The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-19
PRIESTS QUIT EXILE
TO FIGHT IN FRANCE
Many Serve In Ranks, and Re.
veal Calling Only II Emer-
gency Demands.
WIN FAME AS HEROES
Special cor,es,osSsacs to TIE srS.

hssO4
the KEPT and . large cavalry cloak bear
ing the gallons Of their rank. look very
much like other priests. The chaplains
in the English Army wear the regulation
khaki officers uniform. even to the khaki
shirts and soft collars. the only distin-
gushing feature being that their rank Is
denoted by black gallons.
me cure sac au dos IN the French
army wear the ordinary uniforms Of the
French army and are only distinguished
when occasion brings out their sacsr.
dotal character. For instance nothing
Ia moro touching than to see some youne
Breton giant private suddenly singled
out from the ranks and given a tenn
porary precedence among officers and
General to read q funeral service. all his
superior officers kneelins down hurnbly
beside his standing figure and then. the
service once over. the soldier priest 60
ing back TO the ranks.
Ministrations at Front.
Somstimes It is In the hospital that
the priest 10 discovered. There IL a sud-
den agitation among me long line Of sick
beds; a wounded soldier after a serious
operation has taken a turn for the worse
and the doctors are consulting a. to get
ting a priest who shall administer the
last rites of the church. A faint voice
attracts attention and q nurse hurries TO
see whnt is the matter. Sister," says
the voice from tho pillows. II am a
priest: ! can give him absolution n you
will hold ny hand"
II as the whole ward lapses into
silence the wounded hand Ia helped 10
make the mystic sign and the saving
words that bring peace to the dying man
are uttered, Ego re aoSolvo."
Nor are they less prominent on the
held Of battle. They are among the
bravest and. what In more. often serve
as a stimulus 10 bravery in others. The
other day In France. for example, among
four promoted from the ranks upon the
battlefield, three were priests In orders.
A story 10 told that IN order TO MAKE
sure OF a surprise attack n huRe cure
crawled on, from the French trenches
ard silently strangled the German
sentry. thu preventing An alarm being
| given. Again a Jesuit priest. Revel by
name. Joined tho Garibaldian volunteers
and eventually became a Captain. Yet
another story In old OF an able, who
was a Lieutenant. upon being asked
would he accept the leading Of a com.
lstNtNs :" AN'ffvA NV hNt'ttN 80 49,
death. replied "My Captain. I am n
Frcnc,man and a priest" With that he
turned To his mon. rave them absoiutior
and led them on to death but TO Victory.
Fatker FTnn's Death.
The deeds Of personal hcroism on the
part Of these priests both OF tho flght-
ing and non fighting character have
burned themselves into the memories Of
tho French and English armies. Tile
death OF Father Finn. chaplain NJ the
First DubliTs. for example. liz typical Of
the heroism OF them all. During one
Of the landings a. the Dardarelles under
heavy machine gun fire Father Finn
sa~' some Tonmnies fall on the beach and
asked permission to e. down To them,
getting hit on the shoulder AZ he ran
down the gansway Of the liner River
clyde. Bleeding profusely. no managed
to craw, to the men. to whom. thoegh In
Sagony himself. he managed to admins
~ 1xtreme JUNCTION. Hardly had he
finished when a bullet caught him In
the head. Before help could he got he
expired. h,s ,a~ words being Are NJ
winning. ,soys7 Are We winning"
Father Lane Fox OF the London Irisll
actually took part in the charge M
Loos, as did Father Freeland. attached
" ~ tDIchi Sk
those vino were shot as they fell and ar
rived in the German trenches along with
tho troops.
Perhaps nothing can obliterRte one
midnight funeral OF a British General
rivalling az II did the famous burial 'oi
Sir John More at Corunna. Only the
small electric torch Of the chaplain gave
light. but now and again the whole as
sembly would he suddenly lit up by tho
flash Of bursting German shrapnel. Tn,
ordinary salut was impossible, for tina
would have revealed their poation e
the enemy.
AZ the commanding British Genera
left the graveside he remarked "a tru,
soldier'a burial. We couldn't fre q vol
ley. but the enemy have given him on,
for US
>. RELIGIOUS services are difficult 70 con,
duct at the front-and take place unde,
the strangest conditions, One pries'
writing home told Of celebrating mas
in a granary. through the open door o'
which came the sound OF distant RIM
fire, with shells shrieking overhead ant
the building rocking with the Vibration
Of the heavy guns.
The automobile has proved n blessing
to the priests, and n writes telling o.
saying three masses every Sunday II
three different places forty miles apart
Attitude Of Soldiers.
The activities Of the priests Ia no
confined to their sacred duties. They or
ganize singsongs and carry pockets
! crammed with cigarettes n chocolates
but %curiously the soldiers themselve,
seem to resent these secular attentions.
A priest just ack from the front toll,
THE SuN correspondent "the men DON
seem to care for priests tending I,
their social rants They say leave tina
TO others. nurses and the like The.
insist on the priestly character beinl
maintained. can best express It in tn
words ! overheard q wounded soldie
speak, to his comrade In tho next CO,
4 don't want cigarettes n chocolate
from the padre-I want religion"
Tho question naturally rose abou
: Christianity at the front M this prizes
told THE NJ correspondent that he ha,
been surprised beyond words how Wild
spread and sincere Ii the religious spiri
among the men. AT frst thought" h
said, 'ft struck mo that In this horribi
wal Of daily killing the mems religion
sense would be blunted, hat constan
familiarity with death would not onl,
rob them Of its terror, but also eliminat
their religiosity.
. II was gratined to hnd the true con
dition different. Their religious ibre ha
%broadened. Men who for years hav
, been Catholics only In name take ever
. opportunity Of hearing mass and goin
I - copSoaaioo and communion. 70 4 4