The Washington herald., 1915-06-06

church-whether represented by the Pope
al Rome, Lendeavoring to bring about an
understanding between the principal ma
tons, by the Bishop of London in his
ministering visits to the British soldier
at the front, by the chaplain engaged In
comforting the wounded and burying the
dead, by the Y. NJ. c. A. secretary In
his tent among the new recruits. or by
the plain layman at home who rolls
handages or contributes his mite toward
the support Of the worker nearer the
center of the struggle.
To the American churchmen in the
feld have come some of the most trying
problems OF the war. Archdeacon Mes,
who is at the head of the American
Church at Lausanne, Switzerland. in a
letter TO the Living Church. tells Of con-
ditions early in May when the movement
was well begun of the French refugees
from that section of Northern France
held by the Germans through Switzer-
land. to points within the French lines.
THE main pressure at Lausanne and
Geneva at the present time comes from
the problem of the 'Evacues' from
Northern France. Up to this time over
IS, 600 unfortunates have arrived at and
left Geneva for France. and they keep
coming. a thousand a day. Reliable in
formation places the total number to be
leu III tHc ihooe "a -oo'
900 souls.
One element of relief in this situation.
is to see, as We watch the later trains
come in, the cheering effect or the un-
fortunates of the more than evident SYM
pathy of the crowds. They meet it all
through Switzerland. in the German
parts as well as the French. When,
however they arrive at Lausanne. which
is French, there is an added welcome
element of home feeling and a tongue
they can understand. And the windows
OF the trains, as they draw into the sta
ton, are packed with humanity. I'M
kempt but smiling.
The generosity Of the welcoming
crowds seems inexhaustible and marvel
Gus. Yesterday 1 was at the station
when a train arrived bringing about so
Evacues from the neighborhood of Tour
Going and Languyou. The train had
hardly stopped when the crowd rushed
toward the hands stretched ont from the
windows. to fill them with chocolate
oranges, cigars, and packages Of all
sets and sizes. There ZEE" women. GER
tainly not rich, judging by their clothes.
offering unfortunate mothers quantities
OF objects made 2b themselves, knitted
things. stockings, blouses. etc. and some
1imidly slipped into their hands pieces
of money. Old people. poor students,
children in the arms of their parents
i-'tTC. some one thing and some another.
Little ones reached up to the children
i'm the car windows some of their toys.
Hard-workins porters engaged by char
liable people went through the cars dis
tributing dainties. and refused all pay
ment from those engaging them.
During the wait OF the train. women
of the Red Cross poured out for these
disinherited ones coffee and milk. with
a smile which doubled the value of the
attention
In another letter the archdeacon
writes:
Something of the conditions frequent
ly found can be imagined from what Mrs.
Belden. of Geneva, told me- One Of our
workers at the station she says. told
me that two children came in a convoy
like many others without mother, father,
or anyone belonging to them. Homeless
and alone. they had been tossed hither
and thither for many months without q
chance for change OF clothing. When.
at the station, the kind ladies tried to
remove their shoes and stockings, the
skin and flesh of the little feet came of
Also
The shoe question with these people
who have done so much wandering is
one of the most embarrassing the COM
mittees have to handle. Clothing can be
gathered in roomfuls 1--WE have sent
three great bundles from our guild at
Lausanne alone) and undergarments can
be made. so that money spent for ma
terials is multiplied by the women's
work: but shoes take ready cash. The
Geneva guild has taken one sum Of 500
francs sent them from the fund for the
benefit of the Evacues and invested It all
in shoes Of enormous sizes for the
French peasants. and 1t was a drop in
the bucket of the need
Weekly contributions are made by a
number Of American churches and in
diyiduals to a fund which is forwarded
10 Archdeacon Mes for distribution, the
total of such contributions having
amounted to some $1,000.
At the request Of the Archbishop of
Canterbury and wits the grateful co. |
operation of the war office, the bishop
In charge OF the English chaplaincies In |
North and Central Europe has for some |
time been experimenting and arranging
to the Germans i'm the mill |
tary hospitals. writes the London cor
respondent Of the Living Church Lists !
OF names of German wounded reach him |
from time 10 time from Boulogne. and |
these are visited and ministered to in
their own language by Roman clergy |
and Lutheran ministers. besides repre- |
sentatires of the German Y. NJ. c. A. |
These the bishop has been able to organ |
ize. and through them he has learned |
without doubt that everything that can |
possibly be done i'm the way of humane /
and considerate treatment is being done \
for German prisoners OF war.
Ii appears from this letter that Bishop |
Bury has been urging for some time that |
either he himself OF some other expelled !
chaplain from Germany might be allowed |
10 20 and visit for ministrations and 9TH
rr humane purposes the British prisoners
in Germany.
Field Marshal Sir John French, in a
recent dispatch. refers to his distinguish.
I'd visitor, the Bishop OF London. and
10 his mission at the front. The field
marshal says:
During the course of his visit to the
army his lordship ives at the front every /
lay. and think I am right in saying
that there was scarcely a unit In the
command which was not at one time or
another present at his services or adj
iresses."
Sir John French also remarks upon the
devotion to duty. courage. and contempt
II danger which has characterised the
york Of the chaplains of the army
throughout this campaign.
A correspondent tells Of the experiences
" the bishop:
The success OF the Bishop Of London'sl
mission far exceed the hope and expec-
ations Of those who were responsiblei
or his presence in France. All along the
Inc from start to finish everyone, from
he generals commanding to the lowest
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