Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-12-10
Commander Denies Sayirlg 2 He Did Not Want Men
 Told They Were Lost"
HAS GOOD REASON TO
 OBJECT TO RENTALS
Maior-Gcnerafs Letter Insinuatns Baptist Board Officer Vow Places Different Meaning on Revival
 Than He Did on Visit to Camp.

Fl Paso. Tex, Ded 9.-Mai. Ce,l Frederick Funston, commanding the Southern division If the Unite States army, tonight relied to [ -4 Rev. j. E. Gambrcll, secretary of the executive board of the Baptist gen crai convention, explaining the gen erals reasons for not permitting rc- Vlvals in the military camps here an I along the border.
 Numerous Baptist conventions have adopted resolutions cOndemnins what they understood to have been the generals actions, and suggestions were made that President Wilson, as commandcr~in- chief of the army, be asked to take official cognizance of the matter. A resolution asking for information on the controversy has also been introdud jed in congress.
 General FunstOn's Letter.
 General Funston gave out copies of the letter to pr. Gambrell in which he says, ill part
 Prom time to time I have receiv- ed copies of resolutions passed by various Baptist bodies condemning my supposed stand relative to holding religious services among the troops
 
 8 number of very unjust and, in some cases. abusive letters from clergymen of the same denomination. Inciden- tally. l might say, l have received more letters approving my stand than l have letters criticising it.
 '"rhis whole disagreeable incident, with all it's annoyance to me, of qourse, arises from statements made by you after your visit to headquar- ters a couple of months ago, in which you sought to obtain permission to conduct series of levivals in the border camps. You stated your bus mess to Colonel Barnum, chief of staff If Colonel Barnum stated at that time what denomination you be- longed to it made no impression on my mind, and if he had it would have made no difference whatever. I told that officer to explain to yod fully that while religious services along the usual lines were conductel in the camps by chaplains and other clergymen and were welcome, l could not give my consent to the holding of revivals therein giving the word, as I was justified in doing. its usual ly accepted meaning. I told Co., Barnum to explain to you why reviv al services would be cut of place in military camp, citing the dis graceful performance in San Antonio last winter as an example of what re- vivals are apt to develop into. and drawing. to a certain extent, on gen. eral knowledge as to how revivals or protracted meetings, as they are sometimes called, are usually con- dudted I further instructed Colonel Barnum to say to you that l did not accept, in fact resented, the implica- tiOn that because man had put on his country's uniform he was neces- sarily lost or worse than other men; that I thought there were people who bad stayed at home who needed re. vivals worse than the soldiers:
 "Under the circumstances imagine my astonishment when I read the statements to the effect that I had said I would not allow the soldiers to be told that they were lost You must know, as well as I do. that the doctrine that should be preached 70 the men was never orce considered or mentioned. and with all due courtesy, I feel impelled to say that vour roakire repeatedly tho s+ste- ment you are quoted as rlaR'". Ws absolutely irexcusable and did ''e grave injustice. The only time the word lost was used by me was when I said I did not approve the view that because a man put on ms coun- try's uniform he was necessarily lost"