with bishop In the jbiddie" made the
scene a very impressive one. At the end
Of each service the bishops chaplain
gave out what the soldiers called THE
Bishops Souvenir Everything is
souvenir" to the British soldiers the
bishop facetiously adds, from a Ger
man helmet to button of a bishops
cassock' These particular souvenirs
were pictures of our Divine Saviour on
the Cross and after His Resurrection on
Easter Day, with some meditations and
prayers he had written himself He had
only room to take 10000. and these made
two enormous packages. and they were
almost fought for" as they began to
run short toward the end. 1t was, per-
haps, most Of all in the hospitals that
the religious character in the British
soldier came out. The lines and lines
Of wounded men and boys in those
twenty-five hospitals formed the most
pathetic note of war" while the patience
and courage with which those terrible
wounds were borne was its highest in
SEPARATION. The bishop only desired that
instead of the brief word which was all
that was possible to each he had had
time for the long and confidential talk
for which he could see by their faces
they would have been ready. Sometimes
it was possible 10 do more. One young
man. little more than a boy, just carried
in from the trenches shot through the
shoulder. at clearing hospital at the
front. held out his arms toward him. He
thought for the moment he was In de-
lirium, but he was a London lad, a COM
municant at an East End church who
saw the bishop he knew 80 we'll passing
his bed
The missions under the British and
Germans have not suffered the disaster
that was feared. Bishop Montgomery, of
the Society for the Propagation Of the
Gospel. announces that his society does
not intend to withdraw a single mission
AIRY. The relations between the German
and British missionaries have been re-
markably preserved in peace and fell
lowship. The Churchman gives the fol-
lowing summary:
Some difficult problems have oriSi-
mated in the actual field Of warfare, ow-
ing to the fact that In certain districts
English missionaries are at work under
the German flag. while in others German
find themselves in lands
controlled by England. On neutral
ground workers belonging to the warning
have been accustomed to |
cooperate; this was notably the case in |
China, and it is encouraging to know |
that in the China Inland Mission, Ger
still working side by side. The war has
led to difficult and delicate con-
ditions, but union has been preserved. |
In India. the British government has set |
aside grant Of money to maintain the |
German mission schools, as the Germans |
are unable to finance them during the |
war. Forty-one missionaries Of the Uni
versity Mission to Central Africa are at |
work in German territory, and for more
than six months practically nothing has
been known Of their status. There is
every reason TO believe however, that
the German government has shown them |
great consideration. At Madagascar, for
some time. there has been friction be-
tween missionaries and the French of
fcials. 1t appears now that one Of the |
first and most strikingly favorable re-
suits of the war has been the return to |
and interest of the French /
Colonial government. The missionaries
ire now welcomed and encouraged where
once their labors were thwarted and /
How the American missionaries are at
tempting to protect sne natives Of Per-
sia from sickness. restitution and vio-
encc Is pathetically shown by the fol-
owing extract from a letter Of Rev. r.
". Labaree, at Biliman, Salinas, dated
April 5:
Il am here with a party of some of
,ur most influential helpers. The stories
hat reach us here with every evidence
" truth are sad enough. While I am
lnxious enough, the anxiety Of those
who are with me is tenfold heavier, as
heir families are all in Urumia, and
hey are unable to hear anything as to
heir welfare. Aside from my compan-
ons. there are nearly loo Urumia Syri-
IN men waiting for the way to open for
hem to return to their homes. Many
Il them have families In Urumia, from
mouths. Sadder than all the tales Of tor
urc and murder are those relating toI
he treatment OF the Nomen of the vii.
ages, and 1t IL this that fllis the minds Of
he men here. to the exclusion Of almost
else, and nearly maddens
hem. One breaches moderation and the
,hrist-like spirit Of forgivepess almost
a vain to such men.
There are SO many serious problefmsl
head OF us. aside from the immediate
ne n to how to relieve our friends In
Jrumia. Even II our compound shall
. preserved from violence. how can our